There's always more
by AlicevsWonderland
Summary: Hogwarts AU. When Hiccups secret of being the first to train a dragon is revealed, he struggles to handle his new popularity among the other students. Jack decides not to bother him like many of the others, even though he is also curious about the whole story. Despite this, an unlikely friendship blooms between the two boys and eventually turns into something more. Rated M!
1. Beginnings

The platform was buzzing with the excitement of students eagerly awaiting the train to arrive. It was a new school year at Hogwarts, and students were reuniting with their friends across the platform, embracing each other, greeting each other warmly and talking excitedly about their summers. The prospect of learning new magic skills and once again being in the old familiar castle that began to feel more and more like a home seemed to increase the buzzing excitement that was drowning the platform in noise.

Jack was by himself, leaning nonchalantly on a large stone pillar waiting to spot any of his friends. His grey owl let out a loud hoot in its cage, causing him to jump slightly at the unexpected sound slicing through the sea of noise. He snickered to himself, being almost scared to death by his own owl. He tugged at the sleeves of his school robe, not ever really feeling too comfortable in it, even though he'd had to wear it to school for five years. He instantly missed wearing his favorite blue hoodie that looked like it had frost on it. It was soft, familiar and always seemed to surround him with a certain feeling of safety, even though it was just a piece of clothing. He chuckled. With his white hair, pale skin and the blue hoodie, it was no wonder that many knew him as Jack Frost at Hogwarts. His love of winter and the cold just added to the nickname. His trademark blue hoodie had been a gift from Emma one Christmas a few years ago. She said it had reminded her of him and all the happy times they had shared playing in the snow. He had been so touched by her words and the soft look in her brown eyes that he began wearing it all the time, and soon he was reminded by his sister in a warm, comforting way, every time he put the familiar blue item of clothing on.

He was pulled out of his thoughts suddenly, as he spotted a very recognizable head of wild, curly red hair. Not that it was difficult, anyone could spot Merida's untamed lion mane from miles away. He smiled to himself, thinking how her personality was completely in sync with that uncontrollably hair of hers, before he started moving through the crowd towards her. "I heard he was the first to…", "...try out for the Quidditch team this year?", "…hope it's going to be professor…", Jack ears were filled with parts of conversations between excited students brimming with the joy of seeing their school friends again after a long summer of separation, as he slowly pushed through the sea of people trying to reach Merida. He could relate. Even though he and his friends were good at keeping in touch over the holidays, it just wasn't the same as spending every day with them at school. Living at Hogwarts, spending time together every day both in classes and in their spare time, friends quickly became much more like family. Jack pushed past a blonde girl, who at the same time turned around and accidentally knocked their heads together. Jack felt a sharp twinge of pain going straight through his forehead, while everything went blinding white for a few seconds, while he recovered.

"Ooff!" he heard a familiar voice say, and when the white light left, he was looking straight into the annoyed blue eyes of Astrid Hofferson.

"What are you doing, Frosty?" she asked, furrowing her brow and there was a slight irritation in her voice, but not enough for her to actually seem angry. Nothing unusual there. Astrid always seemed to be a little annoyed in one way or another.

Jack smiled sheepishly and rubbed his neck. He and Astrid were both in Gryffindor as well as being in the same year, so they spent a lot of time around each other in classes and they knew many of the same people. They were also both on the Quidditch team, alongside Merida. They were not actually friends though, as Astrid's tough, commanding personality often clashed with his mischievous one. That was never illustrated more clearly, than the time he had put a frog in Astrid's bag and it had pooped all over her homework. She told him, that if he ever played a prank on her again, she would end him. Now, Jack wasn't generally threatened by girls, but Astrid, even though she could be nice and even approachable some times, was not like other girls.

He was reminded, that she had actually asked him a question, when he heard her clear her throat.

"Sorry Astrid, I didn't see you there," he said, giving her a confident wink.

"Fine, just look where you're going, Frost," she said, the irritation in her voice subsiding

He nodded and continued on his way towards Merida. Luckily she hadn't moved, still standing by a group of first years eagerly trying to make their first friends at Hogwarts. She looked bored, playing with one of her curls. Jack smiled to himself, while doing his best to slowly walk towards her from behind. He was careful not to get in her line of sight, and when he was close enough to touch that wild curly mane, he threw himself at her

"MERIDA!" he yelled dramatically, throwing his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. He squashed her face against his chest. "I've missed you terribly darling!" he continued in a snobby thick accent. Merida managed some muffled sounds against the fabric of his robes.

"No, don't speak! There are no words! Every minute away from you is tragedy," he said in his best attempt of sounding like a character from a play.

Merida however, had had enough. She poked him hard in the side and he yelped in a very unmanly way, jumping backwards. Merida's face was flushed from the warmth of being held against his chest but her eyes were glowing with happiness.

"Frost, you idiot!" she said, her hint of a Scottish accent a welcome sound in Jack's ears. Her accent had lessened considerably over the years. When he had first met her at 11 years old, he had barely been able to understand her. That didn't stop them from being friends though.

He flashed her a bright grin. "Don't pretend that you didn't like it, milady. I am not through courting you," he replied playfully and did a quick bow.

Merida shook her head and grinned. "Well, I am not interested in marriage, Mr. Overland. You'll never make an honest woman out of me."

Jack clutched his chest in a mock hurt way, his eyes faking a sad expression. "You hurt me, milady. You are an evil breaker of hearts, a succubus drawing men in just to crush them!" he replied accusingly, pointing directly at her face.

Merida shook her head, her blue eyes filled with laughter. She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. This time no one was forced into anyone else's chest.

"So…ready for another year"? Jack asked when they had pulled apart. But he already knew the answer.

Merida sighed and rolled her eyes. "Come on, Snowflake. You know me. Quidditch is going to be great as usual, but I'm not sure I'll live through another year of potions."

Jack snickered. Potions were Merida's least favourite subject, to put it mildly. "Sure you will, Mer. I'll help you," he said. He had a knack for potions, and he didn't mind helping out a friend, as he had done before."

Merida smiled sincerely and opened her mouth to say something, when they were interrupted by a familiar face.

"There you are! Finally!" Flynn said, faking exasperation that quickly melted into a warm smile.

"Flynn!" he and Merida exclaimed with bright grins on their faces. They grabbed him and pulled him into a quick group hug.

"How are you, mate?" Jack asked, happy to see another one of his best friends.

Flynn shrugged. "I'm okay, I guess. It didn't work out with that girl I was sort of seeing though," he replied.

"Oh right…Heather?" Merida asked, pointing a finger as she said the girl's name. Flynn nodded in response.

Jack remembered Flynn mentioning the girl in some of his letters over the summer, but as always when it came to Flynn, it was just a fling. Flynn was a real ladies man and since he was also one of the most popular guys in school, he usually always had some kind of fling going on. He and Merida were both used to it by now.

"Sorry, Flynn," he said. Flynn did a waving motion with one of his hands, dismissing the words.

"Nah, don't be. Like I said, it's okay. There are plenty of fish in the sea, right?" Flynn said, a bright smile spreading across his face.

Jack and Merida both chuckled. Flynn was never one to be depressed over a girl. He was a good-looking guy, tall and slightly toned with thick and soft dark hair and deep brown eyes. He made a lot of the girls at school (and anywhere else) go soft in their knees, much to Jack's amusement. He didn't do too bad himself either.

"Anyway," Merida said but the rest of her words drowned in the sound of the train approaching the platform and the excited noises among the other students. When the train slowly stopped, a loud screeching noise hurt Jack's ears.

"Anyway," Merida tried again. "Have you guys seen Mavis? It's not going to be long before we have to leave."

Flynn and Jack both shook their heads but looked around them to see if they could catch a glimpse of her.

"Well, I'm sure she's going to be here any minute, so maybe we should just find a compartment, before they're all full of first years and Slytherins," Flynn joked, making a face.

Jack smiled and Merida quickly moved towards the train, as if that prospect was truly repulsing to her. The noise continued inside the train, students walking and running trying to find their friends or somewhere to sit, all the while chatting loudly about anything and everything. Jack followed the bunch of wild curls that was Merida through the narrow passageways of the train, before Merida let out a small cry of success and pushed open a door to an empty compartment. The three of them slumped down comfortably on the soft seats.

"That's better," Flynn sighed as he placed his feet on the empty seat next to him.

Merida just rolled her eyes, while Jack watched them in amused anticipation, sensing some banter coming up.

"You are such a lazy bastard," Merida said but Flynn and Jack both knew that she was joking. Well, not quite joking since Flynn was a lazy bastard, but there wasn't any malice behind her words.

"Oh shut it, Curly, I'm comfortable," Flynn said, his lips twitching.

Merida's eyes narrowed.

"Uh oh," Jack said as a smile settled on his lips. Merida absolutely hated Flynn's nicknames for her and Curly was by far the worst one in her opinion.

"Don't…call…me…Curly!" she yelled, throwing a pack of chocolate frogs violently at Flynn. They hit him straight in the face.

"Ouch!" Flynn said and rubbed his nose, where the packet had hit him. Merida was on the Quidditch team with Jack and Astrid and she was a lot stronger than she looked. She also had a mean punch, Jack knew from one time where a prank went terribly wrong and she thought he was some kind of axe murderer. He'd had a very sore, black eye for a week.

"Well well, Red, if you were trying to get into my trousers, you only had to say so. No need to bribe me with chocolate frogs," Flynn said in a seductive voice that made Jack sputter with laughter. Flynn's sexual comments were a regular part of the unique banter between Merida and him because the thought of either one having a crush on the other was truly ridiculous.

Merida's eyes twinkled with amusement but were still threatening to keep up the act. "I'll crush you, Rider. You've just made a very powerful enemy," she said.

Flynn chuckled and was about to retort, when the compartment door opened, revealing the very person, they had been looking for on the platform. The three of them smiled warmly at their new arrival and quickly gave her some welcome hugs.

"Hi guys, I've missed you," Mavis smiled, pushing her black fringe away from her eyes. She sat down in the seat next to Flynn, who had to keep his feet on the floor now.

"So, how did it go with that competition you wrote about in your last letter?" Jack asked.

Mavis nodded and smiled. "It went well, actually. I got second place."

"That's great!", "Well done!", "Congratulations!", they drowned each other out with their proud replies.

Mavis was an artistic soul and this summer she had finally braved herself and entered a competition for teenage artists held by the local art museum. Jack had always been impressed by her skills and she had even painted him once a few years ago, while he was sitting under a tree relaxing. She had let him keep the painting and he had cherished it so much, he had hung it up in his room back home. It meant a lot to him that she would create something like that just for him.

Mavis gave them a shy smile. "Thanks guys. I guess it won't be the last time I do it."

"Of course it won't!" Flynns reply came instantly. "You have a real talent, Mav, you should keep using that."

Mavis smiled fondly at him.

Jack smiled as well. Flynn was a popular ladies man and a lazy bastard but he was also one of the best friends a person could ask for; something that most people at school didn't get to see because they didn't know him well enough.

While Merida, Flynn and Mavis quickly became engulfed in conversation about which electives they were going to have this year, Jack looked out of the window as the train slowly started to move. He sighed happily. He was back with his friends, and soon he would be back at the school, that had become like a second home to him. This was going to be another great year filled with fun and games.


	2. Secrets spread like Fiendfyre

Students were brimming through the massive stone passageway, making their way to the Great Hall. The noise of their enthusiastic conversations overpowered Jack's hearing even more than usual.

He and his friends headed through the crowd, brushing against robes and accidentally bumping shoulders with several other students. When they finally managed to get out alive from the overwhelming sea of students all heading to the same destination, they comfortably took their seats at the Gryffindor table. Only a few Gryffindors were already occupying the table and they were all several years younger, so Jack and the others kept to themselves.

While Merida and Mavis began discussing the piece of artwork that had won her second place, Jack quickly glanced around the Great Hall. Something seemed different. He observed the students sitting at their respective House tables. Many of them sat close together, whispering to each other, as if they were discussing something that wasn't meant to be heard by everyone. He saw a red-haired Hufflepuff girl widen her eyes as a pale boy with black hair whispered something to her. They seemed to be completely engulfed in their discussion.

Jack turned his attention to his friends. Apparently, they hadn't noticed anything. They were still occupied by their own conversation.

"Hey…" he interrupted Mavis, as she told Merida and Flynn something about the artist that won first place in the competition. "Do you guys notice something different around here? Seems like everyone's talking about something," he said, throwing a quick glance over his shoulder at some Ravenclaws who seemed to be discussing something exciting.

Merida snorted in response. "Of course they are. They just got back from the summer, everyone's talking," she said, like Jack's question was absurd.

"No, that's not what I mean…Look around. Everyone seems to be discussing something…It's like that time Lucas Harrison peed his pants, the first time he saw a Boggart," Jack explained to his friends. That secret had spread like Fiendfyre and even though Jack truly felt sorry for the kid, it was also a little amusing. Just a tiny bit.

His friends' eyes darted around the Great Hall as Jack's had done a moment before. They quickly agreed that something was up. However, there wasn't any need to find someone who knew what was going on, because at that moment a familiar boy with a huge grin on his face sat down next to them.

"Jim!" Flynn greeted their friend excitedly. "Just the guy we need"!

Jim Hawkins was the kind of guy, who knew almost everything that went on with the students at Hogwarts. If anyone knew what was going on right now, it was him.

But before they could ask him, Jim spoke, his eyes sparkling with excitement: "Have you guys heard about Haddock?"

A confused frown fell upon all four of them, before Flynn told him that they hadn't.

Jack hoped the news wasn't too terrible. He didn't have much to do with Hiccup Haddock but he had always felt sympathetic towards the guy. They had shared several classes over the years, since Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were often put together to keep Gryffindor and Slytherin apart. Haddock was easily one of the most intelligent people in their year, while also being sarcastic and incredibly quick-witted. Jack and the others had often laughed when they'd overheard one of the guy's clever comments. Usually those comments were directed at twats who tried to bother him or his two friends but once in a while, the guy sassed teachers as well and ended up getting detention. He was also accident-prone, probably due to that prosthetic leg of his. Which no one really knew the story behind. He had come back from the summer holidays two years ago with a missing limb. It had spurred all kinds of strange theories from the students at Hogwarts and it didn't exactly help that almost no one had actually seen the guy's prosthetic, since he kept it hidden beneath his trousers and his shoe. Haddock used to be a short, scrawny fishbone of a boy, smaller than the average boy their age, but in the last year he had gone through one hell of a growth spurt. He was now a tall guy, almost as tall as Jack himself, and he had developed a lean build that fitted his height, a big contrast to his past scrawny self.

Jack observed Jim and frowned. Why would Jim be so excited about a rumor about Haddock? He feared that this was going to be very bad. Something big had clearly happened to cause this kind of commotion from the other students.

"Well…it turns out that he has a dragon!" Jim exclaimed, brimming with joy at revealing this to more people.

"Wait….what?" Flynn asked, looking just as baffled as Jack felt right now.

What the hell was he talking about? No one had a dragon. They were huge fire-breathing reptiles that could end you in a few seconds.

"That's impossible," Merida shook her head. "No one has a dragon, it's not a pet," she finished, voicing Jack's own thoughts on the matter.

Jim nodded eagerly. "It's true! Someone overheard Professor Lunar telling one of the new professors about it. Apparently, Haddock was the first person to ever tame a dragon and he defended his village on the back of his dragon against a massive dragon queen!"

"Pff, that's not true." Merida rolled her eyes.

Jack suddenly had the urge to actually see if Haddock was present in the hall. His eyes scanned the students sitting by the Ravenclaw table but didn't spot that mess of brown hair that belonged to Haddock. He did, however, see the two friends that were usually glued to Haddock's side. A heavy guy with short blonde hair sat next to a slim girl with long golden hair that almost reached her feet. They both glanced at their surroundings anxiously.

A wrinkle of confusion appeared on Jack's forehead. Why were Ingerman and Corona so on edge? Did they know, what was being said about their friend? Were they nervous because it wasn't true or…because it was?

"Well how do you know?" Jim asked Merida, snapping Jack out of his thoughts.

"Because it's Haddock!" Merida said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Jack wasn't sure he bought that argument though. Sure, it seemed pretty impossible for a student, a brainy sarcastic Ravenclaw at that, to be a dragon tamer but…impossible things had happened before, right? Before Jack was 11, he didn't even know magic existed, and now here he was at a magical school learning to wield that ancient power. Since then he had always tried to keep his mind open to things that seemed unlikely.

"I don't know, Merida...if Professor Lunar was telling someone about it, there must be some truth in it, even if we all think it's impossible," Mavis said, being the voice of reason.

Jack didn't know what to add to the conversation. His mind was still frozen with surprise. He didn't know Haddock well but he still thought he had had some idea of who the guy was. If this turned out to be true, then Haddock had taken everyone completely by surprise. Jack had trouble picturing him with a large dragon with sharp teeth and the ability to reduce him to ash. But on the other hand, if it wasn't true…why was this rumor suddenly spreading? Jack usually didn't pay much attention to rumors, as they were often wrong. But what fake rumors usually had in common was that they revolved around something embarrassing or otherwise negative. This rumor about Haddock was amazing. So why would anyone spread it, unless it had some truth in it?

Flynn's voice suddenly sliced through his thoughts, and brought him back to reality. "Jackie!" Flynn waved a hand in front of his eyes.

He sighed. Merida wasn't the only one who was subjected to Flynn's nicknames but he knew it was Flynn's way of showing affection.

"What? Sorry…" he mumbled and rubbed his neck.

"You were gone for a while there," Mavis said with amusement in her eyes.

"Yeah, I was just thinking," he said and shrugged. It wasn't a lie but Jack would never admit that he was busy thinking about Haddock of all people.

At that very moment the overpowering buzzing chatter in the Great Hall suddenly died down. The forceful blanket of noise melted into whispering and giggles.

Jack watched none other than Hiccup Haddock walk into the Great Hall in the middle of a scattered trail of students, all heading towards their respective house tables. He looked slightly different than Jack remembered. He had grown even more over the summer so he was easily as tall as Jack now – maybe even a little taller. His hair was longer too and the brown mess of locks seemed fuller and was tousled in a casual way.

This change really suited him, Jack thought. He looked good. Well, good for a guy that is.

He observed him head towards the Ravenclaw table, along with practically everyone else in the hall. Jack was not surprised to see several girls giving Haddock appreciative glances.

_There's a change._

Haddock was usually ignored by girls. Before, it had clearly been because he was a short, scrawny boy, but after he had grown it hadn't really changed either. Maybe it was because he was still an introverted guy, not bothering to be social outside of his two close friends. But now, it seemed Haddock's status with the girls at Hogwarts had changed.

Haddock's body language was tense and nervous. His posture was rigid and he fidgeted with the hem of one of the sleeves on his school robe.

He didn't know, Jack realized. He had no idea, what people were saying about him. Haddock had always seemed private so this must be horrible for him. Everyone watching him, talking about something that he didn't know about.

When Haddock joined his friends, Ingerman whispered something to him and watched him almost apologetically. Haddock's eyes widened for a few seconds and Jack tried his best to analyze what was going on. But he couldn't tell if he was shocked about a lie someone was spreading about him or shocked that his secret had been revealed.

Everyone else in the hall were still whispering, giggling and shooting curious looks at Haddock. But Haddock had decided to stay frozen and just stare at his hands for now.

_Definitely a defense mechanism._

Probably one of many Haddock had in his arsenal. This kept him shielded from having to meet anyone's eyes and clearly signaled that he wanted to be left alone.

Corona nudged him gently, her concerned eyes watching him. She was trying to get him to talk to her but he remained quiet. Ingerman said something to him but Haddock just shook his head.

A few of the other Ravenclaws in Haddock's year moved closer to the trio. A guy with curly brown hair said something to Haddock but Haddock gave him an annoyed glare and stayed quiet. Ingerman muttered something to the guy, who, along with the others, scooted back to where he sat before, clearly offended that they didn't get the answers they wanted.

Jack smiled at the pouting boy with the curly hair. Haddock wasn't one to just share his privacy with anybody. Jack already knew this. The guy usually only hung out with his two friends. It was safe to assume that he wasn't someone who would tell strangers or even acquaintances about personal things.

The arrival of the headmaster, Professor Lunar, quieted down all whispers and giggles. The headmaster slowly walked towards the podium with his usual air of calm but powerful authority surrounding him. He was a tall, pale man with short white hair and green eyes, and even though he was authoritative, he was never unfair or unnecessarily strict. He managed to keep a perfect balance of discipline, kindness and respect, which was a rare thing in Jack's opinion. He had always liked the headmaster and so did his friends. Tsar Lunar was a very respected wizard but that never seemed to go to his head. Despite his reputation and his position as the Headmaster, he always acted with humility.

The teachers were already sitting in their places, when Professor Lunar turned to the students, a restrained but genuine smile on his face.

"Welcome!" he exclaimed so even the students sitting in the back would have no trouble hearing him. "...to new school year! Only a few short messages, then you can begin enjoying the feast...Please welcome a new teacher, Professor Creek, who will be teaching potions," Professor Lunar declared, while the students started to clap, as it was expected of them to welcome a new teacher this way.

Merida groaned, clearly already dreading taking Potions. When the clapping died down, their headmaster continued.

"Also, this year Care of Magical Creatures will be taught by Professor Lucero, as Professor Brown is on temporary leave."

Jack frowned and wondered why Professor Brown would need to go on leave. It didn't seem like him. He was a very dedicated teacher. Some would probably say a workaholic. He practically lived for his job and his research on magical creatures, so what could be so important that he had to take a break from his beloved position as Care of Magical Creatures teacher?

"As always….the Forbidden Forest is strictly off limits to all students, unless they are taken there by a teacher as part of detention or a class," the headmaster said in a strict tone, looking at the new first years standing around the podium, waiting to be sorted into houses.

Jack suddenly felt a tap against his foot and looked at Flynn, while Professor Lunar continued with basic information, that Jack didn't need to hear again. He had heard it every year for six years now.

Flynn passed him a note and Jack unfolded it, looking at the creased paper.

"That brunette behind you is really hot. I don't think I've seen her before. Think I should go for….the smolder?"

Jack almost sputtered with laughter but made a muffled sound into his sleeve. Flynn and his smolder, honestly. Jack had watched him use his trademark move many times, and while it worked most of the time, it was very amusing when it didn't. Flynn would stare at the girl with his mouth open, as if she should have been hit by a very powerful spell but somehow was immune to magic. He shook his head smiling and looked back to the brunette behind him in question. He wrote "Sure, go for it!" and handed the note back. Flynn grinned at him and nodded to confirm that he was, indeed, going to go for it.

Meanwhile, headmaster Lunar finished his speech and allowed the sorting ceremony to begin. Jack and the others weren't really interested, since they wouldn't have anything to do with the first years anyway. But they still clapped every time a kid got sorted into their house. There was no reason to be rude. After all, they clearly remembered how nervous they had been themselves on their first day in the magical castle.

Jack caught himself shooting looks at Haddock but noticed that he wasn't the only one. Far from it. Well, that was to expected with that rumor going around. Haddock still looked very tense and remained quiet. He clapped without much enthusiasm when someone was sorted into a house.

"Hufflepuff!" the sorting hat exclaimed, as the last new student was sorted. The clapping quickly died down as the ceremony was now over.

Headmaster Lunar stood once again and happily exclaimed "Let the feast begin!" Food magically appeared on all the tables.

As soon as the food was available, Merida began stuffing her face with pie. Mavis looked intently at the food as if trying to make a very difficult decision and Flynn was still checking out the girl behind him.

Jack's attention was once again pulled towards Haddock, who got up from his seat and quickly walked towards the doors of the Great Hall. His body language was guarded, fists clenched by his sides, eyes fixed on the floor, the muscles in his shoulders tightened.

That wasn't surprising. Haddock definitely didn't want anyone to approach him right now.

Jack resisted the urge to go after him and get some answers. He barely knew him at all, so he had no right to do that.

Merida hadn't even noticed the Haddock's exit. She was busy attacking another piece of pie, while still having crumbs on her cheek from her last baked victim. Mavis however, was more attentive, as usual, and exchanged a pensive look with him. Flynn had clearly also noticed, as he looked towards the doors.

As soon as Haddock had left the Great Hall the talking intensified among the students, drowning the room in overwhelming noise. About 10 minutes after, Ingerman and Corona left their seats after grabbing a quick bite to eat. Almost every student in the hall watched them as they left, both looking very concerned and whispering to each other.

Merida finally looked up from her vicious battle with the pie and finished chewing the remains of her defeated foe. "I know how we can get some answers," she said.

"How?" Jack asked.

"Astrid," Merida simply stated, "She and Haddock come from the same place, so she must know something about this," she continued, seemingly proud of getting that idea.

"Yeah, that's true, good idea, Red," Flynn said. Merida gave him a deadly glare.

"I know that Rider, I'm a genius," she replied.

Jack shook his head and grinned. "Yes, you are definitely the brains of this operation, Crumbs," he said, looking at the crumbs that stilled loomed on Merida's face from her assault on the baked goods.

Mavis and Flynn snickered. Merida narrowed her eyes in that threatening and playful manner Jack had come to know so well.

"Just because you're envious of all of this-" Merida said while gesturing to herself, "doesn't mean you have to get cranky, Snow Queen," she finished, using the nickname that had caused Flynn to spit out his pumpkin juice on Mavis and nearly die of laughter, the first time she used it.

"It's difficult not to be cranky, when a pie crumb spitting Scotsman is ruining my perfect reputation just by association," he said, looking away from Merida to seem offended.

Merida just snorted and then chuckled. "Well, are we going to ask Astrid then?"

"Maybe we shouldn't," Mavis said, her eyebrows lowered in a serious expression.

"What? Why not?" Merida asked, nose wrinkled in disapproval. Jack chose to remain silent, simply to hear Mavis out on this. She always had well-founded reasons for her opinions.

"I just mean that…maybe we shouldn't pry. It's none of our business after all," she explained, "I'm sure Haddock and Astrid will have plenty of people trying to meddle."

Jack took her words to heart and found that he agreed. He had always liked Haddock, in a friendly-but-not-actual-friends sort of way, and he didn't want to cause the guy any discomfort or distress. He didn't care too much about whether or not Astrid was bombarded with questions from other curious students, as long as he wouldn't be in the middle of that disaster. She could practically crumble anyone to dust without even trying.

Merida's idea to find Astrid had been good though. Everyone knew that Astrid and Haddock knew each other, because it seemed so strange, that a popular Gryffindor Quidditch captain, who was beautiful and attracted the attention of all the guys would know a sarcastic, brainy guy with a fake limb, and even defend him sometimes. There had been a lot of rumors going around about what their relation could possibly be. Jack and his friends heard from Astrid herself later on, that she and Haddock grew up together on the same island. That had made a lot of sense to him. Astrid would never stand for it, if someone said something bad about Haddock. It sort of reminded him of a big sister protecting her little brother, even though they were the same age. She definitely cared about him.

Trying to think of something else besides the sarcastic guy with the prosthetic leg, Jack asked his friends to see their schedules, trying to find out which classes they had together. He was happy to discover, that he didn't have any classes alone. It didn't matter that much though, as he and his friends could always find someone to talk to. Jack wouldn't actually mind having some classes alone, but it wasn't as much fun as having a friend or three by his side, so he was very content with the outcome. There were even two classes that all of them had: Potions and Charms. As much as it pained and aggravated Merida, Potions was on the schedule for later today. However, Jack had promised to help her thorugh, and he intended to keep that promise.

* * *

The potions classroom had always been dark and depressing. It was in the Hogwarts dungeons, so that was to be expected, but it was still too gloomy for Jacks taste. Despite the large windows, barely any sun made it inside the room, and it didn't help that the walls were built in dark stone and the classroom was filled with huge, dark shelves brimming with mysterious ingredients in large containers. The room always smelled old and dusty, like piles of ancient parchment combined with residue from the previous years of brewing. Large square tables with cauldrons and other required materials were set up as workstations for the students, and Jack and his friends shared one of these tables, waiting for class to begin.

Merida was already groaning, and complaining that this was going to be unbearable, but Jack tried to comfort her. "Come on, Mer. I'll help you, okay? You'll live through it," he said, even though her frustrated outbursts were amusing.

Merida looked at him, unable to keep the dread out of her eyes. "But Jack…it's Potions!...and this year it's going to be even harder," she said, planting her arms on the table and resting her head on them. "I'm never going to survive." She sighed. "I might as well drown myself in Bloodroot potion."

"Well, just don't make a mess, I don't feel like cleaning up," he said, trying to suppress a chuckle.

Merida punched his arm. He winced from the sudden burst of soreness.

"That's cold, Frosty! You don't even care, that I'm going to die of boredom and frustration in this class," she whined. Flynn and Mavis chuckled.

"Come on, Mer, it's not going to be that bad. After all, we're all here," Mavis said and patted Merida's back, earning her a small smile from her.

"Yeah, Firefly, we'll get you through it," Flynn said confidently. Jack almost sputtered at the new nickname, certain that Merida would absolutely hate it.

"Firefly?" she asked incredulously. She rolledher eyes, as if Flynn was mentally unstable. _Well…he is, but not in a bad way_, Jack thought to himself with a warm smile.

While they kept themselves occupied with friendly banter, more people began taking their places by the workstations and the room was busy with chatter and students getting their books and other supplies out. Jack suddenly spotted the heavy blonde boy that was Fishlegs Ingerman walking through the door, quickly followed by Haddock, both boys carrying books under their arms.

He briefly wondered if Haddock and Ingerman were any good at this class but quickly dismissed it. They were Ravenclaws, so naturally there would be few things they weren't good or at least acceptable at academically speaking.

The only available seats were at the workstation next to the one Jack and his friends sat by, so the two teenage boys quickly made their way over to it and put down their things, while several students watched Haddocks every move. Jack felt sorry for the guy. He was obviously uncomfortable with it, although he tried to hide it by focusing on speaking quietly with Ingerman. The two Ravenclaws shared the workstation with two Gryffindors, Thomas Levin and Peter McGowan, both of whom were known to not be too fond of people, who were different. This wasn't exactly common in the Gryffindor house, but it did occur sometimes. Even Gryffindor had jerks.

Jack had never liked them, and he and his friends usually ignored them as much as possible, as did many of the others in their house. He briefly found himself hoping that the combination of those two Ravenclaws and those two Gryffindors wouldn't be too volatile.

While Flynn and Mavis were still busy convincing Merida that she was actually going to survive this class, Professor Creek entered the room, large heavy textbooks under one arm, causing everyone to stop talking. He was a rather short man in his fifties, clean shaven with short brown hair with some grey streaks in it and a rounded face with soft features that made him seem friendly and non-threatening.

"Hello and welcome to Potions. I'm Professor Creek and I'll be teaching the class this year," he said in a voice that was authoritative yet inviting. "Now, I'm not much for chitchat, so let's begin straight away. We'll start this year by brewing Shrinking potions. Open your books to page 75 and begin. If anyone needs help, don't be afraid to ask," he finished, giving the students a small smile. He planted the heavy textbooks on the massive desk in front of him.

Everyone flipped open their books to the required page and read the instructions. Jack didn't think it looked too complicated, but he heard Merida groan in frustration next to him. He smiled to himself. He could practically feel the hopelessness radiate off her. But he was refusing to let her give up. The first class had barely even started yet.

"Come on, Mer. I'll get the ingredients, if you prepare the utensils," he said, trying to encourage her. He received a grateful smile and a nod in return.

The potion required shrivelfigs, daisy roots, caterpillars, wormwood, leeches, rat spleen and cowbane, so Jack began searching for the containers with the correct labels on the old, dusty shelves. It wasn't the most appetizing ingredients, but for some strange reason, potions rarely contained things that weren't disgusting. He quickly located all the right ingredients in the assigned jars and grabbed a double portion of each, so there would be enough for Merida as well. He made sure to take a few purplebulbs as well – something that could easily be mistaken for shrivelfigs if someone wasn't paying close attention. Jack was forming an evil plan in his head on how to use them to mess with Flynn. He found the jar with the last ingredient, cowbane, and propped the lid open. After he had taken a double portion, he brought it back on the dusty shelf and spun around to head back to the table. He bumped straight into someone. Jack retreated a few feet and saw a pair of familiar, green eyes looking back at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that was my fault," Jack said and gave Haddock a smile. He could be quite unaware of his surroundings sometimes, so it wasn't unusual that he bumped into someone.

The surprise faded from Haddock's eyes. "That's okay, don't worry about it," he said with that nasal voice of his and turned around to get the rest of the ingredients, he had been getting from the shelf.

Jack looked at Haddock's back for a moment. He noticed he had two small braids on one side of that brown mess of hair. _What's the point of that? He's never had that before_. He tore his eyes off Haddock and headed back to his workstation. Merida was waiting for him, having prepared all the utensils as planned. Jack split the ingredients into two neatly divided portions.

"Now, let's see what we can do about this," he said confidently and rubbed his hands together. Merida chuckled and looked more optimistic than earlier. _Well, that's an improvement_. He needed to keep his friend's spirits up, to get her through another year of Potions.

The potion hadn't been difficult, although juicing leeches was always disgusting and threatened to summon Jacks breakfast from his stomach. He had worked steadily throughout the class, making sure Merida was on the same step of the potion-making as he was, so he could help her when she needed it. Jack had always liked potions. There was something relaxing and natural about preparing the ingredients, adding them and seeing the reactions.

When Flynn went to the stone basin in the corner of the room to wash some caterpillar juice off his hands, Jack switched the shrivelfigs on his side of the workstation with the purplebulbs. Merida saw what he was doing and smiled evilly at him to let him know she approved of his wicked plan. He could always count on Merida to take part in his mischievous ways, especially when they was directed at Flynn.

As Flynn returned to the workstation, he began slicing up the purplebulbs, not noticing that they weren't shrivelfigs. In his defense the two ingredients did look almost identical. Merida snickered at Flynn, who was blissfully unaware that he was about to be pranked. When Flynn added the purblebulbs to the potion in his cauldron, the batch exploded, liquid squirting out of the cauldron. Mavis jumped and looked at Flynn in shock. Merida burst out laughing at Flynn's baffled expression and Jack couldn't contain his own laughter either. Other students around them snickered at the unexpected reaction from the potion. Professor Creek looked towards the workstation in disapproval but remained silent. Well, at least that was something. After all, Jack wasn't trying to get Flynn in trouble. He just wanted to mess with him.

Flynn snapped out of his current state of utter shock and began cleaning up the mess on his workstation.

Jack walked around the table. "Come on, mate. I'll get the ingredients for a new batch, and Mavis will help you clean the utensils, so there's still time to get it right," he said reassuringly. Mavis hummed in agreement. Flynn nodded and a smile settled on his lips.

After Jack had made another trip around the old shelves, collecting the ingredients for the potion, he checked his own batch. To his relief, it looked exactly like it was supposed to at this step of the process. He continued brewing his potion, helping both Merida and now Flynn along the way to make sure that they would all get it done in time. Luckily it didn't take too long for Flynn to catch up, when he had help from him and Mavis.

Jack had begun stirring his potion in the cauldron, watching it change color from a muddy brown to a light green, when he heard McGowan's annoyed voice behind him.

"Come on Haddock, fix our potions."

At the other workstation, Haddock and Ingerman were both already finished with their glowing, green potions. McGowan and his friend Levin seemed to have completely messed up their batch, since it looked like like someone had taken a poo and was now attempting to cook it. McGowan and Levin were both hopeless at Potions, but they deserved what they got, since they were also impatient idiots. Jack was hoping the encounter unfolding before his eyes wouldn't escalate.

"No," Haddock said, crossing his arms and looking McGowan straight in the eye. Ingerman's eyes darted around the room and his feet shuffled anxiously.

Haddock definitely didn't seem nervous though. Everything about him screamed defiance: his feet didn't move an inch, as if they had taken roots in the stone floor, his back was straight, his fists were clenched by his sides, and his green eyes were fixed on the two Gryffindors in front of him. _He and Ingerman can't look more different. But...that's the way it's always been. Haddock's the calm one and Ingerman's the nervous one._ Haddockhad always stood up to bully types, disarming their threats with clever comments. _Although, I have to admit...I don't think I've ever seen him as confident as he looks now. _

"Fine, Ingerman can fix it then," Levin said with a scowl.

"No," Haddock said, holding out an arm in front of Ingerman, as to keep him in place. It didn't look like Ingerman was planning to move though. The guy seemed to be transfixed by the current encounter.. Jack felt for the guy. Ingerman had always seemed so nice and gentle. There was no reason for him to be dragged into something this tense by McGowan and Levin. Jack briefly thought about interfering, but he decided to wait. If it escalated he would definitely do something and bring Flynn along for support though.

"He will not help you either," Haddock said. His tone left no room for discussion._ He's really holding his own. Good for him._ Not everyone would have the guts to oppose two big, threatening guys like McGowan and Levin.

"What, why?" McGowan demanded to know, moving closer to Haddock. Jack watched the tension build and, for a moment, he feared it could become ugly, especially since Professor Creek had gone to the supply room. He shared a look with Flynn; if things got out of hand, they would interfere. He glanced at Mavis and Merida. Their eyes were fixed on Haddock and McGowan.

"Well…" Haddock began, holding a single finger to his chin, as if he was in deep contemplation, "Let me see. This is a school…In a school you get your marks based on what you know. So me doing your work would kind of defeat the whole purpose of this fine institution," he finished, talking slowly and carefully as if he was speaking to a child.

Jack smirked. McGowan clenched his jaw. Levin moved to McGowan's side with a glare that signaled his patience was about to run out. _It seems more and more likely that this will end badly._

"Shut up Haddock," McGowan said, his face twisting in disgust. "Just because people are telling lies about you and dragons doesn't mean that you get to mock us."

_He is such a git._ How on earth he had landed in Gryffindor was beyond Jack. He must have had some serious blackmail material on the Sorting Hat.

"Well, no. I get to mock you, no matter what people are saying about me," Haddock said.

"Watch it, Haddock," Levin snapped. "We don't like being mocked, especially not by losers like you."

_Those two are the losers in this situation. _Jack kept quiet for now. He didn't want to push them, if things still actually had a chance of being resolved peacefully.

"Really? I thought you were enjoying my friendly banter. I actually feel a little hurt now," Haddock said and held a hand over his heart. Ingerman's gaze flickered back and forth from Haddock to McGowan and Levin, observing every word and facial expression. _He looks ready to run away._

"You're using sarcasm," Levin said and narrowed his eyes.

Haddock's face transformed into a fascinated expression. "Wow…you're like a psychic," he said, his voice full of mock wonder.

Jack sputtered, unable to keep it in. He tried to contain his laughter but failed miserably. McGowan and Levin glared at him but he didn't care. Haddock put these two stupid clowns in their place using nothing but his intelligent sarcasm. Merida snorted at Haddock's comeback, while Flynn and Mavis snickered.

Just as Levin was about to make an angry outburst directed at Jack, Professor Creek entered the room again, oblivious to what had been going on. Levin and McGowan slumped back in their seats with blazing eyes, mentally stabbing daggers straight into Haddock's head. Haddock on the other hand, ignored them.

Professor Creek made his rounds to the different workstations giving feedback on the students' results. Jack didn't pay much attention, fiddling with a pencil and drawing a few doodles, until Professor Creek was at the workstation next to them, complimenting Haddock and Ingerman while sounding very disappointed about McGowan's and Levin's brown, bubbly blob potions. Jack snickered. It served them right, trying to threaten someone to do their potions for them. When Professor Creek got to their workstation, he was happy with everyone's results even Merida's, which caused her to smile brightly. Maybe she would be more optimistic about potions in the future, Jack thought.

He stole some glances at Haddock, who was talking about something with Ingerman, both seemingly very interested in the conversation. Ingerman let out a very unmanly squeal at something Haddock had said. Haddock grinned and tried to calm his friend. _What are they talking about? Is it about those dragon rumors?_

When the potions class was over, they had a ten minute break before the next classes began, but decided to head their separate ways right away to make sure to get there on time. No one was interested in getting detention. Jack and Merida headed to their Defense against the Dark Arts class, while Mavis had another class and Flynn had been excused from going to class with Jack and Merida, because he had been called to the headmaster's office. Why, none of them knew not even Flynn. Jack and Merida walked side by side down one of the massive hallways, meeting several people they knew along the way, saying quick "hi's" and "how's it going?". They both knew many people at the school, and it was always nice to see a familiar smiling face, so Jack was always happy to take time out to say hello.

When he and Merida arrived at the classroom, he spotted a familiar head of brown hair. They sat down two seats behind Haddock. The noise made him throw a quick glance and then a nod their way, before looking back down at whatever he was writing. Now that Jack came to think of it, Haddock was always either writing or drawing in the classes, when neither Ingerman nor Corona was around. He caught himself wondering what the guy was writing or drawing and whether it was about dragons, but he dismissed the thoughts. He shouldn't be so curious, even though it was difficult not to be, when it involved dragons and a brainy, sarcastic guy that no one ever expected to do something heroic.

He glanced up at the dragon skeleton hanging in the classroom ceiling. _Would Haddock be sad that a dragon had died? Would he be angry that it had probably been killed by someone? Or maybe he would be indifferent because it obviously happened a long time ago._ It was hard to tell. Jack wasn't even sure how he felt about himself, having never given any serious thought to it before now.

Merida and Jack both got their books from their bags and put them on the table, and then made small talk about what to eat for lunch, and the brunette at the Great Hall that Flynn was obviously interested in.

"Yeah, she better watch out, because he's planning on using his secret weapon," Jack said and grinned.

Merida rolled her eyes. "Seriously? The Smolder? I'm starting to question whether he's right in the head."

"Starting to? I've been questioning that since I met him five years ago," he said. They shared a chuckle. They both loved Flynn, but he and his Smolder were too amusing.

They continued laughing and joking about Flynn and his magical dating move, when more students started to take their seats in the classroom Jim slumped down in the seat next to him.

"Hey Jim," he said and Merida waved.

"Hi guys," Jim said with a warm smile on his lips.

"So, how's it going with Haley?" Jack asked, keen to know how his friend was doing.

"Great." Jim said, a bright grin spreading across his face, "She's actually coming home with me for Christmas to meet my parents."

"Wow, that's great!" Jack replied.

"Yeah, good for you Jim," Merida chimed in.

The students all went quiet when their Professor, Aster Bunnymund arrived. Jack wasn't sure if he liked him or not. He was very knowledgeable and talented, but he was also strict, and while Jack tried to get good grades in the classes that mattered to him, sometimes his mischievous side took over, causing him to pull pranks or make jokes, which Professor Bunnymund did not approve of in the slightest. The professor was more about hard work and deadlines, while Jack was about fun, but nonetheless he tried his best to contain himself. Professor Bunnymund stood in front of his desk. He was a tall, rather muscular man in his 30's, with dark blue hair and an Australian accent. To most people, he probably wouldn't seem like the professor type but he was a powerful wizard and he did know how to teach.

"Alright, class. Welcome to Defense against the Dark Arts. Today we're going to start practicing non-verbal spells. Can anyone tell me, what the advantage is to this kind of spell?" he asked the class, and Jack was not surprised to see Haddock raise his hand. The guy was good at this class…Well, he was good at pretty much every class.

"Yes, Mr. Haddock?" Bunnymund said, turning his gaze towards Haddock.

"In a duel, non-verbal spells mean that your opponent doesn't have any chance of knowing, what sort of magic you are about to cast. That an give you an advantage."

Professor Bunnymund's lips twitched in one of those hints of a smile he would do, when he was satisfied with someone's performance. "Very good Mr. Haddock. Today we're going to be focusing on stunning- and disarming spells, so if you'll each pair up with someone, we can get started." Jack and Merida quickly paired up, while Jim was left with Haddock, since everyone else paired up with the person sitting next to them. Jim didn't seem to mind though. He was probably still beaming on the inside from the dragon rumors.

Almost everyone struggled with the non-verbal spell. Merida was failing completely, not getting any reaction at all from her wand, when she tried to cast a Stupefy spell on him.

"Uggghr!" she groaned, "This is impossible!"

"It's not impossible, Ms. Dunbroch, merely difficult." they heard Professor Bunnymund say from behind them, where he was helping another student.

"I stick to impossible," Merida muttered and Jack laughed. He didn't do much better than her. Twice he managed to do a Stupefy spell non-verbally, but it was so weak that Merida barely moved at all by its impact. He occasionally glanced over at Jim and Haddock, who weren't doing any better than them. At the end of the class, none of the students had managed a successful non-verbal stunning or disarming spell. Jack could feel the disappointment in the room, as several students were complaining to each other. Professor Bunnymund took his place by his desk, and his voice quickly made all talk die down.

"It's too bad that none of you managed to do a perfect non-verbal spell today, but don't be to discouraged. It's difficult so it might take you a few classes to learn it properly. Practice until next time. Class dismissed," he said.

Jack saw Haddock quickly gather his things and hurry out of the classroom, which seemed strange. Why was he in such a hurry? And why was Jack suddenly so curious about Haddock, wondering what he was doing and thinking, what he was talking to people about? Sure he liked the guy, but still… It was probably the whole dragon thing. He really should pull himself together now.


	3. It's a Viking thing

The first few days at Hogwarts had practically passed in a blur, as Jack occupied his time with classes, pranks and his loving friends. This morning's Transfiguration class had been particularly amusing, as they practiced changing their hair colors and styles with the Crinus Muto spell, and Jack and Flynn competed to see, who could make the other one laugh first. Jack almost lost when Flynn changed his hair to a big blond curly hairdo, similar to that of fine porcelain dolls, but Jack won in the end when he restrained his laughter, and then surprised Flynn completely by changing his snow-white hair into a big, pink afro, causing Flynn to get stomach pains from laughing so much.

He found himself feeling completely content right now. The weather was mild today, only a slight autumn breeze rustling through the multicolored treetops, and the sky was clear and blue without a single cloud obscuring its gentle rays. He was sitting in one of the courtyards on a blanket on the ground with his friends studying. Or at least that's what they had intended. As usual, they ended up studying a little and then goofing off a lot.

This time they'd barely gotten any homework done at all, before they got sidetracked. Jack was currently listening to the conversation between Merida and Flynn, as they were having a drawing contest, with Mavis as the judge, as she was obviously the most artsy person of them.

The challenge had been extended by Merida to Flynn, after he had made fun of some of the little doodles she'd done on some parchment, while taking a break from a charms assignment. Apparently she had drawn a crab, but Flynn insisted that it was some kind of goblin-shark. That had been too much for her pride, and she had challenged him to find out who was the better artist. The challenge had been to draw three different things requested by Mavis and Jack, and the person who did the best job would win the right to humiliate the loser brutally.

The natural competitiveness between Merida and Flynn made this challenge impossible for either of them to refuse. They were both stubborn and competitive, and some of the funniest moments Jack could remember with his friends had revolved around the two trying to outdo each other. At first they had been asked to draw a baby, and then a car and Jack had suggested a frog as the last option, which Mavis accepted, much to Merida's and Flynn's frustration, as none of them really knew how to draw a frog. Jack had already suspected this though, which was exactly the reason he had suggested it. This was going to be good.

"You're going down, Rider!" Merida exclaimed triumphantly as she was finishing the frog drawing, lying on her stomach on the blanket and tracing her quill over the smooth parchment.

Flynn huffed, as he sat cross-legged with a book in his lap, which his parchment rested on, so he could draw evenly. "Yeah right Simba, you've got nothing on me" he said confidently, but lost a bit of that confidence as Merida narrowed her eyes, while Jack and Mavis both sputtered with laughter. Oh how he loved it, when Flynn came up with some new nickname that infuriated Merida to no end.

"What…did you just call me?" Merida asked him from her comfortable position, her voice ice cold, as she had abruptly stopped working on her drawing to glare at him.

"Oh nothing" Flynn quickly said dismissively, while trying his best to look completely innocent. Jack knew that wasn't going to work with Merida though, and he decided to rile their wild-haired friend up a little more.

As soon as Merida focused her attention on her drawing again, Jack couldn't help himself and gave his best Mufasa impression: "Simba, when we die our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass, and so we are all connected in the great circ- whoaah!".

He didn't manage to finish his (in his opinion spot on) impression of the authoritative lion, as Merida suddenly got up from her resting position on her stomach with almost super-human speed and threw herself at him, making him tumble over and land on his back.

She started tickling him immediately, her freakishly strong body pinning him to the ground. The tickling sensations invaded his body, as Merida's slim fingers jabbed at him and dug into his robes, and he couldn't stop himself from laughing uncontrollably, his breath becoming more and more erratic. He was quickly losing the reins over his body, as it began to wriggle uncontrollably to desperately try and slip out of the evil ticklers grasp.

"Don't call me Simba, Frosty! Now, say you surrender!" she demanded playfully while still holding him down, now by the wrists to give him a little time to catch his breath again. He was grateful for that, as his stomach was beginning to ache from the involuntary twitches that had gone through his body, and his lungs were craving oxygen. He greedily began to suck in as much air as possible through deep, long breaths. When his breathing had steadied a little more, he decided not to submit to that tyrant of a lion on top of him.

"Never! I'll die before I surrender to you, Simba! Pride Rock is Scars by right! Usurper!" he shouted with as much conviction as he could manage, his still uneven breath causing him to struggle slightly to get it out in the volume he wanted.

He could hear Flynn's and Mavis' laughter echo through the air, while Merida once again jabbed her hands into his sides and began wobbling her slim fingers, creating those shocks of equal amounts of delight and horror that trembled through his body. He instantly began thrashing violently in protest, while he roared with laughter instinctually, unable to stop it in any way. His chest heaved from all the laughter escaping his body, and right now he hated that Merida was so unbelievably strong and he was such a skinny guy, because it would have been great to overpower her and win this fight. It was no use trying though, as she kept pinning him down without much effort. He knew that he couldn't take her anyway. He'd tried many times before but to no avail.

"Surrender, Snowman!" Merida yelled at him, but he could barely breathe, much less speak. He was taking more and more desperate rapid breaths to get some oxygen to his brain. Merida obviously noticed this, as she gave him a moment to recover from all the tickling, leaning slightly back on him, so she sat on top of his stomach.

"Fine" Jack breathed heavily in submission, his voice coarse and breathless. His stomach was trying to overcome that aching feeling that always followed the extreme ripples and spasms from a tickle attack. "I surrender" he said hopelessly, while he held his hands up in mock surrender, still lying on his back in the grass with Merida on top of him. He really didn't want to give in to her, but he definitely couldn't handle any more tickling, and he knew that Merida would never give up until he surrendered. She was so goddamn stubborn that it was nearly impossible to win any kind of fight with her.

Merida grinned triumphantly, her blue eyes lighting up immediately from the sound of his submission. "Yes! Once again the Scotsman defeats the Snow Queen" she shouted with pride, while letting go of Jack and returning to her comfortable position on the blanket. She was practically beaming.

"You know, that's not exactly the most flattering nickname" Jack deadpanned, still a little out of breath, while sitting himself up again as well, crossing his legs and resting his elbows on his knees. God, his stomach ached from that assault of nerve spasms, and his whole body felt weak and tired from the uncontrollable thrashing. Oh well. At least he also had that relaxed, pleasant tingling sensation in his head that also came after a tickle attack from all the endorphins being released into his brain.

"I know, that's why I use it so much" Merida retorted as if that was completely obvious to anyone, and she smirked in a particularly malicious fashion. Typical bloody Scotsman, he thought amused. Underneath that Gryffindor appearance, she was definitely pure evil, no doubt about it.

Jack just chuckled at his friend. "Well, let's see if you're still smiling when the drawing contest is over" he said, causing Mavis to stop her laughing and reach out to get the drawings from her two friends. Flynn and Merida handed them over almost reluctantly, and viewed each other with narrowed, challenging eyes while doing it.

As Mavis flicked through them, her whole face contorted as she obviously struggled to suppress her giggles. When she reached the last drawing, she lost the fight over her body, and she burst out laughing again. Merida and Flynn watched her equal amounts of offense and amusement, while Jack couldn't help but smile fondly at his laughing friend, her light, feathery laughter floating through the air like dandelion seeds adrift by a gentle breeze.

"What is it?" He asked curiously, tilting his head a little in a questioning manner. Mavis handed him one of the drawings, and as he trained his ice blue eyes on the slightly crinkled piece of parchment, his face lit up in amusement, and he couldn't even hope to contain the bubbling laughter that instantly escaped him. What was supposed to be a drawing of a baby, looked like some hideous creature with bulbous eyes in different sizes, legs that were sort of twisted and hands that were way too big for the rest of the body. What the hell was that evil deformed creature?

Jack and Mavis continued their laughter fit, the bubbling sounds and the facial expressions of each other only making it even more difficult to stop, and they were soon joined by Merida as she also took one look at Flynn's drawing, before rolling on the ground roaring with hilarity.

"What? That's obviously a baby" Flynn huffed indignantly and rolled his eyes, as if his three friends were obviously blind to his stroke of artistic genius.

Jack shook his head while trying to get his laughter under control, but his breath had become erratic again from the laughter cramps, so it was difficult to get words out properly. "That…that's not…a baby. That's…orc spawn" he told Flynn with wide, amused eyes, causing Merida and Mavis to topple over in amusement. Merida held a hand on her stomach as she continued to heave with laughter, and Mavis wiped away a single tear that had trailed down her cheek.

"Fine, whatever" Flynn said dismissively, while crossing his arms defiantly, even though he was clearly also amused, as the corners of his mouth turned upwards and his eyes were gleaming with mirth. Flynn always knew how to take a joke, and Jack knew that he was never truly offended by anything his friends said. He still loved to pretend though.

When their laughter slowly died down, and the three of them all managed to get their breathing under control once more, they decided to look at the rest of the drawings. This however only brought them back to a state of hysterical hilarity, as they saw Merida's frog drawing, which looked more like some alien with an antenna and Flynn's frog drawing that resembled some kind of mutant dog with severe deformities.

When they were all done mocking the drawings in various amusing ways, Flynn and Merida eager to make sure that the other's drawings were mocked more than their own, Mavis began considering who the winner should be. After some careful thinking (the honor of two of their friends was at stake after all), Mavis declared Merida the winner of the contest, causing the redhead to gloat long and hard, as she laughed triumphantly, stuck her finger in Flynn's face and danced around him happily, singing a little song about how she was better than him.

Flynn was a little frustrated about losing, because it caused a dent in his dignity, but it was only for a little while. As it always was with their contests, the loser was only upset shortly before returning to their usual bright demeanor. Still though, Jack could understand the eagerness to win, seeing that both Merida and Flynn were merciless gloaters, when they beat each other.

When she had decided that she was done humiliating Flynn, Merida lay down on the blanket on her side, while pulling out some candy from her bag. Jack shook his head and smiled in amusement. Merida was almost always eating, and he had no idea, why she wasn't the size of North yet. She must have some kind of superhuman metabolism, although that was a pretty lame superpower to have. If Jack could choose a superpower, it would definitely be to turn himself invisible at will. Think about how many awesome pranks he'd be able to pull, if he could sneak around totally unseen? The potential was limitless.

Flynn and Mavis had begun discussing Flynn's strategy for getting the hot brunette to succumb to his Smolder, Flynn being very convinced that he didn't need to do much else, but Mavis' insisting that his dating move was not perfect, when Jack spotted Haddock walk out into the courtyard.

He wasn't alone though, as Ingerman and Corona were by his side, and the three Ravenclaws were clearly heading somewhere in particular, as they walked with purpose and in a fast pace. The appearance of the large blonde boy and the golden-haired girl by his side was pretty much the norm. What wasn't the norm at all, were all the people who approached him in some way or another.

Jack watched several students saying hi to him, smiling at him or waving at him, and many actually walked up to him to say hi and obviously try to start a conversation. This failed miserably however, as Haddock seemed to only give them short answers and a few polite smiles, while he continued on his way briskly walking beside his friends. Jack noticed how the girls that approached him were smiling shyly or giving him notes or giggling. They were clearly flirting with him. Jack felt some annoyance at that. It was pretty obvious that Haddock didn't want all the attention, and yet people were just throwing themselves at him. It just seemed wrong to him. Leave the poor guy alone, he obviously had enough on his mind.

"Wow". Jacks thoughts were interrupted by Flynn, whose smooth, round voice was cutting through the silence among the four of them. "Haddock seems to be doing well for himself" he said, clearly impressed with the massive change in attention directed towards him.

"I don't think he likes all the attention" Jack replied without much emotion, while still observing Haddock, who continued to walk further away with his two friends, his whole body language tense and awkward.

"Me neither. He seems like a private person" Mavis told them with obvious sympathy in her voice.

"Pff…Anyone should be happy to get that kind of attention" Flynn stated. Jack frowned at this, finding Flynn's comment slightly shallow, but he didn't reply. He knew that despite what most people thought about Flynn, he wasn't shallow or vain, but he obviously had difficulty imagining Haddocks discomfort right now.

"Are we a bit jealous of all the attention he's getting, Rider?" Merida chimed in teasingly, enjoying messing with Flynn as usual.

"What? Of course not" Flynn said, in a slightly high-pitched voice, that screamed denial. Jack rolled his eyes slightly. Of course Flynn was jealous. He loved getting the attention from all the girls and being popular with the guys as well. That was his whole thing…being the good-looking heartbreaker who was also a great friend to all the guys. Not that he had lost any of that, the girls were still interested in dating him and the guys still wanted to hang out with him, but something told Jack that Flynn might be slightly insecure about sharing this much attention with someone else. Despite his whole image, Flynn wasn't arrogant or overly confident at all. He wasn't some sniveling insecure mess either, but he had doubts about himself just like every other normal human being.

Jack continued to watch Haddock, who disappeared from view around a corner with his two friends. For some reason he found himself being a little disappointed at that. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on with him, but somehow he wanted to make sure that no one was bothering Haddock too much. Maybe it was just because he felt sympathy towards him, since he was obviously having difficulty handling all this change, but there was no use in trying to analyze something so intangible further. It didn't really matter anyway.

"Besides, I'm still as popular as ever with the ladies" Flynn continued confidently, and demonstrated this by waving and saying hi to a bunch of girls nearby, who immediately giggled, smiled and waved back.

Merida snorted and rolled her blue eyes. "I'll never know what those girls see in you" she said in an exasperated but clearly playful manner.

"Well, my devilishly good looks alone is plenty reason, but I have countless awesome qualities. So no, I'm not jealous of Haddock, of all people" he answered in a self-assured tone of voice.

Jack smiled at the banter between his two friends, but kept looking at the corner, where the boy in question had disappeared from view a moment ago.

"It's just a shame that people won't leave him alone now. I mean everyone's curious, we want to know about it as well, but at least we keep our distance, since we don't actually know him, and have no right to pry" Mavis said softly, her blue eyes gleaming with obvious empathy. She really was one of the kindest people Jack had ever met, and somehow he seriously thought that was an underrated character trait.

When people had to list others positive qualities, genuine kindness was rarely highlighted as an equally important trait to such things as intelligence, humor, looks, courage and extrovertism. This was always illustrated clearly by the way Hufflepuff was often sort of dismissed among other students as the least impressive house of Hogwarts, being the kind, amiable ones. It was a shame though. Kindness was a great character trait, and Mavis possessed it in abundance. She always wanted everyone to be comfortable, to have a good time, to be happy, and she was very tolerant of other people's quirks and flaws, even if they might seem weird.

Jack thought about her words and quickly agreed. The four of them had agreed not to pry into Haddock's relation with dragons, even though they were all brimming with curiosity, because it just didn't seem right to try and force information out of someone you didn't know. "Yeah, and we've even talked to him a bit sometimes in class. Some of the people throwing themselves at him now had never even noticed him before" Jack replied, hoping his annoyance wouldn't show too much. He really did feel sorry for the guy.

"Yeah, you're right" Merida agreed with him and nodded slowly. "It is a wee bit sickening, how people suddenly change that way" she continued. Mavis and Flynn hummed in agreement.

The four friends remained in the courtyard, eating candy, talking and laughing together until it was time for dinner in the Great Hall. As they packed up their things and headed towards the Hall, Jack noticed a library book in his bag that he was supposed to bring back earlier that day. Oops. As usual his need for fun and social interaction had distracted him from doing what he was supposed to. He stopped in his tracks, and his three friends quickly did the same, turning around to face him with questioning looks.

"Uh guys, I'll be there in a little while, I forgot that I had to bring this book back" he said sheepishly and held up the book in one hand for them to see.

"Jack seriously, one day you're going to forget your own name" Mavis told him sternly but with amusement in her clear, blue eyes. Agreements quickly followed by Merida and Flynn.

"Traitors" he accused them, while sending them an evil glare, but they just chuckled at him and resumed walking towards the Great Hall.

Jack slung his bag over his right shoulder and headed towards the library. The halls were completely deserted as everyone was gathering in Hall for dinner, so he walked slowly to enjoy the peace and quiet. He loved being around people, and he was often the center of attention, but once in a while it was nice to just walk in solitude, taking in the peaceful surroundings.

Jack had always felt awe towards the old magical castle, ever since he saw it for the first time. Six years later things hadn't changed. It was so full of secrets, of history, of brimming magical power. Even though he had been at Hogwarts for five years and had now started his sixth, there were still so many things he didn't know about the massive, ancient castle. He brushed his hand against the stone wall to his right, and felt the rough surface of the stones glide against his fingertips, as he continued to stroll towards his destination. When the entrance to the library finally came into view, he smiled to himself and got the book out of his bag again.

He felt grateful that the library had a system to allow students to bring back books, no matter if the librarian was present or not, as he just remembered, that she was probably at dinner, just like everyone else. He entered the library and took in a few students sitting scattered at different tables, their eyes eagerly scanning the pages of their books. Geez, why weren't these people at dinner? Who would miss delicious food just to study? He approached the librarians desk, where a container had been set up for students to drop off books.

He quickly placed the leather-bound book in the container, and spun around to approach the exit and get to the Great Hall for a nice, hot meal. He walked briskly towards the exit, so he could join his friends for dinner soon, but suddenly bumped into a boy, who was walking out from behind a bookshelf.

"I'm sorry" they both said in unison, and Jack once again found himself face to face with a familiar pair of green eyes. Once again he had bumped into Hiccup Haddock. Well, this was great he thought sarcastically. Not that he particularly minded meeting him, but it seemed a tad bit strange to bump into the same person twice in a short amount of time.

"I seem to be doing that a lot lately, huh?" Jack said in amusement and flashing the other guy a grin, trying to defuse the awkwardness between them. He couldn't stand tense silence, and luckily he had always had a talent for making people comfortable with him, an ability he had been grateful for several times in his life. Everything just seemed easier, when you could chase away the awkwardness that often occurred between people. A small smile appeared on Haddock's lips at his comment.

"You sure do, Overland" he replied. Jack wasn't used to hearing his real last name from other students, since everyone called him Jack or Frost (or some nickname relating to these names). Only the teachers called him Overland, but he guessed that it made sense, that Haddock would call him that, since they didn't know each other. Jack blue eyes quickly drifted towards the three very ancient-looking, worn books in Haddock's arms and smiled.

"You're studying dragons?" he asked curiously and smiling genuinely. He watched Haddock visibly tense and his green eyes became guarded for a moment, but then he apparently forced himself to calm down and his shoulders relaxed and his eyes were once again seemingly friendly. Jack felt that he had definitely said the wrong thing. Why had he even mentioned dragons, when he had decided not to approach him about it at all? Not that this was entirely the same thing, as he was just asking about the books he was carrying, but apparently it was enough to make Haddock suspicious of his intentions. Not that he needed to be. Dragons were awesome and he would be thrilled if he ever got to see one in real life, but there's no fun in trying to force information out of someone. That wasn't his style.

"Yeah…" Haddock said hesitantly, as if he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to have this conversation. "I'm very interested in them, and Professor Lunar said, that the library had recently acquired some rare books on them. So I thought I'd check it out". Well, that seemed plausible, Jack thought. He took a brief look at the tomes the other boy was holding once again. They really looked ancient. Two of them were quite small and leatherbound with obvious wear that had faded the color of the leather, and from what he could see the pages were brown from the aging of the paper. The third book was larger and much thicker. It had a dark brown cover that had been ripped slightly in several places.

Jack nodded. "That's cool" he replied, trying to sound casual and not too interested. He didn't want Haddock to think that he was prying or somehow trying to convince him to spill his secrets.

"Yeah, umm, so…I'm going to go outside and study" Haddock said quickly and awkwardly, before turning around and starting to walk away, leaving Jack without giving him a chance to reply. Well, that wasn't cool at all, he found himself thinking.

"Hey, Haddock" Jack called out but not too loudly, as they were still in the library, after all. He briefly wondered if he really should just leave him alone, but calling out had just been instinctual somehow. He wanted to speak to him a little while longer, though he wasn't sure where this urge was coming from. Haddock turned around and looked at him curiously, tilting his head slightly, causing a few brown locks to sway along his forehead, before covering the short distance between them and once again standing in front of Jack. So now it was too late for "if's".

"Yeah?" Haddock asked curiously, his green eyes seeming a little uncertain. Well, this was a little awkward actually, and Jack hated awkward. He'd have to use his awesome social skills to turn that around. Why had he called him back, again? Where was he going with this? He was obviously curious about why Haddock was up here now instead of getting something to eat, and the other boy's guarded behavior when he asked about the dragon books was also somehow intriguing. He wouldn't ask about dragons though, as that would be stupid and he wasn't a jerk.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but…why are you up here now, shouldn't you be getting some food?" he asked in a casual, friendly manner, and giving the other boy a sincere smile. It wasn't just something he said to keep the conversation going, he actually wanted to know. The guy in front of him had always been skinny and even though he had grown dramatically over the last year, he wasn't exactly a big, muscular guy. Skipping meals was surely not a very good idea. And who could say no to delicious food, right? That was just common sense.

Haddock adjusted the position of the books in his arms, clearly wanting to hold them more comfortably. "Well…I sort of just wanted some time alone…which is suddenly hard to come by" Haddock replied, his green eyes suddenly seeming...annoyed? No, that wasn't quite it. More like solemn. Jack briefly frowned.

"Oh…yeah, I understand. Everyone is suddenly throwing themselves at you….must be weird" he stated casually, trying to ease the sudden awkwardness that had emerged between them once again. He meant it though. It must be an overwhelming experience getting that kind of attention, when you weren't used to it. Jack was definitely used to being the center of attention and he liked it.

He was a prankster, often causing commotion and attention with his (genius!) schemes, and a social butterfly who loved being around people almost constantly and was great at spreading laughter and cheer. This caused him to be a popular guy among many of the other students in the old magical castle, and naturally that came with a lot of attention that was expressed in various ways. When he made his way around the castle, he often received waves and greetings from many other students, he was regularly the object of flirty notes, shy smiles and giggles from the female students, and many of the guys in the castle wanted to hang out with him.

"It is" Haddock confirmed softly, not meeting Jacks eyes at the moment. He found it strange that the other guy had become just as tall as him, so Jack didn't have to look down at him anymore, when he talked to him, as he had done previously when they had to interact in class. He was suddenly all grown up. Haddock raised one of his hands to his hair and tugged a little on one of his small braid. The act seemed very subconscious.

"By the way, what's with the braids all of the sudden?" Jack asked curiously, lifting one of his hands and pointing to the other boy's two small braids that stuck out from the rest of his messy brown hair. He was trying to lighten the mood obviously. It wasn't because he was actually curious about it, of course not.

Haddocks lips twitched and he met his eyes again. This time the green eyes were gleaming with a hint of amusement. "It's a Viking heritage thing" he replied cryptically.

Jack furrowed his brow in surprise. Okay, that certainly wasn't an answer he was expecting. Haddock didn't exactly look like a Viking. Far from it.

"Vikings, huh….Big burly men with bushy beards, helmets and axes?" he asked with a smile gracing his lips.

"Yeah…Don't you see all that raw manly Vikingness that I've clearly inherited from my ancestors?" Haddock deadpanned, his slightly nasal voice lacking in any emotion, and Jack couldn't stop himself from chuckling at that. Okay, so he was actually serious about being a Viking. Well, that was interesting. He couldn't claim that he'd ever thought he'd be talking to a Viking.

"Well, not exactly. Although you have grown a lot. I mean seriously, what have you been eating to get that kind of growth spurt?" he replied, gesturing with his hands to underline the unusualness of Haddock's sudden change. Jack briefly thought to himself that, depending on Haddocks answer, they should definitely consider making a product out of it and market it to small, scrawny boys. That would be a bloody goldmine.

Haddock smiled, the corner of his eyes crinkling, clearly finding his comment funny, which made Jack feel satisfied for some reason. Well, not some reason…he loved making other people smile and laugh. It somehow made him feel warm inside, as if he had achieved something truly special. Which he had, of course. Fun was always a special thing.

"Oh the usual….yak brains, chicken feet, fish scales…the traditional Viking recipe for growing" Haddock replied jokingly, while gesturing with his one free hand as he listed the gross items.

"Well, I'd rather be a midget than follow Viking tradition then" Jack declared with a defiant tone of voice and wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Yeah, be glad you're not a Viking then. They don't take too well on breaking traditions".

Huh. It sounded like there was a story behind that statement, Jack thought. He rubbed one of his arms, and briefly wondered what kind of traditions had been broken…well, except the whole dragon thing of course. Maybe Vikings were actually really old-fashioned people, who didn't like the slightest change?

"Really? Why?" He asked curiously, tilting his head slightly and putting one hand on his hip.

"Well…stubbornness issues" the other boy vaguely replied, a faint smile on the books as if recalling some particular memory, as he pulled the books in his arms closer to his chest.

"So you and Astrid are actually Vikings?" Jack replied, remembering that she and Haddock grew up together. The thought of Astrid as a Viking seemed very fitting actually. She was clearly strong, confident and violent, and those were surely qualities that were appreciated in a Viking, right?

"Yes. And Fishlegs too" Haddock corrected him. Well, that was certainly surprising. He could definitely picture Astrid as a Viking, but Haddock…and now Fishlegs? They had both always seemed so shy and introverted, not exactly traits that one associated with Vikings. But on the other hand, there was bound to be some unusual Vikings around, just like with any other group of people.

"Fishlegs? So the three of you grew up together?"

"Yeah, we did." he simply stated with a slow nod. "We're all from the same little island in the barbaric archipelago".

Now that Jack thought about it, he could vaguely recall Mavis telling him something about Astrid being from some far off place with an odd name, and since Astrid and Haddock grew up together, naturally it had to be the same island. Now he wished that he had actually been paying attention when she'd told him about it and not been busy trying to fling little pieces of food at Flynn. The barbaric archipelago…that sounded so cool, he had to admit. Like something from a movie or a storybook. Definitely a name fit for the home of Vikings.

"That's awesome" Jack replied enthusiastically, a huge grin spreading on his face. Haddock raised an eyebrow in confusion, while observing him intently with those intelligent green eyes that seemed to be currently analyzing his words. An explanation was probably in order Jack thought to himself.

"Well, it's a lot more interesting than just being from some random English town. I mean, Vikings! Battles, mead, Thor, Odin, Valhalla, all that stuff" Jack explained, gesturing with his hands as he listed the things, still enthused. He was suddenly at little envious of the three students' interesting background. He couldn't exactly claim that he had any exotic or unusual cultural heritage. He would love to have that, to have some ties to a rich, ancient culture filled with great heroes and battles, mythological creatures and powerful gods.

Haddock just shook his head of brown locks, an entertained smile on his face.

"You're interested in Norse mythology?" He asked and seemed almost amused by it. Jack found himself wondering why, but decided to elaborate on his stance on mythology.

"Yeah" he nodded eagerly. "Not just Norse mythology though. I'm not really religious, but religion and mythology are important parts of history, and also explain many of the traditions that we have today. I find that interesting…And also mythology is filled with awesome stories".

"Huh" Haddock said sounding surprised, while studying Jacks face with those observing green eyes that almost seemed to be able to read your mind. Jack felt slightly self-conscious for a second, before he quickly willed it away. He had always been a confident person, someone who was comfortable in his own skin. He rarely felt self-conscious and he wasn't about to start now.

"What?" He found himself asking curiously, lifting his hands in a slightly questioning manner, wondering what the other boy was thinking.

"You just…don't seem like the type to be into mythology and history" Haddock explained hesitantly, still having a vaguely entertained smile on his lips.

"Oh?"

"No offense" Haddock quickly said holding up one hand in a brief calming gesture, while clutching the books under one arm. Jack wasn't offended, he rarely was, but he was still curious to hear where this was going.

"It's just…you're almost always messing around" the Viking boy finished with a faint smile on his lips, as if he was recalling some of the pranks Jack had pulled off through the years. Which he couldn't blame him. All of his pranks were obviously strokes of pure genius.

Jack chuckled. That certainly explained it. "That's true. But that requires a certain discipline and intelligence too. What, do you think it's easy coming up with all those brilliant, mind-blowing pranks?"

"Yes" Haddock deadpanned with a hint of a challenge in his green orbs. Oh that little bastard Jack thought with laughter in his own eyes. Well, not so little anymore, but still a bastard nonetheless.

"What? I'm outraged! My artistic genius is clearly not being appreciated here!" he huffed dramatically, throwing his hands up in the air in a frustrated gesture to emphasize the drama.

Haddock's lips curved a little. "Oh no, it's definitely appreciated. I'm sure making a frog poop in Astrids bag and switching Rider's ingredients in potions is very draining creatively".

Huh. He had noticed Jack's little prank on Flynn earlier.

That cheeky nerd, insulting his awesome pranks Jack thought, while a bright grin spread across his face. "You really know how to break a prankster's heart, Haddock. I'm wounded" he said sadly and pouted, while clutching his chest, his facial features conveying a deep melancholy.

"Good". Haddock said with amusement in his eyes and then chuckled. "Something's going my way then…And you can call me Hiccup, if you want" he added, while gesturing with one hand as if he was somehow underlining his words with them. He seemed to do that a lot Jack thought. He hadn't noticed it before. "I'm not really a fan of the whole last name thing" Hiccup finished while doing a dismissive waving motion with one hand, as if trying to will away the whole tradition at Hogwarts of calling people you didn't know well by their surname.

Jack was surprised to say the least. He hadn't expected that, even though it was just a small simple gesture of friendliness. He found himself smiling warmly.

"Great. But then you have to call me Jack" he insisted. Not that he thought Hiccup would object to that.

Hiccup nodded in agreement and a brief moment of silence passed between them. Jack was slightly surprised to find that it wasn't awkward or tense this time. Still though, he would always prefer talking to silence. That whole 'silence is golden' thing is completely overrated.

"By the way…I hope it's okay to ask you this, but why that name? It's not exactly a common name…actually, that's definitely an understatement, I'm pretty sure you're the only one in the universe with that name" Jack said friendly while smiling brightly, wanting Hiccup to understand that he was being genuinely curious and not in any way malicious about it.

"It's a Viking thing" Haddock answered vaguely. More Viking ties Jack thought intrigued, while scratching the back of his head in a few quick movements.

"How so?" he asked. It seemed like there were many interesting ties between Hiccup and this Viking heritage, and it wasn't often he came across people with rich cultural backgrounds. He found himself wanting to genuinely know more about it.

"Many Vikings named their children strange or horrible names. It used to be because they believed that it would scare off trolls and gnomes, but now it's just a tradition" Hiccup explained while once again gesturing with one of his hands. He seemed more relaxed now, his shoulders not nearly as tense and his stance not nearly as guarded as before, while he was explaining this tradition to Jack, which he was pleased with.

"Seriously?" Jack chuckled. "That's just weird…but Fishlegs has it way worse than you"

"Most people think that…I still remember the first time you heard our names when we were sorted and got detention because you couldn't stop laughing".

Jack was a bit embarrassed that Hiccup brought this up. Yes, his 11 year old self had found the names hilarious, but it was only afterwards, when he was a bit older, that he realized he might have hurt the two boys' feelings. Now he felt a slight blush creep into his cheek, but he quickly willed it away and his face fell back into its usual confident folds. He usually never blushed, but this was actually a little embarrassing.

"I almost choked on the piece of candy I was eating too" Jack added matter-of-factly. "But seriously, I'm sorry that I laughed at your names…it was a bit insensitive". He hoped that Hiccup didn't hold a grudge, though somehow he already knew that he didn't. Then a brief thought occurred to him. Hiccup had said that most people think that Fishlegs has it worse than him name-wise. Now that Jack thought about it, it seemed like Hiccup disagreed with people on that. He wasn't going to ask about it though, as it could be kind of personal. Actually not could be, it was definitely something that would be personal.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at his apologetic words. "Jack Frost, concerned with his manners? I never thought I'd see the day"

"Come on, I'm not that bad" Jack laughed. It was true that he was rarely concerned with manners and rules, but he never intended to be rude or insensitive to anyone. He wanted to have fun and mess around, but he didn't want to hurt people's feelings. He wasn't a jerk.

"Yeah, you are" Hiccup deadpanned with a blank expression that underlined the lack of emotion.

"Aww, come on, I'm actually a nice person, you know" Jack defended himself in a slightly whiny tone, that he wasn't entirely sure where was coming from.

Hiccup waved his hand in some dismissive motions, as if banishing Jacks objections. "I'm just kidding Jack, it's fine. We're pretty much used to it by now. At least you stopped finding it so funny. Others still can't let it go".

Jack frowned, but was relieved on the inside that Hiccup didn't hold it against him. "Well, it doesn't matter what they think" he said defiantly and shrugged. He had noticed that some students still made fun of Hiccup and Fishlegs sometimes because of their names, but he avoided mentioning that. He didn't want to make Hiccup uncomfortable.

"I know" Hiccup said calmly, giving Jack a small smile. Jack would never admit it, but he sort of admired Hiccups resilience. The boy hadn't had the easiest time at Hogwarts, being teased and a few times even threatened and shoved around after pissing off some students, who had bothered him or his friends, but he didn't stop his sarcastic and clever comments, and he always refused to give bullies what they wanted. It was actually a little impressive, especially since he was so scrawny back then.

"So I guess Astrid was the lucky one of you three" Jack said in amusement, referring to their naming traditions.

"Yeah, I guess. Although I don't think the name would have suited me or Fishlegs" Hiccup replied jokingly and furrowed his brow as if he was contemplating how the name would fit him.

Jack chuckled. "Aw, come on. Fishlegs has always had a certain feminine grace"

Hiccup sputtered at that, his eyes wide with amusement for a few seconds and Jack felt happy that he could make him laugh like that. After all, it seemed that the guy had a lot on his mind lately, and he appeared tense and restrained, so getting him to loosen up a little would be good for him. It was always a really satisfying feeling, whenever he could get someone to genuinely laugh and just let their worries drift away at least for a little while.

"Right. He's always had the delicate soul of a dancer" Hiccup replied sarcastically with mirth in his eyes. "And Astrid's favourite things are puppies and rainbows" he deadpanned.

Jack couldn't contain the laughter that escaped his mouth, as he imagined Astrid with her arms full of fluffy, white puppies running happily on a meadow beneath a sky full of rainbows. That was just…wrong.

"Good point. She's always been more of a battleaxes and spewing blood kind of girl, huh?"

"Oh yeah. She communicates using an intricate system of punches, threats and glares, occasionally spiced up with the rolling of eyes" Hiccup chuckled. "But really, she means well. She's very protective of those she cares about". He smiled softly, as he finished the sentence. Obviously he cared about the feisty Gryffindor girl, which made sense since they grew up together. Jack would probably never be very fond of Astrid, since their personalities clashed as much as they did.

"Yeah. I mean, I don't know her that well, but she seems to take good care of her friends" Jack said honestly and ran a hand through his white, spiky hair in a swift movement. He and Astrid didn't always see eye to eye, as she was quite commanding and serious and he was more about having fun and getting along with everyone, so it was unavoidable that their personalities clashed once in a while. She did however seem like a great friend to those she cared about, always being fiercely protective and ready to defend them against anything. That was definitely one of her redeeming qualities, although Jack would rather spend an eternity in the hot desert sun than admit that to the girl.

Hiccup nodded slowly and left his grip on the books loosen a little. "She really does. She still looks out for me and Fishlegs, even though we're not little kids anymore" he said with a certain soft fondness in his green eyes.

"You're totally still a little kid, Hiccup." Jack said teasingly and gave him a smart-ass half-smile.

"Says the person who gets ridiculously excited about snow and starts every single snowball fight" Hiccup rolled his eyes in amused defiance.

So Hiccup had noticed that. Well, most people probably had, now that he thought about it. After all, that was one of the reasons everyone called him Jack Frost. He was notorious for throwing snowballs at anyone and everyone, sometimes sparking fun and excited snowball fights, other times getting aggravated looks and grunts of discontent.

"Snow IS exciting! And I'm all about snowballs and fun times" he said and smiled slightly, while crossing his arms in protest.

"You should really consider officially changing your name to Jack Frost" Hiccup retorted dryly and gave Jack a crooked smile of his own. "You definitely have that whole winter vibe going on. You could even team up with Professor Mansnoozie: Jack Frost and the Sandman" he finished, referring to Professor Mansnoozie's nickname among the Hogwarts students. The short, golden-haired Professor was mild-mannered and most students were fond of him, but he had the uncanny ability of being able to fall asleep in some very strange places. He was also mute, so he communicated by spelling out words and pictures with golden sand, which didn't exactly help deter the students' use of the nickname.

Jack chuckled, as he imagined him and Professor Mansnoozie in some well-designed superhero costumes, standing on a rooftop overlooking a massive city in the dark of night, their capes blowing in the wind. His costume would obviously be the coolest. "Hmm, we would make a good team…What, with his calm, non-threatening demeanor but huge magical force and my terribly good looks and superior intelligence." Jack heard Hiccup snort. "But I don't think I want to spend my time teaming up with a narcoleptic dreamweaver, who could fall asleep while we're battling the Boogeyman or something"

Hiccup gave him a lopsided grin, revealing straight, white teeth with a slight gap between his front teeth. Jack had never noticed that before.

"Well, Jack…" Hiccup started. "I better get going now, if I want to do some reading before it's time for bed".

"Sure. I'll see you around Hiccup. Nice talking to you" Jack said sincerely, although he had to admit to himself that he was a bit disappointed that their conversation was over. Hiccup was surprisingly amusing to talk to.

"You too. See you around, Jack" Hiccup said and gave him a small wave, before turning around and walking out of the library and down the hall, carrying the dragon books under one arm.

Jack stayed at the library for a few moments, looking at the exit where Hiccup had left before heading towards the Great Hall. His friends were probably wondering what took him so long, and his stomach was beginning to growl, sneering at him for not having eaten in a while. As he made his way down the old stone corridors of the old magical castle that was his second home, he wondered about the conversation he had just had with Hiccup. They'd exchanged a few words several times during classes, but they'd never had an actual conversation before.

Hiccup was definitely more, than he had appeared in the last six years, and Jack decided that he seemed to be pretty awesome. He had already known that the guy was smart, quick-witted and had a dry, sarcastic humor that had always appealed to Jack, but now he knew that the two of them actually hit it off, enjoying the friendly banter that seemed to come so natural to the two of them, Jack secretly found himself hoping that he would get to talk to Hiccup again sometime soon.

* * *

When Jack entered the Great Hall, only a few scattered students remained at the house tables, and he was met with the faint sound of a few peoples clinking cutlery and a slight buzz of relaxed conversation. It was a nice change from the usually overwhelming noise in the Hall, which could sometimes practically give Jack a headache. As he approached his respective House table, he wondered if there was any good food left. He didn't care too much though, as he wasn't a picky eater. There were actually very few kinds of food that he disliked.

The real question was probably whether Merida had beaten him to it, clearing every plate and bowl in sight. He chuckled on the inside at the thought, as he spotted his three friends sitting by the longtable, discussing something, and waiting for him to join them. As he approached them, Merida's frustrated voice reached his ears.

"She just doesn't understand!" his friend groaned and slammed a palm on the table. "She thinks that girls shouldn't play Quidditch at all…or any kind of sports". Ah, this again Jack thought. He really did feel for his friend, as her mother wasn't even close to accepting of her daughter's favorite pastime.

Mavis and Flynn both nodded in sympathy. "You're not going to let that stop you though, are you?" Mavis asked, concerned, reaching out a hand and softly placing it on top of Meridas.

"No, I just wish that she would let it go. If it wasn't for my dad, I would never be allowed to play"

Jacks friends smiled fondly at him as, he sat down at the table next to Merida, reaching out his hand and patting her back gently a few times, before letting it drop to his side again.

"Problems with your mum again?" he asked softly as a way of getting into the conversation, although the answer was obvious to him. Merida had complained about her mother regularly over the years, so her problems didn't come as a surprise to any one of her friends.

"Yeah. It's so obvious that she's disappointed in me. I just got a letter from her, where she reminded me that she's not happy about it…again" Merida replied, sounding tired and irritated.

Jack felt bad for Merida. He didn't have any parents expecting something special from him. Well, he had his adoptive parents and his sister, but none of them tried to change him or make him do things he didn't want to do. He gently started rubbing small circles on Meridas back to give her some comfort.

"I'm sorry, Mer. But you're an awesome Quidditch player and you love it, so it doesn't matter what she thinks…and if you ever repeat this, I'll deny it to the day I die, but we need you on the team" Jack said fondly. It was though. Merida was an excellent beater and she added a lot to the team.

Merida chuckled and gave him a small smile "Thanks Jack" she said, sounding less tired and annoyed. She only used Jacks real name, when they were having a sincere, intimate moment, and Jack smiled warmly at hearing it escape her lips.

"We're all here for you, Red" Flynn said affectionately. "And if you need cheering up, I could always hold you close and whisper in your ear" he said, as he changed his voice to a low, seductive tone and gave Merida a dazzling smile, flashing his white teeth.

Merida and Jack snorted simultaneously at the absurd joke. During their banter, whenever Flynn threw out the sexual comments, Merida would often resort to violence or at least the threat of pain, seeing as Flynn was a popular good-looking guy, but not much of a fighter. Jack loved listening to their banter – and sometimes participating in it, usually to rile one of them up more. He was the mischievous part of the group after all.

"No thanks, Rider. I'd rather let my mum dress me" she retorted and made a disgusted face, as if both of the scenarios were truly horrifying.

"Ouch, that's harsh, Curly" Flynn replied, holding a hand over his heart in mock sadness. "You really know how to break a man".

"Yeah, a foot in the crotch and a knee in the stomach" Merida deadpanned and cracked her knuckles in a terrifying gesture.

Jack and Flynn both winced at her words, their eyes wide in horror, while Mavis chuckled softly.

"Oof!...That's just…evil" Jack said in disbelief, as he briefly considered the excruciating pain of being kicked in the groin. Flynn nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, no need to crush a man's spirit" Flynn added, his hands held up in in pretend surrender.

Merida smiled evilly. "Oh, there's always a need for that" she replied in a low, dangerous voice.

"Okay, I take it back. I don't want to hold you. You are the devil" Flynn quickly said, pointing an accusing finger at Merida. Jack couldn't exactly disagree with that, Merida was definitely evil he thought to himself in amusement.

Merida snorted. "Don't be such a wuss, Rider" she replied, her blue eyes gleaming with a challenging amusement.

Mavis, who had observed the banter with a smile on her face, apparently then decided that it was time for a change of subject.

"So Jack…why were you so late? It couldn't have taken that long to drop the book of?" she asked curiously and looked at him with questioning blue eyes. Oh right. He hadn't even told them that he'd talked to Hiccup. Not that it was a big deal, but he imagined that they'd still like to know about it.

"Yeah, what were you up to, Frosty? Did you actually manage to get in trouble on that short walk?" Merida asked, trying to sound disapproving, but everyone knew that she loved Jacks pranks and mischief.

"Oooh, what's her name, Jackie?" Flynn asked curiously, waggling his eyebrows suggestively and leaning slightly in over the table in curious anticipation.

"What? No! It's nothing like that. I ran into Hiccup at the library and we talked" Jack explained. He liked the way the first name felt rolling off his tongue. It was unfamiliar but not in a bad way.

"Hiccup?" Flynn asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. Well, obviously his friends would be confused. He would be too, if they'd suddenly started calling Haddock Hiccup out of the blue.

"He told me to call him that. Apparently, he's not a fan of the whole using peoples' last names" Jack explained, while making some dismissive motions with one of his hands, mirroring Hiccups movements when he had told Jack about it.

"What did you talk about?" Mavis asked curiously, tucking a black lock of hair behind one of her ears. "You don't usually talk".

"I know, I know. I just ran into him and saw him carrying some interesting books, so we started talking about that, and then we just started talking about other stuff".

"Did he say anything about the dragons?" Merida asked, sounding excited by the prospect of possible getting some information about the large fire-breathing reptiles, even though the four of them had agreed on leaving Hiccup alone, unlike many of their fellow students.

Jack quickly shook his head. "Nah, and I didn't ask. I figured that he's probably sick of all the attention, he's been getting lately. We just talked a bit about his friends, and where they're from…and Vikings" he told his friends. Jack smiled to himself. He wanted to know more about Vikings, maybe he should ask Hiccup to tell him more, next time he saw him, if it didn't seem too awkward.

"What? Vikings?" Flynn inquired with furrowed brow and confusion in his brown eyes. "Why would you talk about Vikings?"

"Because apparently, Hiccup, Astrid and Fishlegs are all Vikings…The culture is apparently still alive today back where they're from" Jack said enthused. He still thought that was really cool.

"Yeah, Astrid's told me a few things about that" Mavis said, obviously interested in what Jack had to say on the subject. But then again, she was interested in anything historical and cultural. She was the academic brains of their little group.

"Pfft, Vikings are nothing compared to Scots" Merida insisted. She ignored the rolling of eyes and snorts from him and the others.

"Well obviously, no one could ever be equal to you, your red-haired Curlyness" Flynn commented dryly. Merida ignored the nickname this time, which was pretty unusual. "But Vikings are still cool. I mean, battles, vikingships, mead, the whole thing!" Flynn finished excitedly, while gesturing with his hands.

"Hmf, I guess" Merida agreed, though reluctantly. Jack shook his head, smiling at his stubborn friend. She was incredibly proud of her ancient Scottish heritage. Merida was actually a part of an old aristocratic family, although no one would know it by her wild appearance and gruff, unpolished demeanor.

"Anyway, it seems that they keep a lot of Viking traditions alive today" Jack said to get back on topic. "Like, Hiccup told me that the reason he and Fishlegs have funny names is because Vikings used to believe, that giving their kids strange or horrible names would scare off gnomes and trolls" he finished, amusement in his voice, as he still found the idea pretty funny. Who would be scared off simply by some kid's name? Not very courageous trolls or gnomes that's for sure.

Giggles erupted from his three friends, who seemed to agree with him on the matter.

"That is just strange" Mavis stated. "But I guess people believe a lot of weird things".

"Definitely" Jack nodded eagerly. "Like Flynn believing that his Smolder has some sort of magic power" he continued teasingly, not being able to resist.

Mavis and Merida both giggled at that, while Flynn huffed and pretended to look offended, sticking his nose in the air.

"For your information, Frost, it's a highly effective weapon that only a skilled datingmaster such as myself can use" Flynn remarked. "Too dangerous for amateurs such as yourself" he added, with an evil smile.

"Ouch, Rider" Jack said feigning offense. "That was cold, even for you. I'm not that inexperienced, I'll have you know".

"Oh I know, but you're no me either" Flynn said proudly in mock arrogance, while Mavis shook her head and Jack chuckled slightly. It was true though. Jack was a popular guy and he was used to girls watching him with adoration in their eyes, passing him flirty notes or smiling shyly at him, but he was nowhere near as experienced as Flynn. Sure, Jack had kissed and even snogged several girls, but he hadn't had sex yet, unlike Flynn. Somehow he didn't seem to be in a rush about it though. He had had crushes on girls through the years, but they all died down rather quickly and were replaced with friendliness.

After Jack had managed to get something to eat from the slim pickings that were left over from the other Gryffindors, the four of them retreated to the Gryffindor common room and spent the rest of the evening in front of the warm, comforting fireplace talking and laughing the evening away, before it was time for bed. It hadn't been a particularly trying day, but somehow Jack found himself exhausted, and his eyes closed and he instantly fell asleep, as soon as his white head of hair hit the soft pillow.


	4. Appearances

Hiccup woke up at dawn, as he attempted to do every day. A slim ray of sunshine made its way through a gap in the curtain on the window next to his bed, creating a shimmering beam through the dark room. He sighed happily and sat up in his bed, pulling the thick, soft blanket away. The cold of the brisk morning caused goosebumps to form in thousands of little dots on his skin, and he craved the warmth and comfort of his warm, cozy bed once more.

He picked up his prosthetic foot that was lying next to his bed as usual, and hastily strapped it on around his stump. It had taken him a long time and many attempts to perfect the prosthetic, and even longer to truly get used to it, but now it didn't weigh heavily on his mind anymore. It had somehow become a part of him, something that would be strange if it wasn't there anymore. He still felt pain by the prosthetic sometimes though, and that was something he wished he could be without. Kneeling next to his bed, he reached out his hand underneath the big piece of furniture and pulled out the familiar, brown chest containing his armor. He kept his armor in that chest, so other students wouldn't' accidentally see it. If they did, it would certainly raise a lot of questions.

In the bed next to his, Fishlegs was snoring loudly and mumbling something that Hiccup couldn't hear.

He put his long black cloak on, so no one would notice his armor, at least not right away, if he happened to meet someone on the way. Not that that was very likely. He never met anyone, when he was up this early. He slung his bag over his right shoulder, and began walking slowly and quietly towards the door.

"Wait," Fishlegs said, and Hiccup froze in his tracks, hoping Fishlegs wouldn't wake any of the others with that sudden outburst. He remained still for a few seconds, listening for any signs of someone waking up. He breathed a short sigh of relief, when he didn't hear anyone stirring.

"What's up, Fish?" he asked, only to realize that Fishlegs was still asleep. He shook his head and smiled to himself. He should have known. Fishlegs talked in his sleep a lot. Sometimes he could actually have conversations with him, but his absurd answers always made Hiccup laugh. He would often get angry in his sleep. Fishlegs would suddenly sit up in the bed and say something like "what's that?" sounding disturbed and alert, and Hiccup would ask "what's what?", to which Fishlegs would only say "that's none of your business!" or some other angry retort before his head hit the pillow again and he was snoring loudly once more.

"The, the…unicorn is coming straight at me," Fishlegs muttered, sounding disturbed, his nose crinkled in distress.

"Just get Meatlug to chase it away," Hiccup said and chuckled.

Fishlegs turned in his sleep once more. "Right, right…" he said, sounding much more calm now, "Come here, girl. Come here, Meatlug."

The stairs to the common room were old and always creaked, no matter how carefully he walked. It was especially difficult to be quiet on creaking wood with a metal prosthetic, but he never woke anyone regardless. He made it to the large Ravenclaw common room, which was completely deserted, as he had expected.

The large room with the high dome ceiling painted like the stars, comfy blue sofas and armchairs, huge stone fireplace and Ravenclaw banners was bathed in the orange and pink glow from the sunrise, the gentle beams making it through the top windows that were not covered by curtains. As he walked past the table where he, Fishlegs and Rapunzel had sat last night talking and studying, he found that Rapunzel had forgotten to take her sketchbook with her, when she went to bed. He and Rapunzel were both artistic souls at the core, and he was glad that he had someone to share that hobby with. No one back at Berk cared too much about drawing and painting. He flipped the sketchbook open to the sketch that she was working on last night and grinned, when he saw the drawing of Pascal in a hot air balloon wearing a top hat. He had told her last night that she was insane and he stuck by it, but they both knew that he said it with love.

He made his way to the castle kitchens and received a fish from the house elves, who were luckily sworn to secrecy. As he walked around the Quidditch pitch and went east for about five minutes, he came to a small forest. It was much smaller than the Forbidden Forest, but it didn't have any dark creatures, so that was a definite plus in his book. Twigs and leaves cracked and snapped under his feet, and the early sunlight of dawn streamed lazily through the gaps in the treetops, bathing the small forest in a nice, calming radiance. He hummed a melody that he couldn't remember where he'd heard, as he continued to make his way through the old, tall trees, the distinct scent of pine reaching his nostrils.

He found his thoughts wandering to a certain Gryffindor. He had to admit, that Jack had taken him by surprise at the library. He hadn't expected him to be so easy to talk to. On the other hand, Jack was obviously a social butterfly, so perhaps he shouldn't be surprised. He was one of those easy going people, who could talk to popular kids and outcasts alike, spreading cheer wherever he went. A true extrovert, where Hiccup was a classic introvert. Even so, he had really enjoyed their friendly banter and Jacks intrigue towards his Viking heritage. He rarely connected with anyone at Hogwarts except Fishlegs, Rapunzel and Astrid and one of the last people he had expected to form a kind of bond with was Jack. But as Hiccup often reminded himself: there's always more. People aren't their assigned House, they aren't their friends, their family, their looks or their hobbies.

There's always more. Always something more underneath the surface which can shake people's ideas of who that person really is. Hiccup knew this better than most. Back home everyone had dismissed him as weak and useless, before he saved the others from the Red Death and made peace between the dragons and the Vikings. At Hogwarts, he was fairly certain that he had been regarded as just a sarcastic bookworm. However, there was much more to him than that, even if most people didn't know it and would never get to find out.

It would probably shock most people at Hogwarts to learn that he was an adrenaline junkie, who loved doing dangerous, inventive drills with Toothless that no other dragon rider would experiment with. However, it was a natural human categorization to think you know someone because of shallow observations, and Hiccup himself was guilty of it as well. It was this kind of categorization that had caused him to be surprised, that he and Jack actually had things in common.

He reached the small clearing, where the entrance of the familiar cave lay nearby. He smiled to himself and plopped down his black bag on the grass.

A huge, black mass came bounding out of the cave in a blur, and toppled him over. He landed on his back on the cold, wet grass. Large green eyes with round pupils observed him happily, and big black paws pinned him down by the chest, the massive weight causing his breathing to become strained.

"Hey bud, did you miss me?" He said, his heart bubbling with warmth at the loving look in his dragon's eyes. Toothless always missed him, no matter if he was gone in minutes or hours, and he felt the same way. Any time away from Toothless was unnatural to him, so being at Hogwarts was difficult for both of them, as they had to be separated for most of the day.

Toothless replied by licking his face covering him in Night Fury saliva, the wet, sticky substance drenching his hair and face.

"Eww, Toothless!" he said. Toothless made a low warbling sound that Hiccup had come to know well as laughter. That sound always made his chest warm, even when Toothless was being a smart ass.

"Well, I'm glad you're so amused by my misery, you useless reptile," he said and rolled his eyes. Toothless gave him a smile in return, and he couldn't hold back a grin.

Hiccup chuckled. "I missed you too, bud," he said and scratched under the Night Fury's chin, causing the dragon to purr in content.

They had seen each other last night, as Hiccup tried his best to spend time with Toothless in the early morning and late night every day, but it still wasn't the same as being around each other all day, like they were on Berk. Hiccup wished that Toothless could be by his side all the time, but that just wasn't possible right now.

Toothless approached the bag on the grass and sniffed excitedly at it.

"Oh right. You must be hungry," Hiccup said. He took the gleaming, silver fish out of the bag and put it on the ground. He pointed his wand towards it. "Geminio" he said, and the fish began to duplicate.

Toothless licked his snout, and his pupils dilated, as the fish kept on duplicating. He was clearly eager to get some breakfast. When there was about 30 fish lying on the grass, Hiccup stopped the duplication with a flick of his wand. The scales gleamed in the sunlight like a bundle of silver.

"There you go bud, dig in," he said, and Toothless didn't need to hear that twice. He stuck his whole face in the pile of fish and began eating, a blissful smile curving his mouth each time he looked up from his meal. Hiccup chuckled. He watched Toothless eat, and for a while the dragons slurping and chewing were the only sounds reaching his ears.

When his friend was done eating, the dragon came closer once again, and began nudging his arms. Hiccup rubbed Toothless on the top of his head, and scratched him underneath his chin. Toothless made low purring noises, lowered his ear plates and almost closed his eyes at the touch. When Hiccup stopped, Toothless huffed.

Hiccup smiled at the offended Night Fury. "Come on, Toothless. We can't stand around here all day, we have to go fly before everyone wakes up."

At the mention of flying, Toothless forgot his dissatisfaction, and bounded around Hiccup, his green eyes wide with joy, eager barking sounds escaping his mouth. Hiccup smiled at his friend's eagerness and began inspecting their gear, making sure that everything was in order. A strap that was too loose or too tight could affect their mobility and speed, while straps or buckles that were worn down were a major safety risk, as they could snap and throw Hiccup out of the saddle or affect his ability to control the tailfin. For that reason he always took his time before they went flying, making sure that their gear was always put on just right, as well as repairing or replacing anything that looked slightly worn.

Among the golden clouds, the familiar awe and excitement of flying whirled in his head. Sometimes he still couldn't believe how lucky he was, having formed this kind of bond with the Night Fury.

"Want to practice some drills?" Hiccup asked, and Toothless roared happily in reply.

"Okay, Toothless. Straight dive!" he said. Toothless folded his wings in, and let them drop head first straight through the air. Hiccup folded in the tailfin with a swift click of his prosthetic. He leaned forwards in the saddle, holding his body as close to Toothless as possible to make them more aerodynamic, and they gained more and more speed, shooting through the sky like a bullet.

Hiccup felt the adrenaline course through his veins, and he couldn't stop himself from letting out an unrestrained cry of pure happiness. There was no feeling like this in the world. A massive lake came into view on the ground below, and the blue body of water came closer and closer until Hiccup unfolded the left tailfin with an effortless slide and click of his artificial limb. Toothless spread out his massive black wings, and they leveled out and flew gently just above the water. Toothless' claws glided along the lakes surface as they flew, refreshing sprays of water hitting Hiccup's skin.

"Okay, bud let's go a little higher" Hiccup said, shifting the position of the tailfin. The dragon and his rider soared higher above the water mass, the lake becoming smaller and smaller again. They flew peacefully just underneath the stretch of soft white clouds for a little while, before Hiccup had another suggestion.

"Okay Toothless, let's do a split dive!" Hiccup yelled to his dragon, who warbled in return. They had done this drill so many times through the last couple of years but they needed regular practice. It was probably their most dangerous drill.

He clicked off the harness that kept him attached to the saddle and pulled the lever that adjusted Toothless' tailfin, so he could fly without needing Hiccup to operate it. He was very satisfied that the contraption worked so well, even if Toothless didn't really like flying without him. It was necessary though for drills like this, and you never knew when it would suddenly come in handy in a serious situation. For this next drill Hiccup needed to unfold his wing suit before he let himself drop, so he snapped the two hoops on each side of his feet and his prosthetic and pulled out the homemade wingspan up towards his hands. As it needed to line up against his side to function properly as wings, he put the two metal hoops around his wrists, keeping the leathery wings in place between his lower legs and his wrists.

"Ready, Toothless?" he asked, and the dragon warbled his answer. Hiccup then leaned to the right and let himself drop from Toothless' back, his arms down by his side and his legs together.

He fell through the air at massive speed, the raging wind resistance against his face and body causing a deafening noise in his ears and an almost hot sensation against the little pieces of exposed skin despite its chill. Another massive shot of adrenaline traveled through his body and the pure thrill caused every nerve in his body to feel like it was going to burst with excitement. Toothless quickly caught up with his rider, both falling head first next to each other.

The Night Fury looked at him to make sure that he was all right, and Hiccup let out a shout of bubbly excitement to let his dragon understand that everything was fine. Toothless gave him a huge toothless' grin and Hiccup gently reached out and closed the distance between them, as he touched the dragons snout, while they were both still dropping straight through the sky. He then let his arm drop to his side once again and waited a few seconds before deciding it was time.

He spread his arms out wide, letting the air travel underneath and over his homemade leather wingspan, and let the homemade dorsal fin on his back stand up with a simple click on the unfolding switch on his armor. He leveled out and flew through the air horizontally, seizing the vertical fall instantly. Toothless quickly appeared by his side, both now flying next to each other, and the dragon let out a small fireball and roared happily at their successful drill. Hiccup laughed heartily, as he enjoyed the pure freedom of the skies and the company of his best friend. He observed the view of the snow-topped mountains below him, and felt a tug of gratefulness that he got to experience things like this.

No matter what troubles he had weighing down on him, the freedom of flying always managed to soothe them, lifting his spirits and made his heart feel lighter. Toothless slowly began maneuvering himself underneath Hiccup, flying straight under him now, and Hiccup put his arms down by his side, unfolding his homemade wingspan, causing him to lose altitude and gently land on Toothless' back once again.

"Yeah! That was awesome!" he shouted, throwing both of his hands in the air triumphantly. The adrenaline still made his stomach flutter with excitement, as he clicked his prosthetic into position once more. He leaned forwards in the saddle and petted his best friend on the side of his black, scaly head. This was the life. He could happily do this every day for an eternity. He would never tire of the adrenaline rush, the wind on his face, touching the elusive clouds, watching the earth disappear beneath him, feeling the comfort and love of his best friend as they acted as one. With all the uncertainties of life, Hiccup did know one thing for sure. He was a dragon rider in his heart and he always would be. The sky and Toothless was his true home.

* * *

Hiccups sneaking back and forth to the castle in the early morning and late night had its price. He didn't get nearly as much sleep as he wanted to, especially on the nights where he got so caught up in flying that he forgot all about keeping track of time. This mornings' flight with Toothless had been great and just what he needed, but now the strain of having a late night flight the night before and getting up early today caught up with him. He let out a massive yawn, covering his mouth with his hand, while reaching out for a pitcher of pumpkin juice at the Ravenclaw table.

Fishlegs and Rapunzel both chuckled in response, their eyes gleaming with amusement at his lack of energy. They both looked too well-rested in his opinion.

"Late night yesterday"? Fishlegs asked him, making sure to ask about his wellbeing, without revealing anything about the reason he was out in the first place. Just in case anyone else was listening in on their conversation. Fishlegs and Rapunzel both knew about Toothless, but others didn't, so they always kept their questions vague enough so no one would suspect, while the three of them knew exactly what was asked. Hiccup truly appreciated that he could trust his two friends that much. Not everyone would be able to keep such a big secret to themselves.

"Yeah…and early morning today" he replied tiredly, smacking his face down on the table with a loud thump, causing his two friends to chuckle heartily. In some strange way, the lack of light caused by his face being planted on the sturdy, dark wooden table was a little comforting in his tired state.

"Well don't be too tired, we have art class soon, and we're working together on that painting, remember?" Rapunzel reminded him happily and sounded way too energetic at this time in the morning. Hiccup was not a morning person, and especially not when he had to balance his time between classes, homework, friends and Toothless. There just weren't enough hours in a day he thought to himself.

"What painting?" Fishlegs asked curiously. He hadn't heard of the assignment yet, as he didn't take art class. While Hiccup and Rapunzel were both artistic and enjoyed expressing that side of themselves, Fishlegs didn't have much talent in that department. He enjoyed seeing his friends' sketches and paintings though, and he was always willing to deliver some feedback on a piece of artwork.

"We're working in pairs today and for the next couple of classes, where we have to do a painting together!" Rapunzel stated. "It's going to be great!" she added in that bubbly voice of hers, that threatened to drown everyone around her in kittens and sunshine. Hiccup often found that if he was in a bad mood, he just needed to talk to Rapunzel. Her upbeat and caring personality was usually enough to lift him out of whatever darkness he was in.

Hiccup lifted his face from the table again, the sturdy feel of the massive wooden table on his skin disappearing and the light of the Great Hall once again reaching his tired eyes, causing him to squint slightly. "I promise to try not to fall asleep" he said sleepily, earning him a very unconvinced look from Rapunzel, who had furrowed her brow and narrowed her green eyes a little.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, you're going to go to that art class with me, be your usual sarcastic self and we're going to make the best painting in the whole class" she said, trying her best to sound stern and demanding but failing miserably, as she couldn't hold back a warm, friendly smile and that optimistic tone in her voice.

Hiccup groaned at the use of his full name, but then chuckled at her attempt to reprimand him. Rapunzel was such a close friend that she could get away with trying to act like a mother sometimes. She really should stop using his full name though, he really didn't like hearing it. Fishlegs was giving them an amused look from across the table.

"Fine, I'll be a good submissive Viking and obey you" Hiccup said in mock defeat and rolled his eyes. Rapunzel gave him a bright smile in response.

"Good, you obviously know what's good for you" she replied, while grabbing another piece of toast from a tray nearby and placing it on her plate.

Hiccup scoffed. "Right…following the orders of the personification of rainbows and butterflies. What has my life become?" he asked sarcastically and scratched the back of his head.

"Oh you drama queen" Rapunzel retorted, while doing a dismissive wave with one of her hands. "Besides…I'm not that sweet and innocent" she finished, while taking a bite of her toast.

"Yes, you are" Hiccup and Fishlegs said in unison. It was great that he could always count on Fishlegs to back him up in crucial conversational moments like this. Rapunzel should not get away with an obvious untrue statement like that. She was the definition of sweet and innocent. She was so open, accepting and caring towards others that it almost seemed unrealistic, and she was also usually oblivious to people's potentially murky intentions. She thought the best about people and while that was admirable, Hiccup didn't share that character trait, having been exposed to his fair share of verbal and physical abuse through the years. Sure, people could be great, but everyone had a dark side, and some people didn't even hesitate to let it out. You shouldn't let your guard down for just anyone.

Rapunzel sighed in defeat. "Okay fine, maybe I am, but I still know what's good for you" she said sternly, holding up a pointed finger as if lecturing a small child.

Hiccup scoffed once again, and was about to retort, when he spotted two familiar heads of hair, one spiky and white, one curly and red. Jack and Merida were approaching them, walking casually next to the Ravenclaw table, obviously on their way to the Gryffindor table and their friends.

"Hey, Hiccup" Jack greeted him, giving him a small wave and his face lit up in a bright grin as he walked by with Merida by his side.

"Hi Jack" Hiccup replied, giving him a small smile in return. He watched the two of them sit down at their own table and start to talk eagerly with Flynn Rider and Mavis Dracula. Jack was part of a very popular crowd, as he and his friends were well-known among practically every student at the school. Merida DunBroch was an athletic and effective beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Flynn Rider was a good-looking womanizer who made all the girls near him sigh in adoration, and Mavis Dracula was an artistic and academically capable girl who also had a fun-loving side. Hiccup knew that she also hung out with Astrid once in a while. Jack himself was almost as popular as his friend Flynn with the girls. He remembered having overheard several female students talking about Jack throughout the years, especially about his good looks and his carefree spirit with adoration in their eyes.

"Since when are you two on a first name basis?" Fishlegs asked curiously, his gleaming, observant blue eyes telling Hiccup that he was already trying to analyze this short encounter. While he loved and admired Fishlegs' uncanny ability to understand the motivations of other peoples' interactions, he really should give it a rest just once in a while. He didn't feel like having his every move and word dissected right now.

"Well, I sort of ran into him last night at the library, and we talked a bit" Hiccup explained, gesturing with his hands to underline his words. He wasn't sure if the encounter would seem strange to his friends…or to anyone…It probably would he decided. After all, he wasn't usually the social type except with his close friends, and when he did exchange words with other students, it was usually during class or a few quick words of greeting to other familiar Ravenclaws when he passed them in the corridors.

Fishlegs' lips curved into a confident smile. Bollocks, Hiccup thought in equal amounts of frustration and amusement. Now he was going to make some kind of observation that made even the most innocent interactions seem suspect. He just knew it.

"Hiccup willingly associating with popular Gryffindor boys? That's a bit…out of the ordinary" Fishlegs mused out loud, while twiddling his thumbs.

Aaaand…there it was. Why couldn't he just be a little less observant once in a while? Yes, his encounter with Jack had been very unusual, but they'd just talked a little and joked around. No big deal. It wasn't like they had suddenly become friends or anything.

Hiccup shrugged, trying to brush off Fishlegs' questioning musings.

"He seemed nice and he didn't ask me anything about dragons, so that was a pleasant change from all the people, who have suddenly decided that I'm interesting" he explained to his two friends.

Fishlegs and Rapunzel watched him with empathy evident in their knowing eyes. They knew he didn't like all the attention. He had already shared his frustrations several times about strangers approaching him and wanting something from him, whether it was information about dragons or a date. He was grateful that he had Fishlegs and Rapunzel to support him through all of this. If he didn't have any friends, like the first 11 years of his life, it would have been even more difficult to handle the emotional damage.

Most people probably wouldn't be able to comprehend just how uncomfortable Hiccup was with this kind of attention, but Fishlegs and Rapunzel knew his background, knew his insecurities, knew his demons. They were aware of how his ego was still bruised from all the years of being an outcast, and they were mindful of how that had also made him slightly suspicious to certain people's intentions.

"Well that's something…" Fishlegs said, sounding optimistic. "Just watch out for his pranks" he continued, chuckling a bit afterwards. "Remember that time, when he'd put a Cornish pixie in Professor Bunnymunds desk?…I think he had detention for like four weeks".

"Yeah, that pixie was not happy" Hiccup chuckled. "It wanted blood". He remembered it vividly, and even though he had felt slightly sorry for Professor Bunnymund as he struggled to get the little angry creature off him, its small blue face completely contorted in a fit of pure rage, he had still had to use all of his self-control to not break down laughing. He was not going to get detention because of Jacks stupid prank.

"I've never seen Professor Bunnymund actually scared, but that time definitely came close" Rapunzel chimed in, her eyes bright with memories of the comic situation. Hiccup and Fishlegs nodded in agreement, all smiling at the memory. He had to hand it to Jack. The guy really knew how to entertain his fellow students.

"By the way, you forgot to take your sketchbook with you, when you went to bed, so I picked it up on my way out to sketching" Hiccup explained, using the codename they had invented for Hiccups time with Toothless. They had decided on calling it 'sketching', since it was too suspect to refer to Toothless as a 'friend', since Hiccup didn't have many friends, and they couldn't think of anything else that required him to go outside on his own on a regular basis. The code word served them well though, as no one had seemed to question it. He reached into his bag and pulled out the square, purple sketchbook and handed it to his friend, who took it in appreciation.

"Thanks, Hiccup. I'd wondered where I left it." She said, flipping the book open to a sketch Hiccup hadn't seen before. He leaned over, looked at the drawing and shook his head. He probably loved his friend even more now, if that was possible.

"Pascal…waterskiing. Seriously?" he asked her amused and Fishlegs chuckled, leaning over the table from the seat across from them to get a better look at the drawing. Rapunzel really did have the strangest ideas sometimes, especially for her sketches, but Hiccup just found it endearing. It also provided endless amusement for him and Fishlegs, as they often chose to question her choice of motifs.

"What's wrong with that?" she asked with a questioning look in her big green eyes, seeming genuinely confused.

"There just seems to be a bit of a pattern developing over the last six years…you know, the same themes…Pascal, Pascal and Pascal" Hiccup deadpanned, causing the corners of Fishlegs' lips to turn upwards.

"Says the person who's sketchbook is full of dragons" she retorted triumphantly and crossed her arms in victory, giving him a self-satisfied smirk.

Shit. She had him there. Well, he also drew other things, but it was true that most of his sketches and drawings were of the winged reptiles that had become such an important part of his life.

"Touché" Hiccup admitted. "But at least they're not baking cookies or going to the zoo in my sketches".

"They should be!" Rapunzel insisted, sudden excitement evident in her large green eyes and a bright grin on her face. "That would be some great sketches!"

Hiccup and Fishlegs both laughed genuinely at their bubbly friend. Her mood swings were another quirk that Hiccup loved about her. She could turn from serious to overly excited in less than a second. It was really quite fascinating to watch sometimes, as he himself didn't have that ability and sometimes struggled to understand how it was even possible to change mental states so quickly. But Rapunzel was living proof that it was.

"Well…I guess I should get going." Fishlegs said suddenly sounding deflated and slowly picked up his bag and swung it over his shoulder. "I have Ancient Runes in ten minutes".

Hiccup understood why his friends face fell and he immediately felt frustrated. He decided to hide it for Fishlegs' sake though. "Right…with McGowan?". Fishlegs nodded.

"Don't worry Fishlegs, just ignore him. He's a stupid bully, but he won't hurt you" Hiccup said, trying his best to sound reassuring. He honestly didn't think that McGowan would try anything, because first of all Fishlegs was freakishly strong despite of his sensitive nature, and second of all the risk of getting expelled was too great. But one could never be completely sure with bullies.

Bullying was a primitive action, a remnant of a survival skill. In these days it had no place however, and Hiccup was always frustrated by bullies. They inflated their own ego by stomping on others', often leaving people permanently damaged. He knew better than most what cruel words and violent actions could do to someone's self-esteem. He didn't believe that McGowan or anyone else would attack Fishlegs, but they usually weren't the brainiest, so who could be completely sure what kind of risk strategies they thought of?

"Right…" Fishlegs said calmly, sounding like he was now trying to reassure himself. "Right". He then turned around and walked in the direction of the classroom. Hiccup felt a pang of annoyance. It wasn't right that Fishlegs had to be nervous to go to class, just because McGowan didn't have the brains to succeed in class by himself. He wished that he could go with Fishlegs to keep an eye on him, but that wasn't possible. He had his own class to get to, and even if he didn't, they wouldn't allow him to stay in a class where he didn't belong. He sighed. There was no way for him to protect Fishlegs right now. He would have to resign to that, even though he didn't like it one bit.

He heard Rapunzel sigh deeply next to him. "I really don't like it, when people pick on you guys" she said sadly. Hiccup knew that it affected Rapunzel a lot, when people said bad things - either to him and Fishlegs or behind their backs, or when they were shoved into walls or bothered doing class, refusing to be pressured into helping unintelligent idiots. The incident with McGowan in Potions had been the first case of any of that in a long time though, and it had been years since Hiccup had last been shoved into a wall.

"I know…but it almost never happens anymore" he said gently, turning slightly to face Rapunzel. People had basically forgotten them and now Hiccup was too popular to be bothered by people…except by certain types like McGowan.

"But still…Fishlegs shouldn't have to worry about going to a class, just because some mean brute is there" she spat. It was very unusual for Rapunzel to sound aggressive, but if there was one thing that could make her blood boil, it was when someone hurt the people she loved. Hiccup felt frustrated himself right now as well, but decided that it was better to try and reassure her. He didn't want her to worry too much.

"I know I know, but he'll be all right, okay? The worst they can do is make some stupid comments, and Fishlegs is pretty good at just shaking those of" he replied, giving Rapunzel a friendly smile. "They won't risk beating someone up and getting expelled for it".

"Except for those times when they beat you up" she stated matter-of-factly and Hiccup was surprised that she brought it up. She didn't like talking about those times. Once Hiccup had been healed back then, the three friends never spoke of it again. Well, Fishlegs and him had talked about it a few times over the years, but only when Rapunzel wasn't present. It had been very difficult for her to see him like that, and he didn't want to cause her any more distress.

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago. I was short and scrawny and I pissed them off with my amazingly clever wit" Hiccup said confidently, trying to joke a bit about it. He wasn't damaged by the brutal encounters in any way, even though it had been really unpleasant. "Fishlegs keeps to himself and doesn't make sarcastic comments, so he'll be fine. Besides, those times also happened somewhere no one could find us, and Fishlegs never walks anywhere secluded alone, so really…Don't worry about it" he said, giving her a gently squeeze on the shoulder. He was hoping that his words were getting through to her. He wanted to see that familiar bright smile return to her face.

She smiled fondly at him and gave his shoulder a little squeeze. "Thanks Hiccup. I feel better now. And hey, I know you don't like your new popularity, but maybe it'll make people see Fishlegs in a different light too".

"Maybe" he replied, even though he seriously doubted it. It would be nice though, if people could see all of Fishlegs' great qualities. He was seriously underrated. He was very intelligent, funny, and he cared deeply about his friends. He hated conflict, so he always tried to get people to get along, putting the role of the mediator on himself. He was very observant, better at reading other people's tiny changes in body language and tone than most, but he kept his deepest observations to himself or waited to talk about it till he was alone with the person. Fishlegs was a great friend with a lot of positive qualities. It was too bad that some people couldn't see that.

"Well, it's time to go now. We don't want to be late" Rapunzel reminded him, as she took one last sip of her mug of tea, and left her seat to grab her bag. He quickly did the same, and then they exited the Great Hall and began the short journey towards the art room through the old stone corridors brimming with busy students on their way to classes.

* * *

Art class had been quite successful, seeing that Hiccup actually managed to stay awake, and he and Rapunzel began working on their painting, after they'd showed their work from the last class to their teacher and hung it up on the wall, alongside the other student's drawings. When they'd started painting, they had hit some bumps in the road, as they disagreed on the motif. They had quickly come to the conclusion that the painting should contain dragons, because of his and Hiccups connection to them and Fishlegs' longing for Meatlug.

They both knew he missed his dragon friend a lot, but unfortunately headmaster Lunar was not interested in having more dragons on the grounds. After they had agreed on painting something with dragons though, they disagreed on the lack of funny everyday situations. Rapunzel wanted a painting of Fishlegs and Meatlug eating popcorn and watching a movie or rollerblading, since normal portraits were "too boring", so Hiccup had to talk her out of it, using his sharp logic and reasoning. They had resolved their little conflict with a compromise that they could both accept, and they were going to give Fishlegs the painting when it was done, as he's birthday was coming up in a few weeks.

Fishlegs had joined them shortly outside the art room, after class was finished. Luckily, he hadn't been bothered by McGowan or anyone else in Ancient Runes, and both Rapunzel and Hiccup were relieved and happy to hear that. Hiccup had been a bit worried, although he didn't want to admit it to Rapunzel, since he wanted to cheer her up, and also because, logically there was a very small risk that anything would happen, based on the reasons he had listed to her earlier.

However, bullying wasn't logical, so that tiny bit of doubt that had lingered inside him, had made him worry slightly. Hiccup really didn't like McGowan. He was a classic brute, always putting others down to feel better about himself, and that also made him slightly unpredictable. Fishlegs didn't need or deserve being exposed to that. After their quick talk, he and his two friends split up, Rapunzel and Fishlegs heading towards their Magical History class, and Hiccup towards his Defense against the Dark Arts class.

* * *

When he, Flynn and Merida entered the large classroom, there were three seats available next to Hiccup. They didn't usually sit with him in any classes, but now that they were on a first name basis, it made perfect sense to slump down in the seat next to Hiccup, who immediately turned his head and looked at him with those seemingly friendly eyes that were also guarded at the same time. Hiccup gave him a crooked smile and a quick "good morning", while Merida and Flynn sat down next to Jack.

"Mornin' Hic" Jack said optimistically and with a warm smile, feeling less tired now.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Hic?" he asked incredulously. Jack grinned in response. The guy next to him had a certain way with tone of voice and facial expressions that could convey a myriad of different amusing feelings.

"Yeah, I decided that you should have a nickname" he beamed as if this was the greatest thing to ever happen to Hiccup. Which it was of course.

"Oh joy" Hiccup deadpanned. "Aren't I the lucky one?" he asked rhetorically and Jack smiled in amusement at Hiccup's sarcasm. That tosser and his sharp retorts.

"You sure are. Not everyone gets bestowed their very own nickname by me. You're in an exclusive club now" Jack joked, although there was an element of truth in it. He was friendly and outgoing, knew a lot of people at the school and made sure to maintain those acquaintances regularly, but he wasn't the type to give anyone a nickname. That was usually reserved for his friends. Except in this case. He and Hiccup weren't friends, but he had just felt like giving him a nickname for some reason. And Jack usually just did whatever his gut told him.

"Yeah, make sure to get out as quickly as possible" Merida interjected making Hiccup chuckle genuinely. Jack was glad to see that the two of them got along, but they'd better not make it a habit to both shoot him down…Oh, who was he kidding? He would love that, it was too amusing to pass up. It gave him a chance to get back at them with some clever comments of his own. For now however, he decided that the best strategy would be to gain some pity.

"Awww…That was low, DunBroch" he whined, closing his eyes for a few seconds to seem hurt.

"I'm just saying that it's too late for the rest of us, but Haddock can still be saved" she joked, earning her a scowl from him and an appreciative smile from Hiccup. Damn that crumb-spitting Scotsman, she wasn't going to win this round.

Jack huffed. "No he can't. I'll make sure of that" he said sounding threatening and narrowing his eyes at Hiccup, who sighed dramatically and put his face in his hands for a few seconds.

"The gods are cruel…" Hiccup groaned, removing his face from their resting place. His green eyes were gleaming with mirth though.

"Gods?" Flynn suddenly asked confused, deciding to take part in their conversation.

"The norse gods…Thor, Odin, Loki, all of those guys" Jack explained to his friend while gesturing with his hands, as he listed some of the gods. Flynn nodded in understanding.

"Not every day you meet someone who believes in that sort of thing" Flynn remarked, but smiling friendly at Hiccup, so he didn't think that he was somehow insulting him.

Hiccup just shrugged, which Jack found curious. The gesture seemed very…non-committed for someone like Hiccup, who gave the impression of always being very dedicated to whatever he was doing. So why was he just shrugging off his connection to his religion?

Hiccup then interrupted Jacks thoughts, as he suddenly let out a huge yawn, covering his mouth with his hand.

"My my, are we tired today, Haddock?" Flynn asked in a teasing tone and waggled his eyebrows.

"Yeah…had a late night" Hiccup admitted and rubbed the back of his head, and Jacks interest immediately heightened.

"Ooh, what's her name?" Merida chimed in, grinning teasingly, causing Flynn to flash Hiccup a bright grin as well.

"Not that kind of late night" Hiccup revealed, smiling tiredly. Jack had thought as much, but it was somehow nice to hear him confirm it. He was obviously very uncomfortable with his newfound fame at the school, and he seemed like the type of person, who would be paranoid enough to not want to interact with any girls for a while because of that. Not that he had done so before, as far as Jack knew. But on the other hand, he really didn't know Hiccup very well, so he shouldn't assume too much.

Jack lowered his voice, so Flynn and Merida wouldn't hear him. "Trouble sleeping?" he asked genuinely. He felt a slight tug of concern towards him. After all, it was obvious that Hiccup didn't have it easy dealing with all his new fame, so maybe it had affected his sleep, and he knew how difficult that could be. Despite Jacks own love of sleep, it hadn't always come as easy to him as it did these days. He had spent his fair share of sleepless nights worrying about his sister, feeling the familiar knot of guilt form in his gut at the thought of his parents, and questioning his direction in life…or perhaps, lack of direction was a better phrasing for it. However, he had managed to push through all of that. He didn't want to spend his life with worries and grief-provoked insomnia. He wanted to have fun and enjoy life, savor the time he had with his friends, the time he had at this magical place that had become like a second home.

"No" Hiccup shook his head slowly and gave him a small smile. "I just stayed up too late. I'm not good at keeping track of time" he explained, looking down at his textbook that was resting on the table in front of him, as if he was somehow blaming it for his current predicament.

"Except when you have to get to class" he corrected him. Hiccup was never late, apparently prioritizing school above a few moments extra fun like a true Ravenclaw.

"Well…" Hiccup replied in a monotone voice. "That's a bit more important".

Jack frowned immediately, not even aware of it at first. Had Hiccup really just said that?

He looked at him in disbelief. "Class…more important than sleep? What's wrong with you, Hic?" he asked jokingly. Sleep was way more important than classes, everyone knew that. Even Ravenclaws had to admit that they couldn't keep up their perpetual obsessive-compulsive quest of gathering knowledge, if their bodies protested too much from lack of rest.

"I wouldn't even know where to start with that one" Hiccup deadpanned, giving him a friendly smile and meeting his eyes for a few moments before training them on the textbook once again. Underneath the humor of his statement, Jack definitely sensed some kind of truth in Hiccups words. This guy seriously needed more confidence. But why was that? He was a dragon tamer for crying out loud!

"You're right, you're a bit of a trainwreck" Jack agreed teasingly. He decided that the best course of action was to cheer Hiccup up, making him forget about whatever worries he had at the moment. And if there was one thing Jack was good it, it was bringing smiles and laughter to other people.

"Don't you have some snowballs to make, icicle?" Hiccup asked sarcastically, while the faint ghost of a smile appeared on his lips, tugging the corners upwards ever so slightly. Jack felt relieved that the other Hiccup's fighting spirit was back as quickly as it had left.

"Nope, not right now. I'm spending some quality time with a Viking, you know" Jack grinned, giving Hiccup a pat on the back. The brief and gentle touch nestled on his fingertips for a while.

"Really? A Viking? They're pretty cool" Hiccup said with mock intrigue, while raising his eyebrows a little in a questioning manner and a faint smile on his lips.

"Eh, they're all right. A bit dumb if you ask me, but hey" Jack replied with as much sass as he could muster. He really wanted to push Hiccup's buttons now and prolong the banter.

"Whoa whoa whoa" Hiccup objected while gesturing wildly with his hands, causing Jack to smile as his sass had obviously worked. He heard Flynn and Merida chuckle at Hiccup's protest. "Vikings are not dumb".

"Really?...Well, granted I don't know many of them…but the one I recently met is definitely not the brightest Lumos in the room"

"What?!" Hiccup exclaimed in a high-pitched voice of what appeared to be equal amounts of disbelief and amusement. Jack snickered at the slightly unmanly exclamation. It was incredibly amusing to rile him up like this.

"Watch those comments, Snowflake. If you unleash the wrath of a Viking, there will be consequences!" Hiccup finished, one fist raised in a mock threat.

"Pssh, as if you could possibly hurt me. I'm way too powerful and good-looking to succumb to a mere Viking" Jack shot back, rolling his blue eyes and emphasizing the last word to make it appear condescending and dismissive, as if the idea of being beat by a Viking was truly ridiculous and absurd. He was baiting him right now.

"Oh really? Because I seem to remember a class last year, where you got your ass kicked by this very Viking with some perfectly executed stunning spells" Hiccup said triumphantly, green orbs shining with mirth and a certain self-satisfaction, as he crossed his arms.

Crap. He was hoping Hiccup wouldn't bring that up. That totally ruined the air of superiority that he had going for him right now…Crap. He was hoping Hiccup wouldn't bring that up. That totally ruined the air of superiority that he had going for him right now…He was one of the best at Defense against the Dark Arts, probably even better than Hiccup. So that ass-kicking had stung. Now he needed to consider his next move carefully. Humiliating ammunition had been brought out now…and when that happened in the heat of a banter-battle, there was only one move that could challenge it: Denial.

"I was obviously just handing you a small victory. You looked like you could use it" he explained, keeping the pretentious and smug façade in place.

Jack heard Merida and Flynn snicker, and he could imagine them rolling their eyes at his arrogant teasing. They were used to it by now though. Hiccup wasn't, but Jack was absolutely sure he would get it. After all, sarcasm and sharp witty comments was pretty much Hiccup's specialty.

Hiccup snorted. "Right…Because I'm such a useless student that I need people to give me pity victories"

"Well, I wasn't going to say it, but now that you brought it up yourself…But don't worry, I'll take you under my wing, teach you all the wisdom and experience I've obtained throughout my many years on this earth. You can be my lowly apprentice" Jack declared in an optimistic and reassuring tone that underlined just how good an offer this was to a mere Viking such as Hiccup.

Hiccup didn't have time to retort though, as Merida interfered.

"Run…Run…" she whispered in mock fear to Hiccup, who grinned widely. Jack nudged his shoulders against Merida's in protest. She was interfering with his bloody air of superiority, he thought to himself and chuckled on the inside.

At that moment Professor Bunnymund entered the classroom with the usual authority and calm practically emanating from him. The students instantly went silent, all chatter extinguishing itself at once, as they noticed their professor's arrival. If there was one professor in the magical school, who could command respect and discipline from the students, it was the tall, muscular Australian Defense against the Dark Arts professor. Professor Bunnymund walked slowly and confidently towards the desk at the end of the room, and as he reached it, he turned around and faced the class with a stern look. Well, nothing new there Jack thought to himself.

"We're going to continue with non-verbal spells today. I hope you've been practicing. Open your books to page 56 and practice the spells listed there. You'll be paired up with someone, who you'll be dueling. At first you must take turns using the spells on each other to become familiar with them, and afterwards you will practice defending yourself from the other's attacks. No other spells than the ones on page 56 are permitted. If I see anyone using their wand for anything else, it's three weeks detention" the Professor finished, emphasizing the last three words. Ouch, Jack winced. Well, there goes his plan of distracting Flynn by firing silent stinging spells at his butt.

"Now…" he looked around the class, taking in the students. "Pair up with the person sitting next to you and feel free to begin".

Jack looked at Hiccup and smiled triumphantly. Hiccup kept his neutral expression in place.

"Are you ready to get your ass kicked, Viking boy?" he said, narrowing his eyes.

Hiccup huffed. "As if you could possibly beat all of this" he gestured to himself.

They quickly left their seats, as did everyone else, and the sound of chairs scraping across the old stone floor and the rustling of bags and hushed conversation became almost overwhelming for a few minutes. As every student in the class had gotten to their feet, Professor Bunnymund stacked the chairs and tables at the end of the room with a flick of his wand, creating an open space for the students to duel each other. The Australian professor was someone who believed in a practical approach to learning, so it wasn't uncommon for his students to practice less damaging spells on each other. Despite Jack's slightly strained relationship with the professor, he definitely agreed on the practical approach.

Jack and Hiccup faced each other, making sure to leave enough room between them and Flynn and Merida, so none of them would accidentally hit each other or be thrown into someone.

"Ready?" Hiccup asked with a raised eyebrow and his usual calm demeanor, as he removed his wand from a pocket in his robes.

"I was born ready!" Jack replied confidently, causing Hiccup to shake his head.

Bunnymund had magically padded the hard, unforgiving stone walls with soft material that could break their falls. After all, it wouldn't do to have students break their bones. Jack was secretly grateful for that. Once, he had broken an arm in a Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, and even though he didn't consider himself a wuss, the pain had been significant and very very unpleasant. He didn't want to go through something like that again, if he could avoid it.

With a quick flick of his wand, Hiccup attempted to cast the silent spell but nothing happened. A frown settled on Hiccup's face.

"What's the matter, Oh terrible Viking?" Jack grinned.

Hiccup glared at him but it was obvious that it was all in good fun. After a deep breath, Hiccup did a quick motion with his wand. Wordlessly, he sent Jack hurling backwards through the air and into the wall. He felt the impact pushing the air out of his lungs. The clash with the stone wall (although it was padded) sent a jolt of mild pain through his back. That was definitely going to leave a bruise on his pale skin.

He took a few seconds to collect himself and get over the sudden surprise, before getting to his feet. "Good work, Mr. Haddock" he heard Professor Bunnymunds authoritative voice say from somewhere.

He watched Hiccup smile at him in triumph. Oh, he was going to get it now.

"Oh, it…is…on!" he yelled to him, earning him an amused smile from Hiccup. He remained silent though, challenging Jack only with his confident green eyes.

Jack quickly walked back towards him. He lifted his wand and made a quick movement with his wrist, silently thinking of the spell he wanted to cast. When nothing happened, he tried again.

"Crap." he cursed, watching Hiccups smile transform into a bright grin that lit up his entire face. Oh great. Just hand over another load of ammunition to the most sarcastic guy in school.

He cast a quick glance at Merida and Flynn, who took turns slamming the other against the padded walls.

He pulled himself together and took a few deep breaths. Then he pointed his wand at Hiccup, who did not look threatened at all.

He flicked his wand while thinking hard on the spell, and suddenly Hiccup went flying into the wall, and was lying sprawled on the stone floor.

"Yes!" he shouted in triumph, holding up both of his arms. Now Hiccup had learned his lesson and he had redeemed himself.

When Hiccup managed to get up and get back to his spot, he had a warm smile on his face.

"Good job Jack" he said honestly, and Jack appreciated the sincere words. Not everyone took the time to compliment each other in classes.

"Thanks" he beamed.

The two of them just stood there for a while, grinning warmly at each other.

"Overland! Haddock! Get on with it!" Professor Bunnymunds voice sliced through the noise of students talking and bodies slamming into walls, and the two of them quickly resumed their practice.

The rest of the class went flying by, as the two of them exchanged condescending comments, trying to psyche the other one out and winning their little competition. In the end, Jack secured a very narrow victory and didn't fail to do a little dance. Hiccup pretended to be annoyed but Jack easily noticed the twitch of his lips.

With 10 minutes left of class, Professor Bunnymund placed the tables and chairs back in their original position and told the students to take their seats once again. He, Hiccup, Merida and Flynn moved towards the front row and took their seats.

"Okay, I have a new assignment for you. Two weeks from now you have to hand in 20 pages on either the basilisk or the acromantula. I expect a thorough report containing the discovery of the species, characteristics, habitats, abilities and how to defend yourself from one. I'll be dividing you into pairs on this" Professor Bunnymund finished, overlooking the rows of students.

"O'Donnell with Mutten" he began pairing them.

"Rider and Lewis".

Jack could hear Flynn groan slightly. He didn't like Lewis. The guy was nice, but he was so clingy to everyone who ever spoke to him, so they usually kept their distance. This wasn't possible for Flynn now though.

"DunBroch and White".

Jack looked at Merida who just shrugged. She seemed okay with her partner, the short and slightly chubby girl Stephanie White. Well, it could be a lot worse Jack thought. Stephanie might be a bit strange, but at least she was quite clever.

"Hofferson and Lake."

Jack snorted. There was a challenge for Astrid's patience. Or should he say, lack of patience? Lake was fairly slow and lazy, not bothering to do much during classes. Either Astrid would end up ripping out her own hair in frustration or she would end up tearing him apart with her bare hands. The latter definitely seemed most likely.

"Overland and Haddock"

Jack looked at Hiccup, who rolled his eyes but then smiled.

He was secretly quite happy to be paired up with Hiccup. He was both intelligent and fun to be around. He had also been looking for an excuse to spend more time with him. Well, not that he really needed an excuse…everyone knew that he was outgoing and friendly, so there was nothing suspect about him wanting to hang out with someone, but Hiccup was obviously a private, guarded person, and Jack didn't want to be intrusive and force his company on someone, who might not want it. Hiccup's sarcastic, dry humor was definitely not only used in friendly banter but also as a shield against the world, that much was clear.

Jack took out a piece of parchment from his bag, while Professor Bunnymund continued to pair up students for the assignment. He scribbled a quick message on the slightly crumbled paper with his quill.

"This is great. More quality time with my favorite Viking" he wrote and passed the note to Hiccup, who snorted. He wrote something and passed the note back, keeping an eye on the Professor, so he wouldn't notice the exchange.

Jack looked at the crinkled note.

"Do you even know any other Vikings, Snowcone?" it said and Jack smiled at the cheeky nickname.

"Only Astrid, but she doesn't count. You're still my favorite."

"Well, that's a pretty empty compliment then"

"Take it or leave it, dragon boy"

Jack observed Hiccup reading the note, instantly worrying a little that he shouldn't have written that. Hiccup seemed incredibly tense every time dragons were brought up. Bloody hell, when had he become so anxious all of the sudden? It was just a note.

He was instantly relieved though, when Hiccup simply smile and began to write his reply on the note.

Good. So he didn't mind the little nickname.

Hiccup didn't have time to write his reply though, as Professor Bunnymund dismissed the class. Great timing, Jack thought sarcastically. They were in the middle of some friendly banter, so of course class had the end right then and there.

He glanced at Hiccup, who had begun to plop his textbooks back into his black leather satchel.

He quickly made his own textbooks disappear into his bag, eager to finish doing that before Hiccup left to go to his next class.

Flynn and Merida had apparently finished packing their things and picking up their bags and they were standing a few feet away from the table.

"Just a minute guys" he said to them, motioning to Hiccup. They both nodded in understanding and walked away from the table to wait by the door.

"So..uh…Maybe we should meet up later to start working on the project then?" he asked Hiccup in what he was hoping was a casual and confident tone of voice. He wasn't sure why he wasn't those things all of the sudden. He was a true social butterfly who could adapt to anyone, if he wished to do so. Suddenly though, he felt a little awkward and he didn't like it one bit. Why on earth should he be feeling self-conscious? He was just asking a classmate to work on a project. There was nothing strange about that…right?

Hiccup met his gaze and smiled a crooked smile. Jack found himself looking at the guy's front teeth again, focusing on the slight gap between them.

"Sure, that would probably be a good idea. When?" Hiccup replied with such ease that Jack immediately envied him for it. Apparently this sudden awkwardness was only affecting him. And Hiccup was supposed to be the awkward one. Great.

He focused all his energy on pulling himsel together. He needed to put up that confident and carefree front that was well-known among the other students. Not that it was actually a front, although some people seemed to think that. That was their problem though. Life was short, you had to live it. Which reminded him…life was also too short to worriedly analyze the awkwardness experienced in front of sarcastic Vikings with artificial limbs.

"I'm done with classes around 4?" he said in a half-question, relieved that he sounded more like himself this time.

Hiccup nodded in response. "That's fine, let's meet up at 4 then. Where?"

"Hmm…I like working outside, if that's okay with you?" Jack asked and tilted his head. Working inside for hours became claustrophobic and gave him a headache from the suffocating warmth of the other students in the room draining it of clean fresh air. And the sounds of hushed voices and quills scraping on parchment, textbooks ruffling in and out of bags was distracting.

"No, that's fine. I like working outside too…how about down by the lake?" Hiccup replied, shuffling his feet. Jack saw him swing his satchel over one shoulder in a move that seemed strangely graceful for an accident-prone guy with a prosthetic leg.

"Deal. See you at 4 by the lake" he concluded with a friendly smile. Maybe he and Hiccup had other things in common besides the sarcastic banter that they both seemed to really enjoy.

"See you" Hiccup replied with a small wave. Jack smiled and turned around, walking towards the door, where Flynn and Merida were waiting for him. Hiccup seemed to be a fan of doing those small waves as a way of saying hello and goodbye. Another one of the little quirks that Jack was beginning to notice, the more time he spent with him.

"Don't you guys have to arrange some kind of studytime with your partners?" Jack asked curiously, since neither Flynn nor Merida had talked to their projectpartners yet.

Merida shrugged. "It can wait. There's plenty of time" she said, dismissing the notion of talking to her partner just yet. Not that Jack was surprised. Merida rarely did any kind of homework in good time, she often waited until the last minute actually. Not that he was much better – but in group projects he always wanted to finish it early. He didn't want to stress anyone else out, so it was only his projects with Flynn that were finished in the last minute, since they were friends and could handle being freaked out together.

Flynn quickly agreed with Merida. "Yeah. I'll talk to Lewis next time".

"Okay. Let's go" Jack said to his two friends and motioned them to follow him. The three of them walked in comfortable amiable silence down the old stone corridors for a while.

"Well, I'm this way" Merida interrupted the silence and pointing to the right. She had Earth Magic as an elective, as the only one in their group. She had confused the rest of them when she had chosen it, but she explained that the class taught ancient magic that stemmed from Scotland and Scandinavia. Merida had a deep connection with her Scottish heritage, and she was interested in anything that was remotely related to her home country.

"Right." Jack stated. "We'll see you at lunch".

She nodded and walked away from them in the direction of her classroom.

Jack and Flynn continued on their way to Care of Magical Creatures. Jack had always liked that subject, so it was a no brainer to choose it again this year. He had always had an affinity for animals. They were uncomplicated and fun-loving, unlike a lot of people, and that were definitely characteristics that Jack appreciated. They weren't serious or held grudges or worried about what others thought about them.

Flynn was actually also very interested in the subject. Like him, he liked animals a lot and always had. He told Jack once that he had had a dog, when he was younger. He had been very attached to it, apparently they went everywhere together. The dog walked him to school and picked him up again, slept in his bed, let him read stories to it and played with him in their garden. Flynn had been crushed when the dog died of old age and it took him a long time to recover.

Jack clearly remembered when Flynn had told him this story. They had been alone in their dormitory, skipping dinner in the Great Hall as they were full from eating candy all day. They were both sitting on their own bed, talking and laughing, sharing stories about their lives before Hogwarts. Somehow the conversation turned to animals, and Flynn had shared the story of his beloved pet. It was their second year at Hogwarts, and it had been the first time Jack had seen the sensitive, emotional side of him. Their friendship had definitely evolved that day, and even though Jack had more experiences with Flynn's sensitive side in the years to come, he would never forget that night.

It had been a fairly standard class of Care of Magical Creatures. Professor Lucero had done a decent job of keeping the class not only informative but also entertaining, something that Jack greatly appreciated when Professors tried to do. He was still slightly disappointed that Professor Brown wasn't teaching the class this year, as he had always liked the big, gruff man, with the booming voice and the obvious love of animals. Professor Brown had always kept his classes fun and light, making sure that everyone learned by doing something practical and not just theoretical. Professor Lucero wasn't half bad though. He was mild mannered, patient and eager to spill out random fun facts about the creatures they were dealing with, and Jack decided that he was a decent temporary replacement for his favorite professor.

He and Flynn had had fun learning about the Chinchoo's – the small furry creatures they were dealing with in today's class that resembled some kind of rodent. They were the size of a rabbit, had soft white fur, big round black eyes, a long fluffy tail that curled upwards on their backs and big, upright, rounded ears that seemed to hear everything. They weren't just cute and cuddly though, as Flynn had found out when he decided to try and pet one of them, before learning how to approach them properly.

Professor Lucero had strictly told the class to leave the animals be, until he returned a moment later, having gathered some equipment to handle the creatures. As Flynn had tried to pet one of the furry animals, the little Chinchoo had narrowed its huge eyes in suspicion and had spit green acid out of its mouth, causing a large round hole in the right sleeve of Flynns school uniform. Jack had laughed so hard at his friend's face of horror. He had seen Fishlegs and Rapunzel chuckling at Flynns dramatic encounter with the animal as well, but they kept to themselves.

After class Flynn had gone back to the dormitory to get some new robes on. Apparently a Chinchoo's acid had magical capabilities that made it more complicated to fix than what a simple "repairo" spell could do.

They had split up, Flynn heading back for new robes and Jack walking towards the Charms classroom, as that was his and Flynn's next class, as well as Merida's and Mavis'. It was nice to have some classes that all four of them shared.

As he walked along the hallway, it was unusually quiet. It made sense though, since their Care of Magical Creatures class had ended about 10 minutes early, so Jack was making incredibly good time. Too good actually…What are you doing, Jack? He asked himself suddenly. You're not a Ravenclaw, you don't get to class 20 minutes early, when you can use that time relaxing outside.

He turned around instantly, heading to one of the archways to the courtyards. He settled on top of a table outside, taking in the fresh breeze and the mild autumn sun that was warming his face with its gentle rays. He had just been outside for a whole class, but he was going to be in a double Charms class next, so he wanted to just enjoy being outside for a little while longer before being cooped out inside again. Jack sat like that on the table enjoying the outside, watching birds fly by and a few other students making their way around the grounds for about 10 minutes, before he decided to head towards class. Maybe Flynn would be there by now – having replaced his rodent-damaged uniform.

* * *

Since they had a short break of 30 minutes before their next classes, the three of them had decided to find a table out in one of the courtyards and study a bit, as they all had homework and like true representatives of their house, they wanted to get it done early.

The weather was mild, as there was only a gentle breeze rustling through the tree tops in the courtyard, and the sun was shining warmly, only a few clouds dotting the blue sky. They found an empty, large table with benches on each side, relatively secluded from the other students in the courtyard, which was nice as they wanted peace and quiet. Before actually getting started on the homework they exchanged quick updates on what had happened in their respective classes, and Fishlegs and Rapunzel told him how Flynn Rider had been attacked by an acid-spitting Chinchoo in Care of Magical Creatures.

As Fishlegs and Rapunzel began discussing their homework in their Magical History class, they flipped open their large textbooks and grabbed some parchment and their quills from their bags. Pascal had been sleeping in Rapunzel's bag during class, but now he was resting comfortably on her shoulder, nuzzling against her golden hair. Hiccup had become quite fond of Pascal through the years. The little chameleon was quite protective of Rapunzel, and it reminded Hiccup of Toothless, although there were obviously some differences in their ability to defend their humans.

He pulled out his own textbook from his black satchel and began reading up on his homework in "Building, Managing and Reparing Magical Objects". It was a new class that had only started last year, but he already loved it. He felt quite lucky, that this subject was introduced while he was still here at the school, because it was a rare occasion that Hogwarts introduced new classes. It was definitely one of his favorites, as he could let out his inner inventor. It also didn't hurt, that he could use some of the equipment to fix his and Toothless' gear, the next time it needed a quick repair.

The peaceful studying didn't last long though.

Hiccup was suddenly hit in the back of the head with something cold and wet that slide down his hair and onto his neck, leaving a chilly, icy trail of drops in its wake. He quickly reached his hand to his neck and felt the familiar feel of…snow? In September? He jerked his head around, and saw Jack standing a short distance away with a huge bright grin on his face with DunBroch next to him, also causing Fishlegs and Rapunzel to laugh. He narrowed his eyes, as he felt the coldness of the melting snow on the back of his head. That bastard had actually conjured a snowball just to throw it at him?

"Great, it's Frosty the Snowman" he said sarcastically, a small smile on his lips. He _was _actually slightly happy to see Jack again, although he would stick his hand in a hungry Gronckle's mouth before admitting that to anyone.

Jack instantly narrowed his own eyes and slowly stepped towards them in a mock threatening manner. "What did you call me?".

Hiccup could tell that he was just joking though, and he decided to try and beat him at his own game. This mischievous Snowcone was _not_ going to win.

"Oh nothing, nothing….Snowflake" Hiccup replied innocently. Jacks unusual hair color was an almost endless supply of ammunition in a banter-duel. Hiccup briefly wondered if it was natural, though he doubted it.

"Oh come on…we both know you worship me, so let's skip the whole defensive, sarcastic strategy and tear down some emotional walls shall we?" Jack said enthusiastically, gesturing wildly with his hands and giving Hiccup a teasing smile. He ruffled his hair, and Hiccup felt a strange warmth. He wasn't used to people touching him except for the ones closest to him, so the action took him by surprise, and he took a few moments to register that yes, that just happened. Yes, he'd just had his personal space invaded by Jack.

Rapunzel and Fishlegs smiled widely at Jacks comment that they all knew had actually been spot on regarding the sarcasm and emotional walls. Hiccup wasn't about to admit that though.

"No thanks, I like my walls. I'm actually considering expanding them and adding a moat" he said.

"Then I just have to find some ingenious way to bust in. That's one of my specialties after all" Jack declared, smiling mischievously. Those blue eyes shone with laughter, and he put his hands on his hips in an obvious challenge. Oh it was a challenge he wanted? Well Hiccup was not going to let him get away with that.

"Oh joy…I get to be stalked by the school prankster with the inflated ego" Hiccup shot back, wrapping every word in a neat package of sarcasm.

"Inflated ego? Please..." Jack waved his hands in dismissive motions. "My amazingly good looks and super-human cunning astounds anyone who meets me."

"Yeah…" Hiccup deadpanned. "It's fun to make stuff up, isn't it?".

DunBroch burst out laughing at this, while Jack gave him a scowl.

He had definitely won this round, and he smiled in self-satisfaction.

"Traitor," Jack muttered to his friend, glaring at her and nudging her shoulder in protest.

"I like your style, Haddock. Frosty needs some bumps in his ego once in a while" DunBroch said, while nudging Jacks shoulder back, almost breathless from her laughter fit.

"It's Hiccup. But thanks" he smiled. He had never been a fan of calling people by their last names, as was tradition at Hogwarts with acquaintances.

She nodded and gave him a friendly smile. "Then you can call me Merida".

"I will." Hiccup said. "Oh…and this is Rapunzel and Fishlegs" he introduced his friends, gesturing to each of them as he spoke their names. They'd never actually talked to Merida before, though they obviously knew who she was.

Merida nodded at them, and his friends both did a little greeting wave.

"So…if you're done trying to bruise my confidence…what are you reading?" Jack asked curiously while plopping down casually on the bench next to him.

"No one could ever bruise your confidence, Jack" Hiccup stated. "And I'm studying for "Building, Managing and Repair of Magical Objects".

"Wauw, someone actually takes that class?" Jack remarked in surprise.

"Of course _you_ wouldn't like it. You only like to break stuff" he teased and Jack chuckled at that.

It was partially true though. Jack Frost was well-known for breaking stuff, and he had landed in detention more than once because of that. Hiccup was personally more into creating and mending things. He felt at peace when he was working on a project and the feeling of satisfaction that followed with successfully building or mending something always brought a smile to his face.

"Hiccup's somewhat of an inventor" Rapunzel beamed.

He was touched by her proud words but it was mixed with a hint of awkwardness. He still wasn't used to people being proud of him, since he'd had his ego deflated so many times in the past. It was slowly beginning to repair itself though.

"Really?" Jack said curiously and tilted his head to one side. "What have you invented?"

"Lots of things…" Hiccup said, feeling a little self-conscious. He wasn't sure how this would sound to someone, who didn't know his background. "During the holidays I invented a shield that can turn into a crossbow"

"What!? That is awesome!" Jack exclaimed wide-eyed and with a huge grin on his face.

"Yeah, I had no idea you could make weapons!" Merida said sounding impressed and interested, while smiling warmly at him.

Huh. She was interested in weapons? Then they had plenty to talk about.

Jack chuckled. "You've just found the way to Meridas heart: violence". Merida glared at him and punched him on the arm. So Hiccups thoughts had been confirmed. Merida was interested in weapons and apparently violence as well. In that moment she reminded him a little of Astrid.

"Ouch". Jack rubbed his arm. "You just proved my point, Mer."

"Yeah, Hiccups inventions are great…the ones that work and don't hurt anyone" Fishlegs remarked and sent a friendly but teasing smile his way. Oh great. Fishlegs had chosen this moment to tease him in front of two people they didn't really know.

"Thanks Fishlegs" Hiccup said sarcastically. He was well-aware of all the errors he had made inventing stuff, but that was inevitable. No inventor could just invent things that worked instantly every time, and he actually liked the whole process of building something, adjusting it, testing it, adjusting it again and so on until it finally worked perfectly for its intended purpose. Like flying, it was something that soothed his mind, although not as much as the freedom of the sky and Toothless by his side.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked curiously, and Hiccup couldn't shake the feeling that he sensed some good stories here. And more ammunition for their banter.

Hiccup sighed. "I might have made a catapult once that ended up breaking my cousin's arm, when it malfunctioned…and a net-trapper that accidentally trapped my dad in a net for hours. He was _not _happy".

It was a long time ago, but Hiccup could still clearly recall the livid face of his dad, and the bruises Snotlout had given him.

Jack and Merida both burst out laughing, while Rapunzel and Fishlegs merely smiled at the well-known stories. They knew all about his inventions and the accidents they sometimes caused. His friends also knew however, that when they worked they were very useful.

"No way!" Jack beamed and Merida was trying to catch her breath and stop her laughing.

"And remember that time, when you made that self-filling feeder for the sheep, but it couldn't stop filling in food, so suddenly all the sheep were fat?"

"Yes, Fishlegs, thank you" Hiccup deadpanned.

"And the time where you tried to -"

"Thank you Fishlegs" Hiccup interrupted. Fishlegs took the hint and stopped talking, but still had that amused smile on his face.

Jack and Merida both chuckled.

"When you invent things there's always going to be trial and error" he sheepishly. He wasn't sure if other people really understood the kind of process it took to actually invent something.

"How did you even learn to build stuff?" Merida inquired. "It's pretty unusual to meet someone who can build catapults and crossbows". He saw Jack nodding in agreement.

"I worked as a blacksmiths apprentice since I was little. He taught me how to work with metals and leather, and how to make and repair weapons and every day objects. From there I just started to try and improve things or get ideas for new things on my own" he explained, and wondered if they would find that background strange. They probably would. Life in the archipelago was very different from life anywhere else.

"What? What kind of kid works at a blacksmiths?" Jack said disbelievingly, confirming Hiccups thoughts,

"Jack, we're from the Barbaric Archipelago. We learn to handle weapons, as soon as we're old enough to lift them, we have snow and hail most of the year, we used to have lots of dragon attacks, and we're mostly isolated from other societies except the other islands, so we have to learn how to survive…the place is like a timewarp. There's no electricity or any other modern commodities" he explained.

Jack seemed to understand because he nodded and smiled, flashing his incredibly white, straight teeth. Hiccup couldn't help smiling back.

"Yeah, and the only place Hiccup could stay out of trouble was at Gobber's workshop" Fishlegs interjected with a sly smile on his face.

Oh gods…not this again.

"Once again, Fishlegs….thanks" he said, his words dripping with sarcasm. Fishlegs would never reveal anything truly personal about him to others, but he liked to make vague comments and references to things that had gone wrong. Hiccup knew that it was only friendly teasing though, so he never felt bad about it. That didn't mean that Fishlegs was just going to get away with it though.

"What, you were a troublemaker? Doesn't seem like you, Haddock" Merida said amused.

Hiccup shrugged. He really didn't want to explain Fishleg's vague comment, seeing as it was kind of personal how he had always messed things up and been a huge disappointment until a few years ago. Not really something you just tell people you barely know. "Anyway…" he said, trying to change the subject. "We learn a lot of skills that others don't."

"Sounds like it." Jack replied, seeming interested. He tilted his head. "But how is this place even kept secret from the muggles? It's obviously a huge area filled with islands, and there are Vikings AND dragons for Merlin's sake".

Hiccup smiled at Jack's curiosity. Jack genuinely seemed interested in the Vikings and their ways, and he appreciated that. Fishlegs obviously shared his interest in their culture, and Rapunzel would ask questions once in a while, trying to understand her friends' backgrounds better, but other than that, people didn't inquire much about it. Well, they probably didn't even know about it, as it wasn't something that he, Astrid or Fishlegs spoke of very often.

"Well, although magic is rare back home, there are some witches and wizards there to shield the place from the muggles, so they won't accidentally discover it. And somehow the dragons know to keep themselves within the archipelago" he said thoughtfully. He had wondered about this many times, but he didn't know if the dragons just stuck to the islands where they fed and lay eggs, and therefore had no need to leave, or if it was something else. He hoped that the dragons would always remain within the boundaries of the archipelago. It would be a disaster if they suddenly left and was discovered by muggles, who thought they were just a myth.

"It just seems almost impossible to keep such a place secret" Jack remarked, while leaning forward to rest his arms on the table.

"It's easier than keeping a whole wizarding world concealed right next to the muggles. Diagon Alley, the Hogwarts Express, the Ministry of Magic, all of those things are in London, right under the muggles' noses." Hiccup explained.

"Hmm, good point" Jack replied, seeming to be contemplating something.

This only lasted about ten seconds though. Jack suddenly flew out of his seat on the bench and jumped up in the air,

"Yes!" he exclaimed, making everyone look at him with confused expressions. What in Odin's name was he doing?

"Did you see that? I just caught that mosquito mid-air! I'm a bloody super ninja!" Jack exclaimed happily and laughed, obviously delighted with his accomplishment.

Hiccup couldn't stop himself from chuckling at Jack's enthusiasm after a few seconds of complete confusion. Jack really did seem like a child in many ways, but Hiccup found that he didn't think that was bad thing. Usually people grew up way too fast, letting go of their childish ways as soon as they could. That was a shame in his opinion.

"Is he always like that?" he asked Merida with a crooked smile.

"Oh yeah". She snorted and rolled her eyes, though with a faint smile on her lips, that told Hiccup she was actually very fond of her friend's strange ideas. It reminded him of how he often reacted to Rapunzel bizarre sketches.

"Hey, come on, that was pretty cool right?" Jack asked the others, still excited. "I obviously have super-human reflexes" he continued. "So if you need help with anything that's too fast for your slow human senses, you know who to call!"

"Well, we could've used you last night with that moth" Fishlegs said, a smile on his face from Jacks elation.

Hiccup shook his head. Fishlegs wasn't scared of bugs, but he strongly disliked them, which could be quite entertaining. Last night he had insisted that they didn't go to sleep, before that moth was out of the room. Even though Hiccup didn't care at all about whether some bug was flying around, he did his best to chase down the little bugger to keep Fishlegs happy.

"Shhh, Fish, don't encourage…that!" he said pointing at Jack.

In all honesty he didn't mind Jacks jokes and mischief at all, no matter what form it came in, but he wasn't about to say that out loud. He had a banter thing going on with Jack, and central to that banter was pretending that they didn't like each other at all.

"A moth?" Jack asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "I should have been there to save you from certain death!" he exclaimed and slammed his fist into the table.

"Riiiight…our hero" Hiccup drawled and crossed his arms. "Saving us from the annoying insect that invaded our dormitory"

"Oh, moths are not mere insects, my young padawan." Jack said, lowering his voice almost to a whisper. "They are elusive, cunning and master manipulators…They want you to think that they are just innocent harmless bugs, and then…when you least expect it…they bite you right in the throat, ripping out your soft flesh and killing you on the spot. They have no morals…no honor….no soul" he whispered and looked around him, as if he was revealing some terrible secret and checking that no one else heard him.

Hiccup laughed at the idea of moths as secretive master assassins, and Fishlegs, Rapunzel and Merida all joined in. He suddenly stopped his laughter though, as a realization came to him. Oh that tosser.

"Wait…did you just call me your padawan?" he asked Jack disbelievingly.

"Sure I did. After all, you have a lot to learn about life, and who better to teach you than a jedi master?" Jack said, as if it made perfect sense and crossed his arms.

Hiccup snorted. "You are _not_ a jedi master".

"Of course I am. How else could I be this wise, brave and good-looking with super-human skills?"

"And what am I? Some sort of inexperienced, unknowledgeable apprentice who needs someone to look up to?"

"Well, you said that. I was merely hinting at it." Jack said with a teasing smile.

He gave Jack a deadly glare to keep up that act. "Despite what you might think, I'm not that inexperienced in life."

He was pleased to see that his comment temporarily shut Jack up. He was trying to find some sort of retort but failing. Serves him right. Hiccup was not a little kid anymore, he thought to himself, amused. As if he was ever going to be someone's padawan. No thank you.

"Well, if you two are done discussing who's the padawan, we really should take some time to study." Rapunzel said, though sounding a bit disappointed.

She wasn't wrong. They did have a lot of homework, so it was best to get started on at least some of it.

"Yeah, you're right" Hiccup agreed, although he'd rather continue the conversation. He was having fun with Jack and Merida, well…especially Jack, but Merida was already growing on him as well, he had to admit.

"Well, we'll leave you to it, bookworms. I'll guess I'll see you guys in class then" Jack remarked, as he picked up his grey backpack and slung it over one shoulder. Merida got up from the bench and did the same thing with her own bag, before giving them a small wave.

"Sure. Bye Jack…Bye Merida" Fishlegs said warmly, and he and Rapunzel added their goodbyes as well.

As Jack and Merida walked away, their retreating forms becoming smaller and smaller, Fishlegs smiled at him.

"They seem nice" he simply said.

Fishlegs was a bit shy and sensitive, but he was always open to getting to know other people, and he would never reject anyone. He always tried to be understanding of others, which was one of his best qualities.

"Yeah. I don't really know them yet, but…they seem okay." he replied. If he was honest with himself, Jack and Merida seemed more than okay.

"Definitely." Rapunzel interjected with her bubbly voice. "I hope we can be friends with them, they were fun!".

Hiccup smiled fondly Rapunzel was always so upbeat and open when it came to others. It was one of the things he liked most about her. It was a good quality to have and he secretly wished that he still had it too, but over the years he had experienced his fair share of jerks and manipulative people.

While Rapunzel and Fishlegs began studying for Magical History, Hiccup's thoughts turned to Jack. He couldn't quite figure him out. They had shared classes for years, and once in a while exchanged some words when they'd been paired up for groupwork, but other than that they really hadn't had anything to do with each other.

Sure, hehad noticed that Jack and his friends seemed to find his sarcastic comments entertaining, but that didn't explain why Jack had begun to suddenly approach him and talk to him out of the blue.

He liked Jack, even though they didn't know each other well yet. He was funny and clever and Hiccup enjoyed their banter. But he couldn't let his guard down around him.

He caught himself hoping Jack wasn't just another student who wanted to get to know him simply because of the dragons.

He would have to wait and see about that.

He would give Jack a chance. For now.

* * *

He enjoyed the outdoors, so he had been pleased when Jack had suggested that they work on their project outside. His Building, Managing and Repairing class had gone by quickly as usual, and he had even had some time at the end of class to briefly work on a stronger, thicker metal-rod for Toothless' tailfin.

Even though he had seen his large scaly friend on their usual morning flight, he already found that he missed him. He felt the familiar tug of guilt inside, because Toothless had to remain by himself while he was at school. But t never complained though, and Toothless seemed content in general. Maybe he was being too hard on himself as usual. After all, he did make sure to visit Toothless twice a day and make time for a long flight and a talk with his best friend.

When Toothless wasn't around, Hiccup had that strange feeling that something vital was missing. It didn't feel as natural and comfortable as when he was by his side. He was lucky that Headmaster Lunar had agreed to let Toothless stay in the small forest for the remaining years of his education. After his recovery, following the battle with the Red Death, he had refused to return to Hogwarts unless Toothless could come. He would not be separated from his best friend. His soulmate.

They had a bond that only they fully understood, and they needed to be around each other. Luckily the headmaster had agreed on the condition that Professor Brown would be able to meet Toothless and pick Hiccup's brain regarding dragon knowledge and that it was kept secret from the other students for their own safety.

"Hey Hic!" An enthusiastic voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

A little smile graced his lips. That voice could only belong to a certain guy with snow-white hair.

He turned his head and watched as Jack came closer and then sat down in front of him, legs crossed.

"Hi Jack" He replied, giving him a friendly smile.

Jack observed him curiously for a few seconds, and Hiccup wondered why he was looking at him in that analyzing way. He found himself becoming a little self-conscious, but luckily Jack's scrutiny didn't last long.

"Aren't you cold?" Jack asked and gestured to him, as a way of pointing out his lack of warm clothes. He was only wearing his school uniform and a green scarf that Rapunzel had made for him.

He couldn't stop the laughter that escaped his lips, and Jack's brow furrowed in obvious confusion, which only made him laugh harder. This made Jacks lips form an amused smile.

"Did I say something funny?" he asked.

"It's just…I'm from Berk, where it's freezing cold most of the time. I'm not bothered by some chilly autumn wind" he explained.

"Oh…that makes sense, I guess" Jack shrugged but continued to smile in amusement.

"What about you? You're not wearing a jacket or anything either?" Hiccup asked him and looked him over for a few seconds. He didn't appear to be cold at all, he actually looked strangely comfortable.

"I'm never really cold…except when getting up in the morning" Jack replied cheerily and pulled his bag up next to him, fishing out their Defense against the Dark Arts textbook – a massive black, leatherbound tome.

Very high tolerance of cold that apparently matched Hiccups own? Definitely a quirk, he thought to himself.

"Wauw…" Hiccup deadpanned, causing Jack to shoot him a questioning loo.

"You really are Jack Frost aren't you?" he asked sarcastically, making Jack smile.

"Sure am! The harbinger of winter himself" Jack replied enthusiastically and held up both his hands in a triumphant gesture.

"Too bad that haircolor isn't natural then. That would make it much more authentic."

"What? This is totally natural." Jack said indignantly, gesturing to his white hair.

"Right…so you come from a family filled with white-haired people?" Hiccup asked, wondering if Jacks hair was the result of some sort of freaky mutated gene or a hereditary trait. Right now he was betting on mutation. He briefly thought of Jack as some kind of winter mutant, which amused him.

"Actually I'm adopted." Jack replied while shrugging, causing Hiccup to feel a blush creep into his cheeks.

Nice going, Hiccup, way to make your new acquaintance feel uncomfortable.

He had accidentally stumbled upon a rather sensitive fact and when speaking to someone you didn't really know very well, that created a certain awkwardness. Hiccup loathed awkwardness, but he was used to it by now.

"You…you are?" he found himself asking, feeling unsure of what else to say. How did you respond to something like that being flung out in the middle of a conversation?

"Yeah. Me and my sister lost our parents when we were young. Luckily we were adopted together." Jack explained calmly and flipped open his textbook, as if the whole thing was no big deal. It was though, Hiccup thought. He had lost his mother when he was young, so he could relate in some way to what Jack was telling him, although it wasn't completely the same thing.

"Well, that was…lucky…look Jack, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Hiccup started, eager to explain, but was quickly interrupted by Jack, who held a hand up to stop him. He immediately shut up.

"No problem. You didn't know. And besides, it was many years ago." Jack answered and shrugged, sounding very calm and collected about it. Well, at least that was something.

"How old is your sister?" Hiccup asked, wanting to steer the conversation away from the social faux pas he had just made. Or at least, that _he_ believed he had made. Jack didn't seem to be affected by it at all, which was a relief. It was rare for him to form a connection with someone new.

It wasn't that he didn't like people but he kept few but very close friends, who he loved and cherished more than anything else. He wasn't a social butterfly like Jack. He wasn't one to go to parties or bother to form a lot of acquaintances that he had to maintain. Being around a lot of people was draining on him, having to keep up appearances.

No, he preferred his few close friends, who he knew better than anyone, and who he could rely on any time without question.

"She's 11 now. Her name's Emma." Jack replied with a warm fondness in his clear blue eyes.

"And…she's not magical?" Hiccup asked hesitantly, still slightly cautious not to pry into any sensitive topics. His hand fiddled with one of his two small braids, a gesture he knew he did too much when he felt awkward. It was a comfort to him though, a familiar feeling that gave him something to do to remove some focus from his thoughts.

"Unfortunately, no. It would be nice having her around here." Jack replied and Hiccup thought he heard longing in Jack's voice. He didn't have any siblings and would never experience that close bond that could form between them, but he considered Toothless his brother, and if Jack had a bond with his sister that even remotely resembled the closeness of him and Toothless, then it must be very difficult being away from her. Hiccup couldn't imagine being separated from Toothless for long.

"Yeah, I'm sure you miss her, being away for most of the year?" he asked sympathetically. Now that Hiccup thought about it, he hadn't previously considered just how difficult it must be for other students to be away from their family for most of the year. Fishlegs was an only child just like Hiccup, and their Viking culture had made them accustomed to being away from people they cared about for periods of time, such as when the older Vikings had to leave Berk for negotiating treaties, gaining new allies or trading partners or other diplomatic responsibilities. Rapunzel was an only child as well, but she had a close bond with her parents. He knew she missed them, but she didn't show it much, as she wrote them and received letters from them in return several times a week. She also got care packages often with pictures of her parents and what they had experienced, freshly baked raisin cookies and items such as new sketchbooks and paint or homemade mittens, scarves and so on.

"Yeah, I do…but we write each other every few days, so we stay updated on what's going on with the other one." Jack said, his eyes softening.

"That's nice." he said and meant it. It must be a nice, comforting feeling having a sibling who you can talk to, someone who had always been close to you, ever since you were little. "Do you write your parents that often too?"

Jack gently shook his head. "Nah. I write them about once a week, so it's often but not as often as Emma." he explained. "They would probably love if I wrote them every day, but that would be a bit much, especially during busy times like midterms and exams".

"That makes sense." Hiccup replied. "They sound nice." he added. Obviously they were interested in Jack's life and wanted to stay updated on how he was doing. That seemed like a couple of caring parents to Hiccup at least.

Jack nodded eagerly ."They're the best. Really. North is a huge, tall Russian guy with a thick accent, a long white beard and tattoos, which makes him look very intimidating but he's seriously the nicest guy on earth. And Anna, she probably seems eccentric to some with her colorful clothes and hair and makeup, but she always has time for me and Emma, and she always wants to know what's going on with us, and what we think about everything. They're very supportive and I know that I can always come to them if I need help with anything." Jack finished speaking softly, his eyes filled with affection for his family.

Hiccup felt sad for a split-second, because he knew that he could never experience that kind of family life. He quickly pushed the thought away though. There was no use in feeling down about things he could never change anyway. He loved his dad after all, even if he wasn't always that understanding and Vikings typically weren't the types to show obvious affection.

He gave Jack a small smile and rubbed his hands. "It sounds like your family consists of some pretty colorful individuals."

"Oh yes." Jack agreed and chuckled slightly. "We're quite the team. You should see us around Christmas…that's where it gets really busy in our house." he beamed with enthusiasm.

Jacks wide smile was infectious and Hiccup found his own lips twitching.

"Really? What's it like?" He asked curiously. He knew a lot about Christmas by now, having experienced some of it at Hogwarts every year for the past five years, and having heard a lot about the celebration and its' traditions from Rapunzel as well, but he was sure that every family did their own twists on the traditions.

"Well, North goes into Christmas-mode, which means that he is constantly humming Christmas songs, baking cookies, decorating the house inside and out, buying presents, taking us sledding, and all kinds of other fun stuff. He never ever gets enough of Christmas, for him it's the best time of the year. My friends are all absolutely certain that he's actually Santa Claus." Jack said, laughing. "It doesn't help that he likes to wear red and that he takes advice from his belly"

Hiccup laughed at this, imagining it quite vividly. Then a thought occurred to him.

"Wait…" he said, furrowing his brow. "So…you're Jack Frost and your adoptive dad is Santa Claus? That's quite a family." he chuckled.

"Yeah. At night when everyone is sleeping, North picks me up in his sleigh and we go fight evil super villains." Jack said with mirth in his blue eyes. Those eyes were seriously intense to look at sometimes. Well, Jack's whole appearance was pretty unusual with his pale skin, snow-white hair and very blue eyes. It definitely made him stand out.

"Sure, because candy canes and snowballs are always effective against dark forces." he said sarcastically, causing Jack to grin widely.

Hiccup broke eye contact and looked at the peaceful blue lake next to him, shining in the faint autumn sun. A few moments of silence passed.

"Do you write your family?" Hiccup heard Jack ask, in a voice that held equal amounts of hesitance and curiosity. Jack probably thought that the subject might be sensitive. Which it was a bit…but not so much that he needed to keep it hidden.

"Well….I only really have my dad left….and an annoying cousin and uncle who I don't talk to much. I write him once in a while, but not that often." Hiccup admitted, fiddling with the hem of his shirt to keep his hands busy.

"I'm sorry about your mum". Jacks voice was calm and soothing, and Hiccup found himself smiling a small and careful smile.

"It was a long time ago." he simply said. "I was too young to really remember it…anyway…You and your sister are close?" he asked, wanting once again to move the conversation in another direction. He didn't want so much focus on himself and his own dysfunctional family life.

Jack immediately grinned, revealing those straight, white teeth and Hiccup felt his own lips twitch by seeing the obvious happiness on his face. He had once overheard a girl say that Jack's teeth were as white as freshly fallen snow, and he silently agreed with her in this moment.

"Very!" Jack said enthusiastically. "We tell each other almost everything, and when I'm home for the holidays we spend all our time playing and talking and laughing, catching up on everything we're missing when I'm back here."

"That sounds great. Do you play pranks on her too?" he asked teasingly, though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"Of course I do! Just because we're family doesn't mean she gets to miss out on my devious and hilarious strokes of genius…duh!" Jack replied and rolled his eyes as if Hiccup's question had been completely absurd.

Hiccup chuckled once again. He had already gotten used to that fake superiority and arrogance that Jack liked to use during banter, and he found it very amusing. Besides making him laugh, it also provided some great openings to shoot the guy down with some sharp, sarcastic wit. Now was one of those times.

"Hasn't the poor girl suffered enough being related to _you_?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"What!?" Jack said in a high-pitched tone of disbelief, which Hiccup found incredibly funny. "Anyone would be thrilled to be related to me." he finished defiantly while crossing his arms.

"Right…being biologically connected for life with a white-haired prankster with an unnatural obsession with snowball fights must be a pure thrill." Hiccup deadpanned, keeping his face blank to underline the lack of excitement of the statement.

"Says the nerdy bookworm with a dragon-obsession and a prosthetic leg." Jack shot back triumphantly.

"Foot." Hiccup corrected him, causing Jack to roll his eyes. "But point taken."

"Did it hurt?" Jack suddenly asked, before something flashed in his blue eyes. It seemed almost like...regret? He was probably wondering if the question was too personal. Hiccup didn't mind though. It had been terrible losing his left foot, and it had taken him a long time to get used to the prosthetic, but it wasn't a sensitive topic for him as such.

"Yeah it did. A lot." He answered, emphasizing the last two words. Jack seemed to wince slightly but maybe he just found the thought a little disturbing. Hiccup knew that it was difficult for people to fully comprehend that he was missing a limb and the consequences that it had in his life. Some people were even a little repulsed by it and some were uncertain about how to act around him, as if the only thing there was to him as a person was his missing foot.

A brief moment of silence passed between the two of them, before Hiccup cleared his throat. He really didn't appreciate this sudden air of awkwardness.

"Uh…we should probably get started on this." he said, motioning to the big black textbook lying next to him.

Jack's face immediately changed from regretful to pained.

"Awww….do we have to?" He whined.

Hiccup couldn't keep his lips from twitching at that child-like voice and that hurting expression.

"If you'll be a good boy and do your homework, you can get some sweets afterwards." Hiccup said in a light voice, mimicking what a mother would say to get her son to behave.

"Okay, but it better be good!" Jack said, obviously resigning to the fact that he was going to have to do some homework.

Hiccup smiled at the resistance. He knew that Jack was a clever guy, he had seen that n classes over the years, but he obviously didn't like doing assignments. Hiccup on the other hand wasn't too bothered by it. Sure it could be a bit of a pain, if he had trouble fitting everything into his schedule and if it interfered with other things he wanted to do, but that was the reason he usually got it over with as quickly as possible. Now however, he was paired up with a mischievous Gryffindor, who was intelligent but lacked discipline. Not that it mattered really. He enjoyed spending time with Jack, so if that meant handing in the assignment a bit later than what he was used to, that would be okay with him.

"Fine fine" heHiccup said dismissively. "Now…let's get started".

He picked up the massive black tome and flipped through the pages until he landed on the one he was looking for.

"Okay…Do you think we should write about the basilisk or the acromantula?" He asked, getting into study-mode, which meant concentration and focus. At least for him it did. Jack looked ready to run away.

* * *

Hiccup's grip on the quill relaxed as he wrote down the last word of the sentence, and watched his neat and orderly writing on the parchment with a certain satisfaction. The chilly autumn wind ruffled his hair, and crept down his neck, where he felt a patch of exposed skin being chilled by the gentle breeze. He adjusted the soft green scarf with his free hand, covering the bit of naked skin while still eying the parchment in front of him.

"Why aren't you wearing your Ravenclaw scarf?" a curious voice suddenly asked him. He lifted his head and met the blue gaze of a certain guy sitting across from him with an intrigued look upon his face.

"Well…sometimes I like to wear this one instead." hep simply stated and raised an eyebrow, wondering why Jack would ask such a strange question. He had the distinct feeling that Jack was somehow analyzing him based on this seemingly unimportant piece of trivia, and it suddenly made him a bit uneasy. He quickly dismissed the thought though. That was ridiculous. What could Jack possible conclude based on his choice of scarf?

"Where did you get it?" Jack asked, tilting his head.

"Rapunzel made it for me. It was a Christmas present from her last year." he said fondly, remembering how happy he had been to receive it that Christmas.

Even though he and Fishlegs didn't actually celebrate Christmas, they liked the decorations and the traditions of it at Hogwarts, and they had agreed with Rapunzel that the three of them would exchange gifts every year.

She had spent a lot of time making the scarf, and he had been truly touched by the gesture. He could tell that she had put much thought into it. It was a deep, rich forest-green color matching his eyes, and it had a small and discreet pattern of dragons on it in a slightly darker green. It was also the softest thing Hiccup had ever worn, and it always managed to keep him warm from the cold, harsh winter winds.

She had also made a scarf for Fishlegs. His favorite season was autumn, and Hiccup wasn't sure what it was, but Fishlegs just loved watching the changing colors of the foliage and feeling the mild sun and the gentle breeze that made the season a nice mix of summer and winter. Rapunzel had made the scarf in a deep earthy brown color with autumn leaves on it in golden tones. Fishlegs had been just as touched and excited by the gift, as Hiccup was by his.

"She's got some skills." Jack replied, sounding impressed. "It looks pretty complicated to make, with the little dragons and everything." he finished, and looked intently at the scarf as if trying to decipher some kind of code.

"She's very talented, yes." Hiccup agreed warmly. Rapunzel really did have a lot of creative skills in everything from painting and sketching, to knitting, to making sculptures, to playing instruments.

"You two seem like you do a lot of creative stuff…you have art class with Mavis, right?" Jack asked.

They did have art class with Mavis, and Hiccup had admired her paintings several times, although her style was very different from his own. Where Hiccup usually painted and sketched dragons, landscapes and other surroundings and the people he cared about, Mavis seemed to focus on painting everyday situations like students eating in the Great Hall or sitting by the lake studying.

"Yeah…we both like to paint and sketch a lot, but Rapunzel is talented in more areas than me…she also does sculptures and plays several instruments…and knits as you can see." he said and motioned to the green scarf around his neck. "But painting and sketching is definitely something we both enjoy a lot."

"That's really cool. I wish I had some creative talent, but I can only draw stick figures." Jack admitted and shrugged in some weird kind of acceptance of his lack of creativity.

Hiccup smiled at him and then trained his green eyes on the parchment in his lap once again. The paper rested on top of a book, so he could easily and steadily write on it, without making the letters all wobbly and uneven. He bit his lower lip as he considered if they should add more on the discovery of the basilisk, when something small hit him on his cheek. He looked down in confusion and saw a small paper-ball lying in his lap.

He whipped his head up and caught the mischievous spark of a certain pair of ice-blue eyes. Jack was grinning, while his hands were focused on creating more of those annoying paper-balls.

"Jack" he groaned. "We need to focus on this" he argued, but somehow he already knew that it would be in vain. Jack wasn't the type to stay focused for long periods of time.

"Awww, come on Hic" Jack whined and pouted. "Can't we just take a break for a while? We've been at it for an hour and a half now. My brain needs to rest"

Hiccup chuckled at Jacks child-like demeanor. Maybe it was time for a break. They had progressed quite nicely on the assignment, and had actually managed to get five pages written already, so it wouldn't hurt to relax just a little bit. Jack had been quite attentive and focused, much to Hiccup's surprise, but it seemed that he had reached his limit now.

"If you put away those paper-balls, we can take a break" Hiccup negotiated, holding a hand up in warning. He did not feel like being attacked by a playful Gryffindor with parchment ammunition.

Jack smiled and then quickly pouted. "Fine" he sighed and put the small crumbled paper-ball he was currently making down with the others in a small pile. Then he met Hiccups eyes once again and smiled friendly.

"Want to play truth or dare?" Jack asked playfully, raising a challenging eyebrow.

"By Odin, no!" Hiccup exclaimed with wide eyes. Oh no, there was no way in Hel* that he would ever do that. What were they, first years? He really did not want to play truth or dare. He hated that game already, and the last person he would play it with was Jack – a challenging, mischievous guy who could probably come up with the most embarrassing questions and dares in existence. There was no way he was going to fall into that gronckle-trap.

Jack seemed amused by his desperate refusal. He beamed at Hiccup in some kind of evil triumph, and Hiccup dreaded what was coming next.

"Oh really? Why not?" Jack asked sounding overly innocent, as if he couldn't possibly imagine what Hiccups reasons could be. He knew though…that devious snowcone knew, Hiccup thought to himself and chuckled on the inside. Well, two could play that game.

"Let's see…" Hiccup rubbed his chin, casting his eyes upwards to the sky, as if he was in deep contemplation. "Maybe because you're the personification of evil?" he deadpanned while dropping his hand down and training his eyes on Jack once again.

"Ouch, you really know how to break a man's heart, Hic" Jack said in mock hurt, clutching his chest for dramatic effect and looking defeated. Hiccup smiled a little.

"Yes, I'm a real heartbreaker" he replied sarcastically while rolling his eyes. He proceeded to fiddle with the corner of the parchment in his lap, slightly bending it back and forth. It had a calming effect on him.

"Well, you are now actually" Jack declared, and Hiccup tore his eyes away from the parchment to focus on Jack, who was watching him with amusement.

Hiccup shrugged and broke eye contact once again. "It doesn't matter" he simply said to quickly dismiss the subject. As Jack probably knew by now, he didn't like all the attention and adoration he had suddenly become the object of. None of these people cared about him before, but now that he was a dragon trainer, everyone wanted a piece of him. Hiccup understood that it was a natural human response to be drawn towards people, who had achieved something interesting, but it still didn't quell that hint of annoyance he felt, whenever some strange girl who would have never given him the time of day before handed him a flirty note or some boy wanted to ask him about the dragons. He always made sure to be polite in his refusals, but these strangers were regularly invading his personal bubble and he wasn't too fond of it. He didn't handle strangers or many people at once very well.

"If you say so" Jack merely replied and shrugged his shoulders, and Hiccup was relieved that he dropped the subject without discussion. He didn't really feel like talking about this, especially not with someone he barely knew.

"So…Can I ask you something about the whole…Viking thing?" Jack asked curiously and scratched the back of his head. Then he dropped his arm again and let his elbows rest on his knees.

"Sure?" Hiccup replied neutrally. As long as Jack didn't ask about the dragons, he didn't mind telling him a little about his culture and his home.

"What's it like? Where you're from?"

"Well…It's an island called Berk. Like I told you yesterday, it's in the barbaric archipelago, in Scandinavia. It's not the biggest island there, but there's plenty of beautiful nature…rocky hills, waterwalls, steep cliffs, a few beaches, large forests…It's cold most of the year and winter is brutal with freezing storms and huge amounts of snow. You'd probably love that" he explained while pointing to Jack, and his lips twitched in confirmation. "Everyone lives in the main village except for a few, who like to stay somewhere more remote on the island. All buildings are made of wood and besides the houses, there's the Great Hall where people hang out at night and gets something to eat and drink, unless they prefer to do that in their own home, Gobbers forge where I worked for a while as I told you, the docks, the academy, all the shops and the healers house. Like I told you, it's pretty much a timewarp" Hiccup finished explaining, having deliberately left out that the academy was a dragon training academy. There was way in Hel he would be sharing that kind of information.

"Yeah, but that's pretty fascinating actually. And besides…the wizarding world is also sort of old fashioned. I mean, wizards don't use the internet or any other modern technology, that's strictly a muggle thing…I kind of miss the internet when I'm here." Jack said almost longingly.

"Yeah…I guess it's sort of the reversed situation for the two of us…To you, the wizarding world is old fashioned, to me it's actually more modern than where I come from".

"True…I just can't seem to wrap my head around it….You guys live completely isolated from everyone else?"

"Well, yeah. Pretty much. The only real connection with the world outside the other tribes in the archipelago is the trading with the Wizarding community".

"Trading?" Jack asked in obvious confusion, furrowing his brow.

"Mostly certain herbs and insects that are used for potions and such" Hiccup explained, gesturing with his hands to supplement his words.

"Makes sense…but what do you for fun then? There can't be a whole lot to do?" Jack asked, and Hiccup caught himself thinking that naturally he would ask about that.

A faint smile spread across his lips. "Oh, there's plenty to do." He said vaguely, and he could tell that Jack was confused by his statement, as his blue eyes seemed to be analyzing his reply. He wasn't about to elaborate on it though, which Jack seemed to accept after a few seconds of silence.

"I'll take your word for it then." Jack said casually and shrugged. "What are the other Vikings like? I imagine them being more like Astrid than you and Fishlegs?"

"You'd be right in that assumption. Me and Fishlegs are both pretty atypical Vikings in our own ways. Most Vikings are not just huge, but incredibly tough and fierce. They feel things strongly, but they rarely show their emotions openly. They're probably the most resilient people though…able to adapt to pretty much anything…harsh climate…war with other tribes…dragon attacks, and now peace…" Hiccup replied gently, as the images of the other Vikings on Berk flashed in his mind. He was grateful that they had been so eager to live in peace with the dragons after his battle with the Red Death, and now practically everyone had a dragon as their own best friend. It had showed him a whole new side of many of the toughest Vikings. They were obviously still the stubborn, tenacious warriors they had always been, but caring for a dragon left a soft spot in all of them, and he had seen several Vikings show a deep kindness and affection towards their dragon that he hadn't even seen them show to people. The dragons really had changed everything back home for the better.

"I'm sorry if it's too personal, but have you ever experienced a war?" Jack suddenly inquired, and observed him with genuine curiosity. He tapped a little with his pale fingers on the massive black book lying next to him, while Hiccup took a few seconds to get over his slight surprise at being asked that question.

"No. Luckily I haven't" he replied quietly.

A moment of silence descended between them, and Hiccup decided that break time was over on that serious note.

"Let's get on with this" he told Jack with a polite smile and motioned to the parchment resting on his legs. Jack nodded in acceptance and shot him a little smile of his own, before the two students once again focused on their assignment.

* * *

Hiccup was still busy scribbling down the last of their workload for today. Jack remembered Hiccup's words, as he looked at the guy's left foot. Well, it wasn't an actual foot anymore but some kind of prosthetic limb although he had never seen it, as it was always covered by trousers and a shoe. Hiccup didn't seem affected by it on an everyday basis, and Jack couldn't remember having ever seen him limp or seem pained in any way, and had never overheard him complain about it either. There must be some pain once in a while though. It was impossible to lose a limb and not experience any discomfort at all, right? Jack really couldn't imagine losing a foot, the thought almost made him sick to his stomach. He would definitely have a hard time accepting something like that.

"Jack, why are you staring at my foot?" a familiar slightly nasal voice suddenly said. It didn't sound annoyed or distressed but Jack immediately cringed. He hadn't even heard that Hiccup had stopped writing, and now he had been caught staring at his missing leg. Well, this was pretty embarrassing. An amputee probably didn't appreciate it, when people observed their lack of limbs, as if it was something to be studied. Now he needed to reassure Hiccup that he wasn't some kind of insensitive wanker.

"I'm sorry Hiccup, I didn't mean to stare or anything" Jack quickly said, feeling like he had just made a huge mistake. He was hoping Hiccup wouldn't be upset about it. He slowly lifted his head and met Hiccup's green eyes. He didn't look uncomfortable or angry with him in any way, which made him feel relieved. However, he was observing him again silently with those analyzing green eyes, as if he could somehow read Jacks mind, and that made him uneasy. It briefly reminded Jack of Astrid, whose eyes also seemed to have that quality, when she was observing someone, but where her intense gaze was threatening, this one was curious and searching.

Jack did not like the silence that was passing between them, and he was about to open his mouth again, when Hiccup beat him to it.

"It's fine Jack. Don't worry about it" Hiccup said reassuringly, not sounding the least bit irritated or nervous. Jack searched those observant eyes briefly, but saw nothing in them that pointed to the contrary, so he accepted that Hiccup in fact wasn't affected by his staring. He still felt like a jerk though.

"I was just…wondering if it still hurts sometimes?" Jack asked in a quiet and careful way that he knew was out of character for him. He wanted to approach this subject gently though. He didn't know Hiccup very well yet, and there was no telling, whether he would be reluctant to tell him more about his missing foot.

A look of surprise flashed across Hiccups features, before his face was once again seemingly neutral. He appeared to consider his answer for a few moments, those green eyes looking over the shimmering surface of the lake, before turning back to meet Jacks gaze once again.

"It still hurts sometimes, yes" Hiccup confirmed in a calm voice, tapping a little with two fingers on the place where the prosthetic was hidden beneath his black pants. "There are good days and bad days. For the most part, it's okay during the day, but it hurts in the evening, in the place where the prosthetic meets the rest of the leg" he continued to explain.

Jack felt a sympathetic pang in his chest. It must be difficult losing a limb in the first place, but also having to live with pain for the rest of your life…that must be frustrating. He felt renewed admiration for the guy sitting in front of him. He had not only lost his foot and managed to accept that and move past it, but he lived with the pain without showing any signs of it – at least to anyone who wasn't close to him. Granted, Jack had no idea how bad the pain was or how often it happened, but it was still pretty impressive.

"I'm sorry Hiccup" Jack said genuinely. He really was sorry, he thought to himself. It hardly seemed fair that a teenager should lose something as important as a limb.

Hiccup gave him a quick smile in return and shook his head slowly. Jack kept his eye on those two small braids among the mess of brown hair for a few seconds.

"It's fine" he said and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. Jack wondered if that was Hiccups usual response to all his troubles, just accepting it and moving on like it was no big deal.

"Well, it's not really…you're in pain?" Jack asked, tilting his head a little in a questioning manner.

Hiccup shrugged. "I can live with pain".

Jack was surprised that Hiccup seemed so accepting of this. It appeared almost…dismissive. As if his pain and the trauma he'd been through wasn't really worth discussing.

"Huh" Jack said in a surprised tone, mimicking Hiccups own reaction, when he had told him he was interested in mythology.

"What?" Hiccup asked, keeping his analyzing eyes trained on Jack, his face in perfectly neutral folds.

"It's just…surprising…that you can accept pain just like that, as a natural part of your life. I've never even seen the slightest sign that you've been in pain" Jack admitted and ran a hand through his spiky white hair in one swift movement.

"There's always more" Hiccup replied quietly with a soft look in his eyes.

This left Jack feeling very confused. What on earth did he mean by that? Was he supposed to understand it? Oh well, he was going to have to ask, because he had no idea what it meant. Something about Hiccup's tone of voice and the gentle but careful look in his eyes indicated that the words were filled with hidden meaning, and Jack wanted to understand that meaning.

"What do you mean by that?" Jack asked. Hiccup seemed to hesitate for a few moments, maybe considering whether or not he wanted to elaborate.

"There's always more" Hiccupp repeated softly. "There's always more to people underneath that first layer that everyone sees…the one consisting of looks, body language, friends, hobbies, family…even which House you're in...those things that create first impressions, prejudice, rumors…The things that make people think they have some idea of who a person is, even if they don't know them at all…All Ravenclaws are clever bookworms, all Gryffindors are brave and impulsive, all Hufflepuffs are hard-working and accepting and all Slytherins are cunning and self-serving. Those are some of the ideas that are mindlessly repeated, because it's comfortable and safe to sort people into neat little boxes, so we don't have to worry about actually figuring them out. The problem is that people are complex…they don't fit into categories as neatly as our minds want them to. Not everyone in Hufflepuff are open-minded, hard-working people, not everyone in Slytherin are manipulative gits. There's always more to a person underneath the surface that can shake someone's entire view of them…I'm well aware that other students have always thought they knew exactly what kind of person I was, but there's plenty of things they don't know and won't ever know".

Jack was listening intently as the words flowed easily from Hiccup's mouth. He found himself agreeing with Hiccups words, and now his surprise regarding Hiccup's tolerance of pain seemed a little shallow. Of course Jack knew that there was more to people than what meets the eye, but as Hiccup had reminded him with his calm, collected words, it was human to categorize others, to see them as simple beings that you believe you understood, even though you hadn't even scratched the surface. There was definitely a lot more to the guy in front of him, than what everyone had previously thought, Jack was thinking. He wondered what other surprises would spill out, if he got to know Hiccup better.

"You're right…and trust me, not all Gryffindors are brave" Jack commented with a smile, causing Hiccup to smile hesitantly back at him. There were definitely some scaredy-cats in Jacks own house despite the reputation of being the nest of the courageous, and unfortunately there were also a few tossers. "That was pretty insightful, Hiccup" he continued with genuine warmth in his voice and tilted his head.

"I have my moments" Hiccup said casually, while leaning back on the oak tree he was sitting in front of. He watched Hiccup as he looked up into the sky and seemed to be contemplating something. The sun was beginning to slowly retreat, the surroundings bathed in a mild glow.

"You sure do" Jack replied sincerely. He could have easily shot a cheeky comment back at Hiccup, but right now he wanted to let him know that he had actually given him something to think about.

Hiccup's lips twitched in amusement and he seemed somewhat entertained by Jacks comment, although he didn't reply but just kept watching the sky. Jack studied him for a little while. He really had grown up in the last two years. This mature teenager in front of him was a stark contrast to the small, scrawny Hiccup he had seen just a year ago. He watched those brown locks being ruffled by the mild breeze, and the two small braids swaying gently in the wind.

Jack's thoughts were interrupted suddenly by Hiccup himself, who quickly got to his feet. He began packing parchment, quill and the textbook into his black satchel. When he had put the items in place, he met Jacks gaze and gave him a small smile.

"Well Jack, it's getting late, dinner is starting soon" Hiccup stated, and Jack thought of how quickly the time had passed.

"You're right, we should get back" he answered, and quickly stood up, one of his feet mildly numb from sitting in the same position for a long time. He gathered his own things and threw them into his grey backpack, not at all as careful with his stuff was Hiccup apparently was. He slung the backpack over one shoulder and turned to face the other guy, who smiled at him in obvious amusement.

"Is that your usual way of packing stuff?" Hiccup inquired, one eyebrow raised.

"Well yeah, it is. Very time-efficient" Jack replied with a grin.

"I can see that" Hiccup said with that slight hint of amusement in his voice.

With that, they both started to walk together side by side towards the Great Hall. The sun had now almost set, and darkness was beginning to descend upon them. They strolled in companionable silence, or at least what Jack would describe as such. He found himself wondering if Hiccup actually found the silence awkward. He glanced sideways to the teen walking next to him, but Hiccup didn't appear uncomfortable.

When they reached the doors of the Great Hall, Jack stopped and turned to Hiccup.

"So, when are we going to meet up again?" Jack asked.

Hiccup chewed on his bottom lip for a brief moment as if considering something, before he replied.

"Hmm…I'm done with classes at 4 tomorrow?" he suggested.

"Great, so am I…wait, that's not so weird actually, we have our last class of the day together" Jack thought out loud and shot Hiccup a small smile.

"Oh right, I forgot" Hiccup said, smacking his forehead gently with one hand. Jack grinned at the gesture.

"Okay, so let's just get together after class?"

"Sure. See you tomorrow then Jack" Hiccup said and gave him a small wave, before he began walking towards the Ravenclaw table to join Fishlegs and Rapunzel, who were already sitting there engaged in some conversation.

"See you" Jack called out, before he too approached his own house table. He quickly spotted the three familiar forms of his closest friends, and slumped down on the bench next to Mavis.

"Hi guys" he beamed at them and they all greeted him warmly in return, except for Merida whose mouth was full of chicken, but she nodded eagerly at him, and he understood what she meant. It didn't make it less amusing though. Dinner was essentially uneventful, although Jack always immensely enjoyed being among his friends. They told each other about their day, well, the parts they hadn't been together for, they exchanged complaints about homework and they made each other laugh with comfortable and familiar banter.

Once in a while Jack glanced at Hiccup sitting at the Ravenclaw table with Fishlegs and Rapunzel. He seemed so comfortable around them. He was deeply engulfed in conversation with them, laughing genuinely and unrestrained at their witty remarks, as if all of his defense mechanisms simply melted away and they got to see everything underneath. Jack felt that he had seen a sliver of that Hiccup today, and he was secretly hoping that he would get to see more that person in time. There was definitely something about the guy that was anything but ordinary, and Jack found that intriguing.

* * *

After his nightly flying trip with Toothless, Hiccup had once again made it unseen to the Ravenclaw common room. It had been a long day of classes, talking, studying with Jack and of course flying, and now he felt his eyelids begin to droop and his legs become heavier. He was definitely ready to get some sleep. He walked upstairs slowly on the old, creaking staircase and approached his bed. He very carefully began to remove his leather and metal armor, piece by piece and placing it in the small chest that he kept under the bed. As usual he didn't wake any of the others and thank Thor for that. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain standing in the dormitory in the middle of the night wearing armor. Fishlegs, Rapunzel, Astrid and the professors were the only one at the castle except him who knew that Toothless was here, and he definitely wanted to keep it that way. When he had silently and slowly removed all his armor, he changed into an oversized, green t-shirt and some pajama bottoms, and folded his other clothes on the chair next to his bed.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed his satchel that was sitting on the floor next to his nightstand. It had a note pinned to it. He certainly hadn't noticed that, when he had thrown it there. He approached it, curiously looking at the note. When he removed the small piece of paper from the satchel and unfolded it, a message was scrambled down with very uneven, red letters that almost looked like they were written in blood:

"I'm coming for you. - Moth."

Hiccup laughed, but quickly tried to get himself under control, as he still didn't want to wake the others. He shook his head in equal amounts of amusement and disbelief. Jack was truly one insane individual.


	5. Unnoticed attraction

**Author's note:**

So, here's the new chapter. It's almost just as long as the last one, which I hope you'll think is a positive thing :D

I truly appreciate everyone who's left comments on this story, it makes me feel so happy inside and motivated to work hard on it :) So thank you!

A few quick remarks on this chapter:

\- There will be a few words in old norse. In future chapters there will be a lot more old norse, as Hiccup and Fishlegs use it once in a while. The words will always be translated in an authors note at the end of the chapter. All words that are translated are marked with an * in the text itself. Old norse was divided in two main dialects, but speakers of the dialects easily understood it each other. Therefore, I won't differentiate in this story between the dialects, as it's difficult enough to find good sources on old norse in the first place :)  
\- The Vikings are not celebrating Snoggletog in this story but Jól, which was what the Vikings actually celebrated in the winter. Being Scandinavian myself I've grown up with stories about our Viking ancestors, so I'd like to use that background in this story :)

* * *

The noise of the students in the Great Hall eagerly talking, joking and laughing, the clinking of cutlery and the scraping of trays and plates across wooden tables was deafening, bouncing off the old castle walls and incasing him in a blanket of sound.

He really didn't appreciate how the intrusive noises were creating an oncoming headache and he rubbed his temples a few times in a futile effort to relieve some of the strain. Jack really wasn't a morning person, and the loud buzzing was invading that air of soft, peaceful drowsiness that overtook him every morning and that he both loved and loathed.

It always took some time for him to truly wake up and this morning was no exception. He was currently sticking his fork in and out repeatedly in a muffin, slowly stabbing the poor piece of baked goods to death. Well, if it hadn't already been quite dead. Jack didn't know everything, but he was pretty sure that muffins didn't have souls. He then snorted to himself, while briefly entertaining the idea of living muffins and for some reason they were dancing around with top hats on. His sleepy mind created the best images sometimes.

He cast a quick glance at the Ravenclaw table, where Hiccup, Fishlegs and Rapunzel were chatting excitedly about something that he couldn't hear. They seemed way too rested at this ungodly hour. Oh well…his first class of the day was Transfiguration, so he could talk to Hiccup again then. He wasn't quite sure what it was about him, but Jack knew that he wanted to spend more time with him. He had been surprised to learn that Hiccup was actually an inventor and that he could build weapons. That was genuinely impressive. Not to mention cool. How many people could do that? Not many, Jack thought to himself. Apparently Hiccup's intelligence was not limited to academic achievements.

Jack's thoughts were interrupted as the familiar sounds of hooting owls filled the Great Hall, and he smiled warmly to himself. He loved receiving mail from his family, and even though he couldn't be sure there would be anything for him today, he was hoping there would be. His eyes lit up as he spotted his grey owl flying towards him, and as it passed him, it dropped a letter into his hands. Jack immediately recognized the purple envelope with unicorns on it, and he was already excited to find out how Emma was doing. He noticed that Mavis, Flynn and Merida had each received letters as well, and were already busy taking in the words written on the pages. He ripped open the envelope without hesitation and unfolded the piece of paper within, his blue eyes quickly scanning the parchment.

He was relieved to find that Emma was doing just fine. Her first day of school had been going well, and there was a new girl in her class that she was trying to make friends with, because she shared Emma's love of unicorns and fairies. She also mentioned getting detention yesterday, which caused Jack to frown, especially since she didn't mention why. He'd have to ask her in his next letter. She told him to say hello to his friends from her and that she hoped they'd be over for a few days during the Christmas holidays as always. She ended the letter with confessing that she already missed him a lot, and Jack felt a familiar squeezing sensation in his chest. He really missed her as well.  
They'd been together all summer and he'd been overjoyed to be around her again. They'd played together every day, enjoying the long days of summer sun and laughter. Every night Jack had read her a bedtime story, before tucking her in and kissing her goodnight on the forehead. He missed all of that.

"How's Emma doing?" he heard Mavis gentle voice ask from next to him, and he trained his eyes on his friend, as he briefly explained what Emma had written.

"That's nice" Mavis said genuinely and smiled warmly. "Say hi to her from us as well". Jack nodded in response. He would do that when he'd send his next letter.

He remained mostly quiet for the rest of breakfast, only occasionally throwing in a funny comment about whatever his friends were discussing. This was fairly common though, since Jack was not happy about getting up early, so no one questioned it. He felt like a zombie in the morning…like some half-sleeping tourist in a world full of chipper, awoken people that were way too well-rested and eager to talk. It was more than just difficult for him to get up in the morning.

When Jack and his friends got up from their seats and picked up their bags to head towards their classes, Hiccup, Rapunzel and Fishlegs were already gone. Typical Ravenclaws Jack thought. They obviously wanted to get to their classes early, so they were absolutely certain that they would be on time. Not like Gryffindors. They usually just go with the flow, getting in the classroom with only a few minutes to spare.

Transfiguration was usually one of Jack's favorite classes, but he did not appreciate it today seeing as it was the first class of the morning and he was still feeling very tired and zombie-like. It had helped a little to get some warm tea and pancakes in his belly and listening to Merida and Flynn's banter on who was secretly sexually attracted to who, but he still didn't feel quite awake yet as he and Flynn were making their way through the large old corridors brimming with busy students and their noisy chatter, heading to the classroom. Luckily Flynn was used to his zombie-ness in the morning, so he didn't try to strike up conversation.

When they had entered the large oval classroom and finding Hiccup already sitting there, next to his friend with the incredibly long, golden hair, Jack seemed to feel a little more revitalized.

"Mornin' Hiccy, mornin' Rapunzel" He said with a cheerful smile as he slumped down on a chair next to Hiccup.

Hiccup's green eyes immediately widened for a few seconds, and Jack's face instantly split into a huge, bright grin. His shocked expression was truly hilarious. He lifted his hand and pointed a determined finger straight at Jack.

"No" he said firmly, not wanting to leave room for discussion. "No. Just no. No" he continued to insist, as he lowered his arm again.

"What?" Jack asked innocently, his eyebrows raised in a questioning way.

"No, Jack. That's not going to be a whole thing now" Hiccup said, shaking his head.

"You don't like your new nickname?"

"Oh _hell_ no" __Hiccup emphasized and crossed his arms defiantly.

That outburst caused Jack to beam in amusement, and Rapunzel giggled next to Hiccup, who shot her a silencing glare.

"Fine, Hic. But only because I'm such a terribly nice guy"

Hiccup scoffed and uncrossed his arms again. "You're devil spawn"

"Only when I want to have some fun" Jack smiled evilly, causing Hiccup to shake his head and Flynn and Rapunzel to chuckle slightly.

"So anyway, my mum and dad told me that they've actually hung up the painting you did for them in the livingroom" Rapunzel told Hiccup enthusiastically, getting back to the conversation they were apparently having before Jack and Flynn arrived. "They really love it"

Hiccup's eyes softened at the news. "That's great. I'm glad they like it"

"What's this about a painting?" Jack interrupted. He didn't like not knowing exactly what other people were talking about. It was a slightly childish trait of his, but he kind of appreciated his natural curiosity, even if some people claimed it was impatient or rude.

"Hiccup and Fishlegs spent some time at my house in the summer and Hiccup did a beautiful painting of me and Pascal watching the sunset" Rapunzel explained.

"Pascal?"

"My chameleon" she replied and reached into her bag. When her hands retracted again, a small green reptile sat gently in one of her palms. Jack and Flynn eyed the small animal with genuine interest. Jack had seen the chameleon a few times, but never up close like this.

"Wow, he's cute" Flynn said, earning him a warm smile from Rapunzel.

"Yeah" Jack quickly agreed, nodding. "Hey little guy, how are you doing this fine morning?" Jack asked softly to not somehow scare the creature and slowly reached a finger towards the little green reptile to see if he could touch him.

"It's okay Pascal, he's friendly" Rapunzel told Pascal, as the small animal had eyed Jack with suspicion. Its features seemed to relax at Rapunzel's comment. Jack found himself thinking how strange it was that a chameleon could seem almost human in its expressions the way Pascal did right now. The reptile let Jack stroke him softly with one pale finger, feeling the rough scales underneath his soft skin, as Pascal closed his eyes at the touch.

"He likes you" Rapunzel said happily, observing Jack and her pet.

"Well I like him too. He seems…almost human?" Jack replied in genuine curiosity, as he furrowed his brow slightly.

Hiccup snorted. "You have no idea".

"What?" He asked.

"Sometimes we've seriously wondered if Pascal is actually an Animagus because he's so intelligent and seems to understand everything that goes on. He's also fiercely protective of Rapunzel, and don't be fooled by his small size…he can bite pretty hard". Huh. There was definitely a story behind that comment, Jack thought.

"Sounds like you speak from experience?" Jack told him with a smile, encouraging Hiccup to tell him more about it.

"Oh yes…When we were in our first year and just getting to know each other, I stumbled on a treeroot and took Rapunzel down with me. Apparently Pascal thought I was some psychopath attacking her, so he bit my finger really hard. It was blue for like a week"

Rapunzel giggled at the memory, and Jack and Flynn both grinned widely. "No way…the Viking was defeated by a chameleon?" Jack said with amusement. He was definitely filing that information away in his brain for later use. He would find some way to throw it in Hiccup's face in one of their banter-battles.

"Whoa whoa whoa…." Hiccup objected, holding up a hand in obvious protest. "First of all, I was 11. Second of all, a blue finger hardly counts as defeat".

"Sounds to me like the reptile got you pretty good" Flynn joked.

"Yeah, what do you know, Flynn? Vikings can be taken down by small, scaly animals. Definitely something to keep in mind" Jack said teasingly, trying to push Hiccup's buttons.

"We can not" Hiccup argued and rolled his eyes, a ghost of a smile turning the corners of his lips upwards. Jack had come to really enjoy those tiny signs of Hiccup's amusement.

"Oh yes you can…and now…we know your weakness" Jack said darkly, rubbing his hands together in a sinister I'm-an-evil-genius-putting-together-a-horrifying-scheme gesture. Well, he was an evil genius, everyone knew that.

Hiccup scoffed. "I have no weaknesses, I'm a perfect example of raw, brutal Vikingness that can never be contained" he said in mock arrogance, as if the prospect of having any kind of weaknesses was truly ridiculous, since Vikings were obviously invincible. Rapunzel shook her head slowly in in amusement, a small giggle escaping her lips.

"Now that's just not true. I'm obviously your weakness with my terribly good looks and amazing personality" Jack said confidently and waggled his eyebrows suggestively, trying to get Hiccup to become flustered.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. Damn it, it didn't work Jack thought to himself. "Well, if you're my weakness, then I should get you out of the way, shouldn't I?" he asked and gave Jack an evil half-smile.

"As if the world would keep spinning without all of this" he replied and gestured to himself. He heard Flynn snicker next to him.

"We'll just have to wait and see when I end you"

"You would never do that"

"Oh wouldn't I?"

"Nope, you'd never have the guts to do something like that"

"You use the word 'never' quite strongly" Hiccup said in amusement, one eyebrow raised.  
"You don't know what I'm capable of" he finished sinisterly and narrowed his eyes a little in a threatening manner. It was seriously too amusing to watch Hiccup, when he was trying to be dark, as it was so completely out of character for him.

As Jack was about to throw a clever retort back in Hiccup's face, two Ravenclaw girls that Jack didn't know but vaguely recognized walked past their table, obviously heading to some of the free seats. They giggled after saying "Hi Hiccup" in unison, the adoration evident in their voices. Jack watched as Hiccup squirmed slightly in his seat and mumbled an unenthusiastic "hi" in response, not meeting the two girls' eyes. Jack felt an amused smile grace his lips. The girls giggled even more in response and walked away with their arms linked. They slumped down on some seats a couple of tables in front of them.

Jack nudged Hiccup's shoulder teasingly. "What's up, Hic? Can't handle the fangirls?"

Hiccup groaned, which only widened Jack's grin. "I don't want fangirls"

"Well, too bad, cause you've got 'em. No getting rid of them now" Jack said cheekily and patted his back a few times.

"Don't they have like a nest somewhere, so you can take them all out at once?" Hiccup joked with a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Aww, that's cold, Hic. I kind of like them…"

"Of course you do, Jack"

Transfiguration was essentially a dull affair, except for the friendly banter between the four of them. As professor Hyde did a brief introduction to the spell they were going to practice today, Jack glanced to the notes Hiccup was eagerly scribbling down on a piece of parchment, his quill tracing smooth, steady lines. Huh. He was left-handed. Jack hadn't noticed that before. He took a closer look at the notes and realized that they were written in runes. This caused a small smile to grace his lips. Well, that was interesting. It was actually kind of fascinating watching Hiccup write the strange markings.

After the basic introduction, they were asked to proceed to applying the spell practically. "Avis" was used to conjure birds but it was a difficult spell to get right, seeing as conjuring living creatures from thin air was one of the most advanced things to learn in Transfiguration.

During their practicing, Jack found that Rapunzel was actually quite fun to tease as well, and she managed to throw some pretty witty replies back in his face, earning her several chuckles from Flynn and Hiccup. As they chitchatted between taking turns on trying to conjure the little feathery creatures, he also came to know that Rapunzel was adopted just like himself, which had taken him by surprise.

She seemed to be just as relaxed and open about it as he was, which was a relief, as the subject could definitely be a touchy affair for some people. He learned that she was an only child just like Hiccup, and that her parents had become very fond of her two friends, insisting that they visited a couple of days every year during the summer and the Christmas holidays.

Hiccup continued to explain that it was the only experience that he and Fishlegs really had with the modern, muggle world and how Rapunzel had introduced them to TV and movies, the internet, modern music and so on. Jack found it quite amusing to consider them experiencing these things for the first time ever. When he asked if Rapunzel had been to Berk, Hiccup explained that she hadn't but that they wanted her to come visit in December, if the time was right. What that meant, Jack had no idea but he didn't question it.

After class, Rapunzel left, as she needed to go to her Magical History class, while they had Potions next. When they made their way through one of the old stone corridors towards the dungeons, Jack casually swung his arm around Hiccup's shoulder and rested it there, feeling the soft black fabric of the robes against his hand. It was just a simple friendly gesture, but for some reason he felt the touch spark an unfamiliar warmth through his fingers that he couldn't explain. It was nice though…in a strange, intangible, inexplicable way that he couldn't grasp.

At the first touch Hiccup flinched a little, obviously not expecting that kind of familiarity. His eyes turned towards Jack, questioning him silently, his brow furrowed slightly in obvious confusion, as they continued to stroll down the passageway. Jack flashed him a bright grin in response, wanting to ease Hiccup's obvious awkwardness with the situation.

He was just being friendly with Hiccup, but he was well aware that he was a guarded person, so he needed to make him comfortable. His own casualness regarding the sudden closeness seemed to work as Hiccup appeared to relax, his shoulders becoming less tense and his eyes trained ahead once more, instead of analyzing Jack quietly. If Hiccup had seemed to genuinely mind the friendly gesture, he would respect that and back off, but Hiccup didn't ask him to remove his arm or slipped out of his grasp, so he just continued to walk beside him, one arm casually slung around the guy's shoulder.

As he made eye contact with Flynn, his friend shot him a curious look, his brown eyes questioning what Jack was doing and why. Not that Jack could blame him. He wasn't completely certain of his motivations himself. With the exception of Flynn, he didn't usually become all touchy with guy friends and acquaintances. Somehow though, he hadn't even thought about it. It had just been instinctual and it wasn't until the action was finalized and Hiccup was observing him questioningly with those green eyes that he thought he might have done something that could be considered weird or inappropriate. Not that he cared too much about that kind of thing. He usually just went with his gut, and he didn't want to be held back by norms or other people's opinions. Who cares if someone finds something you do weird? Being weird is definitely the sign of a great person in Jack's opinion. Ordinary is dull, predictable, unadventurous. Maybe that was why he had taken such an immediate liking to Hiccup; he was pretty much anything but ordinary.

As the three of them continued towards their destination through the old stone halls brimming with other students on their way to classes, Jack noticed the curious glances others were throwing them. Not that he was surprised. He and Hiccup didn't usually hang out, and right now they were walking closely together with Jack's arm slung around Hiccup's shoulder like they'd been friends for a long time. It probably looked very strange to others.

As they passed a group of three Gryffindor girls a few years younger than Jack and his friends, the girls observed Hiccup and Jack with large, curious eyes. Jack trained his blue gaze on them and gave them a cheeky wink, causing all of them to immediately look away with a lovely blush on their cheeks. He chuckled to himself, and Hiccup looked at him with confusion in his eyes. Apparently he hadn't noticed Jack's little attempt to embarrass the girls. Oh well.

* * *

Merida was already close to being at the end of her rope. This was a double Potions class, and Jack could tell that she was seriously considering writing a suicide note. She had smacked her face straight unto the workstation, completely ignoring the shot of pain that was sure to follow that kind of impact, and now she was unmoving, keeping her face flat on the wooden surface, her wild red hair covering any sign it. Jack smiled softly to himself as he reached out and rubbed some soothing circles on her back, feeling the soft black fabric of her robes and the warmth from her body beneath his fingertips.

"Come on, Mer. It's not that bad. We'll get through it together like always" he told her gently, while Mavis and Flynn observed him with sympathetic eyes that told him of their joint empathy towards their friend's distress. They all knew just how much Merida hated potions and how quick she was to give up on it. She had never been a patient person, and she definitely had a dramatic flair that she liked to use, whenever she was frustrated.

He heard his friend let out a deep sigh underneath that massive mane of curly, untamed hair, before she slowly lifted her face off the table and stood up straight once again, meeting his eyes with her own deep blue ones. He gave her a bright grin, revealing rows of straight, white teeth and she rewarded him with a small, strained smile that showed her dejection while also conveying a slight flicker of hope. Well, it was better than having her face planted on the workstation. This was progress.

"Come on…when we find out whatever we're brewing today, we'll do our usual split. I get the ingredients, you prepare the utensils" he said encouragingly and Merida nodded mutely in acceptance. He patted her on the back a few times for extra reassurance.

As he shot a quick glance towards Hiccup and Fishlegs at the workstation next to his, he met Hiccup's green eyes. Hiccup had apparently been observing him and Merida, as his eyes clearly conveyed empathy towards her. Jack's lips twitched in a smile at Hiccup's concern for a person he barely knew, and Hiccup responded with a tiny, flicker of a smile before he turned his attention towards Fishlegs once again.

Luckily they were not sharing a workstation with McGowan and Levin today but with two Ravenclaw girls that Jack recognized but couldn't remember the names of. One of them, a pretty girl with a blonde ponytail waved at him and gave him a shy smile. As soon as he waved back and smiled, she turned away, blushing. He smiled to himself in amusement. He was used to googly eyed schoolgirls passing him notes or smiling shyly or giggling, but it never ceased to be a source of entertainment. He was always nice though. There was no need to hurt anyone's feelings.

As another frustrated groan from Merida reached his ears, professor Creek entered the old, gloomy dungeon classroom, one hand carrying an antique looking cobber cauldron and a large black box tucked under one of his arms. The air of casual chatter that had enveloped the dark, dusty room in a comfortable mood dissipated, as the middle-aged teacher approached his large, wooden desk and set down the cauldron and the box with slight thuds.

Professor Creek directed his attention to his students, his observing eyes scanning their faces quickly, before relaying the plans for the lessons today.

"Good morning class" he began with a cheerful smile gracing his lips, as he spoke in his usual mild tone that conveyed a certain kind of friendliness despite his status as their professor. "Open your books to page 78. Today you'll be brewing Hiccoughing Solution" he declared, and the rustling sounds of students flicking through the pages of their textbooks immediately invaded the quietness.

Jack's gaze found Hiccup's eyes and he shot him bright grin. Hiccup just rolled his eyes in reply, but the hint of a smile that graced his lips revealed his quiet, discreet amusement. Jack's grin widened even more. As he slowly began to get to know Hiccup, he discovered so many oddly fascinating quirks and personality traits that he had never known before.

He had found out, how Hiccup rarely showed his amusement openly through laughter as such. For the most part his lips would curve upwards in one of those crooked smiles or he would chuckle slightly, whenever he found something funny. However, Jack found that this only made the times when he openly laughed that much more special.

Those few times he had heard Hiccup genuinely laugh without restraint, it had been a pleasant warm sound that made him feel curiously content. When he and Hiccup bantered, Hiccup would often hide his amusement behind signs of annoyance, like rolling his eyes or huffing, and this served the common purpose of making their interactions that much more hilarious.

Jack could always tell when he was genuinely amused though. He had quickly learned to read those small, almost invisible signs that revealed Hiccup's mirth, such as the faint ghost of a smile that made his lips twitch ever so slightly and the subtle gleam in his green eyes that revealed his hidden delight.

As they all began busying themselves with the preparation needed for brewing their batches, Merida started to locate the needed utensils and lay them out neatly. When Jack had gathered all the ingredients the two of them needed for the Hiccoughing Solution, they began working on their batches in comfortable silence. Jack made sure to keep an eye on Merida the whole way through as usual, holding back once in a while to not get ahead of her. When she struggled with juicing the beans properly, he showed her an easier way to get all the liquid out without squashing the bean or cutting herself. When she was about to add the peppermint before she had stirred the potion a few times, he made sure to tell her. By the end of the first class, Merida had produced a nicely looking Hiccoughing Solution, and she shot Jack a wide, bright grin at the result.

"Thanks for helping me survive this…again" she told him gratefully, hugging herself, as if it was a little difficult for her to accept that she needed help. Which it was. Jack knew her well, and she was not only stubborn but proud too, which caused a certain reluctance towards reaching out for assistance. Despite her immediate dislike of Potions in their first year at Hogwarts, it had actually taken her a few years to agree to let Jack help her.

"Anytime, Mer" he said softly and gave her a warm smile.

They were given a short break of 15 minutes before the second part of the class began, and Jack and his friends hung out at their workstation, not wanting to waste precious break time by finding some other place to spend time together. Jack motioned to Hiccup and Fishlegs to join them.

Merida, Flynn and Mavis all greeted them with inviting smiles and Jack found himself appreciating his friends' outgoing, open natures. They would never be rude or reject anyone, unless that someone was unpleasant. Hiccup appeared quite relaxed as he shot Jack a brief but honest smile, but Fishlegs shuffled his legs a little nervously and his blue eyes seemed to dart from one person to another. Jack decided to defuse the slight tension that almost always emerged when others joined a close group of friends.

"So how were you guys getting on with the hiccoughing solution?" Jack asked Hiccup cheekily, emphasizing the name of the potion, while tilting his head of snow-white hair slightly.

"Yes Jack, we all get the connection between this potion and my name, and I'm sure we all think it's hilarious" Hiccup deadpanned, causing Jack and Flynn to chuckle.

"I'm glad we agree on that" he replied, ignoring Hiccup's obvious sarcasm. "But seriously how did it go with it?"

"Fine. It's not that difficult a potion, although I really don't see the purpose of making a potion that causes Hiccup's" Hiccup replied and shrugged. Fishlegs nodded beside him.

"That's where you and I differ. I can definitely see that as part of a genius prank" Jack grinned.

"Oh, _that's_ where you and I differ? On the use of Hiccoughing Solution?" Hiccup asked him with an obvious underlying amusement in his tone. Jack heard his friends' chuckle at that and Fishlegs' lips twitched.

"Among other things" Jack said with a little smile. "How about you, Fishlegs? You like Potions?"

"Yeah. Well, it's not my favorite class but I don't mind it" he explained quickly, a sign of his obvious awkwardness.

"What's your favorite class then?" Mavis chimed in, obviously wanting to make him feel more comfortable. Typical Mavis Jack thought with affection.

"Oh definitely Care of Magical Creatures…and Ancient Runes" Fishlegs' eyes were wide and excited, as he gestured with his hands to underline his words, his previous awkwardness suddenly forgotten. Jack briefly wondered if Vikings in general gestured a lot since Hiccup also liked to use his hands while he spoke.

"You two should have an advantage in that class" Mavis said with a little amusement in her voice and a knowing smile on her lips. She tugged a lock of black hair behind one of her ears.

Hiccup and Fishlegs hummed in agreement and shared Mavis' knowing look.

"Why?" Merida asked, her brow furrowed in mild confusion.

"Because they're Vikings, duh" Jack said teasingly and nudged her shoulder. "Vikings write in runes". Jack briefly thought of Hiccup's Transfiguration notes. He had scribbled down the strange markings with an ease and fluidity that only came with strong familiarity, so Jack suspected that he wrote all his notes in runes. Maybe it was to keep some kind of connection to his culture. The foreign letters were actually quite fascinating to look at, Jack thought to himself. Usually he would never care about something like that, but the ancient language was the language of Vikings. Who wouldn't find that interesting?

"Right. I knew that" Merida said, glaring daggers at him. Yeah right. She hadn't thought of that at all he thought to himself and chuckled on the inside. The proud Scotsman would never admit that though.

"Yeah. I don't take Ancient Runes though" Hiccup explained casually and shrugged.

"Why not?" Jack asked curiously. It seemed like such an obvious class to take for a Viking, didn't it?

Hiccup shrugged again. "I considered it…but I ended up taking Art instead"

"Good choice" Mavis said genuinely and gave him a knowing smile.

"I know right?"

"By the way, that drawing you did for the last class was incredible" Mavis told Hiccup with a certain impressed tone in her voice.

Hiccup blushed immediately at the compliment and Jack found himself grinning. This was another thing he had quickly discovered about Hiccup: he would become self-conscious and his cheeks would be tinted with a lovely pink color every time someone who wasn't a close friend paid him a genuine compliment. Jack found it positively hilarious most of the time.

"Thanks, that's nice of you to say. I didn't see your drawing last time, but I know you're really talented" Hiccup replied and there was nothing but honesty in his green eyes.

"Thank you Hiccup, I really appreciate that. See, these guys here…" Mavis gestured to Jack, Flynn and Merida. "They're not really artistic. I'm pretty much alone in that".

"Well, thank you for that compliment, Dracula" Flynn huffed and crossed his arms, pretending to be offended.

"Oh please…" Mavis said, waving her hand dismissively. "Do you want me to remind you of that drawing contest you and Merida had the other day?"

"No, not really" Flynn said honestly. The sting of losing was probably not completely gone yet, Jack thought to himself with amusement.

"What about you Fishlegs? Do you do any creative stuff?" Jack asked with genuine curiosity.

"No, not really. I leave that to Hiccup and Rapunzel. They're always doing some kind of creative project" Fishlegs replied casually, still gesturing with his hands as he spoke. He was now beginning to seem comfortable, much to Jack's satisfaction.

"Well, we can't all be artists" Jack stated.

"No, just look at you" Flynn teased him.

"Hey, I'm not the one who lost a drawing contest recently" Jack retorted, his eyes gleaming triumphantly, and he was pleased to see and hear the indignant huff that escaped Flynn's mouth.

"Of course you weren't, no one challenged you"

"And thank goodness for that" Mavis interjected quickly. Wait wait…What was that supposed to mean? He wasn't that bad, Jack thought to himself. Damn cheeky Dracula.

"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked her curiously.

"Oh don't ever challenge Jack. He has no shame, he'll do anything" Mavis told Hiccup with a certainness and underlying amusement that clearly indicated her familiarity with his child-like, carefree nature. Jack scowled at her though. He most definitely wouldn't do anything. He'd do a lot. A lot more than most people...a lot more than most people would probably even think of…But not _anything_.

"Hey, I can't exactly back down when someone challenges my manhood. It's a matter of honor" he objected, holding his hands up in a surrendering gesture. It really was though. He felt an almost child-like defiance whenever someone told him he couldn't do something or extended a challenge to him.

"Jack, I doubt that anyone wants to deal with your manhood" Hiccup deadpanned, causing Jack's friends and Fishlegs to chuckle at his expense.

_That sneaky Viking._

"Oh, that's where you're wrong Hiccup…Jack, I challenge you to eat this piece of boomslang skin" Flynn suddenly declared, holding out a tiny piece of the snake skin in his palm.

"Done!" Jack said enthusiastically, took the piece of skin and quickly swallowed it down. Sure, it wasn't exactly delicious, but it didn't make him want to vomit either. It was just sort of like eating a dried leaf.

"Gross!" Mavis instantly said, her face contorted in a disgusted expression, while Merida roared with laughter and Hiccup and Fishlegs watched with furrowed brows and grins in a mix of amusement and repulsion.

Jack smiled mischievously. "I did what you said, Rider. Now it's time for you to be challenged" he triumphed and picked up one of the potions ingredients lying on his side of the table. "Eat this Flitterby wing" Jack commanded him and passed the dried insect wing to Flynn, who closed his hand around it and quickly threw it into his mouth. A soft, crunching sound was heard as Flynn chewed the dried insect remnant and swallowed it, earning him "eww" sounds from both Merida and Mavis. Damn, he actually did it, Jack thought. He wasn't sure if Flynn would actually play along, but now that he had, Jack wasn't about to back down. He wanted to win this competition, earning him the right to gloat. In his circle of friends that right should never be underestimated.

"Your move, Frosty" Flynn said confidently as he reached out his hand, opened his palm and revealed a small black egg that Jack instantly recognized as a doxy egg. Oh great. Those were supposed to be really nasty. He grabbed the egg from his friend's hand and watched it lie on his own palm for a few moments.

"What's the matter, Jack?" Hiccup said teasingly and shot him a cheeky smile. "Is your _manhood_ in trouble?"

Jack heard his friends snicker. Oh hell no. Flynn was not going to best him at this and Hiccup was not going to get away with making fun of him. He grabbed the egg and shoved it into his mouth, crushing it with his teeth. As it released its juice, it coated his taste buds with an incredibly bitter taste and Jack couldn't help but grimace, causing the others to laugh at his expression.

"Wow, that was rough" Jack said as he had consumed the little black egg. He shot a look at Hiccup, who was grinning widely in amusement and he found a bright smile spreading across his own face.

"Well, prepare to go down, Rider" Jack said evilly as he viewed the ingredients lying scattered on his side of the workstation. "Hmm…." he said in contemplation and then decided on a particularly nasty item. He passed the puffer-fish eye to Flynn, who took it but looked a bit paler now.

"Eww Flynn, you're not seriously going to eat that are you?" Mavis asked with repulsion evident on her features. What was she doing? She shouldn't talk Flynn out of it. It would be too amusing to watch him eat that gross eye. Jack decided to rile his friend up a little to ensure that he would continue.

"Are you going to get on with it Rider? Or do you surrender to my superiority?" he said teasingly, lifting an eyebrow.

Flynn responded by throwing the puffer-fish eye into his mouth, and as soon as he chewed on the soft, squishy substance he made a face of pure disgust. Jack and the others laughed at him. He seemed to be even paler now, as if all the blood had been drained from his face by the fish eye.

"Wow…that was disgusting" Flynn said, holding a hand over his stomach, as if he was about to be sick. He took a few moments to regain his composure, before eagerly grabbing an ingredient and handing it to Jack.

"No wait, Jack don't-" Jack heard Hiccup say, but by then it was too late. He had already swallowed the berry.

"Aaaand, you ate it" Hiccup drawled.

"What?" Jack asked in confusion. He had known it was a berry, but he hadn't taken a proper look at it. Judging by Hiccup's expression that had definitely been a mistake.

"That was a baneberry. They're extremely poisonous" Hiccup explained. Oh crap, Jack thought to himself. Well, that wasn't a very smart move then.

"Oh geez Jack….Look what you've got yourself into" Mavis said sternly and with an obvious trace of concern. Flynn and Merida both eyed him with hesitant worry in their features, as if he would suddenly drop to the floor in agonizing spasms. Not that that was very likely. There was still plenty of time to do something about it.

"Yeah…my tongue is actually going numb now. Call Poison Control" Jack said jokingly, but there was truth behind the words. His tongue was actually going slightly numb.

Hiccup apparently noticed his half-true statement. "You're an idiot" he groaned.

"Jack, we should do something" Mavis said firmly, watching him with those worried blue eyes.

Hiccup briskly walked away from the table towards the shelves containing all the jars of potions ingredients. Jack and his friends observed him in silence as he found a container, propped the lid open and grabbed something from it. What was he taking? Jack wondered.

Hiccup quickly made it back to the workstation, reached out his hand and placed something small in Jack's palm. Jack's fingers tingled from the brief brush of skin. He observed the small stone-like mass in his hand and instantly recognized it as a bezoar. Of course, he thought. Bezoars are effective against most poisons, everyone who has paid attention in potions classes knows that. Jack would have thought of that himself, if he hadn't been too busy with the degree of numbness invading his tongue.

He quickly swallowed the small stone-like mass and gave the others a bright grin.

"There. Now I'm not going to die" he said triumphantly and crossed his arms in success.

"You're an idiot" Hiccup repeated his words from a while ago and rolled his eyes, but the faint hint of a smile on his lips told Jack that he wasn't serious this time. It actually seemed more like an affectionate scolding, which somehow made him feel delighted. It definitely seemed like Hiccup was opening up to him slowly.

"I just put on a dramatic display, so you could be the hero and save me" he declared and shot Hiccup a challenging half-smile.

"Right" Hiccup drawled. "Because as you have ingeniously deducted, I have a desperate, urgent need to play the hero" he finished, every word dripping with sharp sarcasm. Jack noticed Fishlegs' bright grin that erupted as soon as the statement left his friend's mouth.

"Oh, I know you do. You hide it behind that wall of sarcasm, but you desperately want to save the day and seduce everyone in sight with your dorky awkwardness" Jack said triumphantly.

Hiccup genuinely laughed at that and the sound sent a tingle down Jack's spine. He found himself beaming. This was one of those special times where Hiccup would laugh openly. Fishlegs' face split into a wide, toothy grin next to his friend.

"Oh, you know me so well already" Hiccup said, shaking his head. "All of this" he continued as he gestured to himself. "Is clearly just a front."

"Definitely is" Jack replied with a knowing smile. It was true though. Not that Hiccup wasn't a sarcastic, brainy, awkward introvert, he definitely was…but there was more to him than that, as Jack had already discovered. Hiccup however, liked to pretend to the other students that there wasn't, and it was clearly to keep people at arm's length. He wouldn't get rid of Jack that easily though. The more he got to know Hiccup, the more he liked him, and he decided then and there that he would like to be his friend. Hopefully that would actually be possible. Oh well…even if it was going to be difficult, he was never one to avoid a challenge.

* * *

The second half of Potions had been fairly uneventful. They had been asked to brew Amortentia and several students had giggled and whispered to each other conspiratorially. Some of them were definitely scheming. Amortentia was the most powerful love potion in the world, which also made it one of the most dangerous potions and Hiccup found himself wondering why in Odin's name the school was willingly handing over that kind of ammunition to teenagers.

He was definitely not going to be accepting anything edible or drinkable from anyone any time soon. As he exchanged a brief look with Jack, he seemed to be thinking the exact same thing, blue eyes narrowed in a skeptical way. Hiccup smiled and was rewarded with a bright grin in response and somehow it warmed him to know that he and Jack were getting along so well.

Jack was entertaining to be around. He was so upbeat and carefree, and he obviously didn't mind making a completely fool of himself, if it could make his friends laugh. Hiccup found himself admiring him in that sense. Jack genuinely wanted to make the people around him happy and that was a heartwarming character trait.

Professor Creek told them that the potion smelled differently to every person, depending on what attracted them. Well, that would be... interesting. The Amortentia potion in itself was advanced and thus fairly difficult to make, and the instructions were longer than anyone Hiccup had seen for a potion. Well, at least that was something. Maybe it would deter some of the lovestruck students from trying it out on their poor unsuspecting crushes.

"Well this looks a bit complicated" he told Fishlegs.

"Yeah, take a look at this list of ingredients" he replied and pointed a finger on the page next to the instructions. Hiccup looked it over and had to agree that that was indeed a very long list. This batch was going to require quite a lot of concentration.

"Yeah…we better get started" he told Fishlegs and motioned for him to follow him towards the many shelves.

The two of them began gathering the ingredients from the large containers on the dusty bookshelves, and despite the long list they managed to collect the items fairly quickly. Jack walked past him and nudged him playfully on the shoulder, making him drop a few starthistles. Hiccup couldn't stop the amused smile that curved his lips, when Jack scurried away to avoid retribution.

When Hiccup and Fishlegs had brought the ingredients back to the workstation and laid out the utensils they needed for brewing this particular potion, they set to work separately next to each other. Neither one of them had a problem with Potions, so usually the brewing process was a quiet, peaceful affair without any bumps in the road. They did however both regularly lean over to check the other one's potion, just to make sure it looked identical to their own batch.

Hiccup began working on his batch meticulously. He chopped and ground the ingredients with a quick and steady hand, before adding them in the correct order. He let his potion simmer for a few minutes, and quickly threw a glance at Jack, who was in the middle of helping Merida with her potion, showing her an effective way of cutting the starthistles without getting prickled. He smiled to himself. Jack really did seem like a great friend to those he cared about. He'd noticed before how he would always help Merida during potions, as she apparently hated the class with a passion, while Jack had an obvious talent for it. He found himself thinking that many people in the school didn't get the chance to see this side of Jack. Most students just knew him as a popular, carefree prankster, but there was definitely a lot more to him than that. Hiccup thought about the morning where he had been tired from his nightly flight with Toothless, where Jack had seemed genuinely concerned with his sleep deprived state. Jack was also quite clever. He wasn't the most active student in the classes they shared, but he was definitely intelligent and he had a natural talent for magic that made him able to do quite well in most subjects.

When a couple of minutes had gone, he leaned in to look at Fishlegs' potion that looked identical to his own. Fishlegs gave him a nod in understanding, before continuing working on his batch. They were usually on the same steps in the brewing process as they seemed to have a similar way of working, carefully and meticulously but with a confident fluidity that came from experience and which helped them keep a fairly fast pace. Their Viking background definitely helped them in classes such as this, as they'd learned to handle different kinds of tools when they were very young and had therefore gained a familiarity with tools and manual labor that other students hadn't.

The two of them continued to work in companionable silence, checking in on each other once in a while. In the end, Hiccup's potion had taken on a mother-of-pearl sheen, as it gleamed in the depth of his black cauldron. It seemed that it had turned out quite well.

Fishlegs finished his batch a few minutes after him and leaned in to check if they had achieved the same results, which became evident from the gentle smile on Fishlegs' lips that they had.

"Well, that's done then" Fishlegs said in a certain tired self-satisfaction.

"Yup. That was definitely one of the harder batches we've ever had to make" Hiccup replied.

"True…Better hope no one uses it on you" Fishlegs teased him and nudged his shoulder quickly.

Hiccup scoffed. "They won't get a chance. I'm not taking anything edible or drinkable from anyone for a while" he explained, as his earlier thoughts came back to him.

"Probably a smart move. I definitely saw some of the girls in here eying you carefully…and Jack and Flynn too"

Hiccup groaned. "I think Jack's on the same page as me. He definitely looked a bit disturbed as well, when professor Creek mentioned what we'd be brewing" he chuckled.

"Well, I would be too if I was him. He's always been popular. Did you see how Rebecca was waving at him and blushing earlier?"

"No, not really, but that's not much of a surprise" Hiccup stated. Jack was a popular guy with the girls, and he'd heard Rebecca talk fondly of him before in the Ravenclaw common room with some of the other girls.

"Anyway…should we try smelling the potions?" Fishlegs changed the subject, eying the two batches with curiosity and anticipation.

"Oh right…let's do that" Hiccup quickly agreed. It would be quite interesting to find out which smells apparently attracted him, as it definitely had some sort of psychological aspect to it. Hopefully it wouldn't be something creepy or too strange, as that would definitely make him analyze himself in depth.

He watched his potion for a few moments, before carefully leaning in over the cauldron and letting the steam seep into his nose, spreading its scent. He instantly recognized the first smell as peppermint, the sharp, refreshing smell causing his nose to twitch slightly. A brief flashback of being back on Berk gathering herbs came to the forefront of his mind, as he recalled the coarse feel and the bright green color of the peppermint leaves and the cool, fresh taste and smell that was not only pleasant but could also clear out a stuffy nose fairly quickly.

The scent dissipated, leaving him with his thoughts of Berk for a moment, before a new smell reached him. Images of late nights working in Gobber's workshop, of saddling Toothless for the first time, of constructing his armor, of being free in the sky with his best friend all came rushing through his mind, and he felt a tug of nostalgia and affection in his heart. This was the smell of fresh leather, definitely something that was connected to many great memories that meant a lot to him, so it made sense that he would smell it in this potion.

As the scent slowly subsided, Hiccup found himself briefly thinking how incredible it was that scents could produce that sort of emotional response. Everyone has probably experienced smelling something that suddenly made all kinds of nice, warm, pleasant memories come streaming back, all sparked from a simple scent, but it was still interesting how it could unlock a rush of thoughts and feelings like that.

As he inhaled another breath, memories of drawing and sketching, memories of mapping out the archipelago with Toothless, memories of writing eagerly in his notebook when he'd seen a new dragon species or was writing notes for a new invention flashed in his mind. This was definitely charcoal, like the charcoal pencil he always had stored in a small compartment in his armor.

He was momentarily confused when the last scent reached his nostrils, as he didn't quite realize why it appeared. It was fire…However, when his brain began to flip through memories based on the smell, he immediately understood. He thought of Toothless roaring happily and firing a fireball in the air, when they'd done a successful difficult drill, defending Berk on the back of his dragon with the other teens by his side, his flame sword, falling into a sea of flames when he and Toothless had defeated the dragon queen. Not that that last memory was pleasant as such, but it had strengthened his and Toothless' friendship. Made it unbreakable. Fire had become such a central part of his life due to Toothless and the other dragons, so in his mind it was no longer connected to danger and uncertainty but adventure, excitement and his best friend.

As he pulled away from the cauldron and stood up straight once again, he met Fishleg's curious gaze observing him. Apparently he was already done smelling his Amortentia batch.

"So…what did you smell, Fish?" Hiccup asked him with genuine curiosity. Probably Meatlug he thought in amusement.

"Umm…well…ocean breeze…wet wood…old books…and fresh Icelandic cod" Fishlegs listed, his blue eyes gleaming as if he was somehow still wondering if there was a deeper meaning to it.

"What, are you some kind of academic pirate now?" Hiccup said jokingly, earning him a quick but amusing scowl from his large friend.

"Come on, you know I've always loved the ocean" Fishlegs argued, and Hiccup definitely couldn't disagree with that. For some reason Fishlegs had always been fascinated with the sea, and he loved watching the sunsets with Meatlug while gazing over the massive body of water, or go swimming by one of the beaches in the summer. Just flying across the ocean on the back of their dragons put Fishlegs in a good mood.

"Well, what did you smell?" Fishlegs continued and asked as if he was hoping it would be something particularly weird that he could throw back in his face. Well…he guessed that some of the things were kind of weird, so his friend got his wish there.

"Uh…peppermint, fresh leather, charcoal and…fire"

"And you're giving me shit?" Fishlegs said with a skeptically raised eyebrow and a tone of disbelief.

Hiccup chuckled at that. It was so rare to hear Fishlegs swear, and whenever he did it just became evident that it was a stark contrast to his usual mild-mannered self, which only made it more hilarious.

"What?" he asked innocently and held up his hands in a surrendering gesture. He knew that it must sound weird to others that he smelled fire from this kind of potion, but…there was a meaning behind it, as the unlocking of memories as he breathed in the potion had revealed.

"Hiccup seriously…fire?" Fishlegs asked incredulously.

"Yeah, seriously. What's wrong with that?" Well, to be honest, he already knew. It totally made him sound like some kind of mad, disturbed arsonist who was desperately setting fires all around him because he needed to inhale it. Psychopath alert, much?

"You're just…could you not be like completely intertwined with Toothless for just one second of your life?" he asked rolling his eyes and chuckling in obvious amusement and underlying affection.

"No, of course not" Hiccup said and crossed his arms defiantly. Why would he ever do that? Toothless was the best thing that ever happened to him, so it only made sense that this potion would make that connection.

Fishlegs just shook his head slowly with a small smile gracing his lips.

"You're like…one being, aren't you?" he asked teasingly.

"Definitely" Hiccup replied and beamed at his friend, who gave him a wide grin in response. Naturally, he and Toothless weren't one being, but it felt like it sometimes. When they would practically work as one in the air, and when they understood each other perfectly without needing words, it was almost as if they were connected by more than just friendship, like they had some sort of spiritual link. He could never fully explain the depth of his connection with his beloved best friend to others, but it didn't matter as long as he and Toothless understood it.

* * *

Jack had to pay extra attention to Merida during this second half of Potions, as this was a lot more advanced than the Hiccoughing Solution. To his surprise though, she did manage to brew an acceptable batch of the love potion with his assistance. He had expected some problems because of the lengthy instructions, but as long as they were making sure to stay on the same steps of the brewing process, everything went off without a hitch.

They had been told that the love potion smelled differently to each individual according to what attracted them. Well, that was definitely interesting, and Jack immediately found himself curious as to what he was going to smell from the potion, and what his friends would smell. Hopefully there would be some nice teasing material to be found there somewhere, he thought to himself with amusement. After his potion was done simmering and was shining with that mother-of-pearl look, he leaned in over the freshly brewed batch and breathed in.

The smell of fresh pine invaded his nostrils and made him feel oddly content, as he pictured himself walking through a thick forest, pine cones and dried fallen pine needles cracking under his feet, as he took in the calming, green surroundings and the clean, fresh air reached his lungs. Suddenly a new scent chased away the pine and Jack instantly recognized it as freshly baked pancakes, his favorite treat in the early, tired mornings, where it would fill his belly with a comforting, satisfying warmth. He felt his stomach growl slightly at the smell, as if it wanted him to down the potion in hope of it tasting like pancakes. Memories of many happy lazy Sunday mornings with Emma and early mornings with his friends in the Great Hall flashed in his mind.

The nice, familiar smell then gave way to a faint, crisp, airy scent. It was delicate and it was almost non-existent, but Jack would know it anywhere as freshly fallen snow. He instantly thought of him and Emma playing in the snow and building snowmen, the snowball fights he always started at Hogwarts, and the gentle soothing of his mind as the first thin layer of sparkling white covered the landscape. Of course it would be snow Jack chuckled to himself. He was Jack Frost, what else would it be?

After Jack and his friends all took in the aromas of their freshly brewed potions, they started to question each other on what it smelled like. He and Flynn shared an amused laugh, as Merida explained that she smelled sweet red apples, freshly baked raisin cookies and a newly made Quidditch broom. Mavis told them she could smell lillies, ink, meringue and cinnamon, while Flynn's aromas of attraction apparently were vanilla, leather, coffee and newly chopped wood.

"What about you, Snowflake?" Merida asked him with a curious lift of one red eyebrow.

"Pine, pancakes and freshly fallen snow" Jack replied, earning him several hearty laughs from his friends.

"Of course" Mavis said fondly, as if she was recalling how excited Jack got whenever the first snow would appear and gracefully coat the earth in a crisp, layer of white.

He did always feel more comfortable during the winter. Somehow, the delicate snow and the unyielding ice eased his mind in ways that he couldn't explain. He just felt more at home, whenever that soft, white blanket of gleaming snow and icy surfaces would appear. He would probably never be able to fully explain the feeling to others, but there was never a doubt that he was a winter child and always would be.

After Potions, they all made their way towards their next classes. Hiccup and Fishlegs had Herbology, while he and Mavis had Arithmancy. They ascended the old stone staircase that led towards the corridors from the dungeon, and Jack felt more comfortable when they had finally left the gloomy surroundings and were once again strolling through the familiar passageways. Even though he liked Potions, the classroom was definitely way too depressing.

"Oh gods no" Hiccup suddenly said, his eyes widening for a few seconds, as he stopped dead in his tracks, causing Jack and the others to stop too and look at him curiously.

"What?" Jacked asked, his brow furrowing. He really didn't like that look of concern on Hiccup's face.

"Those two Hufflepuff girls there constantly want to talk to me" Hiccup groaned and motioned further down the corridor with his head. Jack felt a grin spread across his face. He trained his blue eyes on the girls in question, and his grin only widened. He immediately recognized Sarah Hudson and Jessica Joyce, and he was in no way surprised that they'd taken a liking to Hiccup. They were both the kind of girl to harbor some hopeless puppy dog crush on whoever was good looking or popular. Jack heard Fishlegs chuckle.

"Well" Jack said, still unable to wipe the grin from his face. "Let's just go down this way" he finished and slung his arm around Hiccup, guiding him down another corridor, shielding him from the potential awkward encounter of interacting with the girls. Mavis and Merida shot Jack some curious looks, like Flynn had done earlier, but he just grinned at them. Hiccup let out a sigh of relief, as they made their way down the other passageway, and Flynn, Merida and Mavis all chuckled at Hiccup's contentment with avoiding googly eyed schoolgirls.

"You almost had to socialize there, Hic" Jack said teasingly and nudged his side, still having his arm around the other guy's shoulder.

"I know right? Phew, dodged a bullet" Hiccup said, voicing his relief, causing Jack to chuckle. Hiccup's reluctance regarding his sudden popularity and his social awkwardness in general was actually pretty endearing sometimes. Jack couldn't really relate to it at all, having never been the awkward or self-conscious type himself, but he found that he felt a combination of wanting to shield the guy from his own awkwardness and wanting to tease him about it, finding it completely hilarious at times. Obviously, it depended on the context though. If Hiccup was truly upset and uncomfortable, he would never tease him about it, but it was quite fun to create those pink blushes on his cheeks by joking around with him. Jack lifted his hand and ruffled Hiccup's brown hair in a slightly teasing gesture, feeling the soft locks against his fingertips, as a tingling sensation spread through his fingers, before he once again let his arm rest on Hiccup's shoulder. He could feel the warmth from Hiccup's body as they walked closely, shoulder to shoulder but it was a friendly warmth and closeness, so that was perfectly fine.

As Mavis and Merida quickly became engulfed in a discussion of their own, Flynn began regaling Hiccup with what their potions had all smelled like. Hiccup let out small chuckles when some of the more unusual smells were mentioned. Jack found himself wanting to know what Hiccup had experienced from his own batch.

"So what did your potion smell like?" he asked, his arm still slung around Hiccup's shoulder.

Hiccup seemed to hesitate for a few moments, but Jack had expected that. He was guarded, so he would naturally be considering whether or not to admit to his scents of attraction. Jack was secretly hoping that it would be something that he could use to get one of those blushes out of him.

"Umm…peppermint…fresh leather…charcoal…and well…fire" Hiccup said almost sheepishly and looked away from Jack, as if expecting the outburst that was coming shortly after.

"Fire? You're attracted to fire?" he asked in disbelief and let out a bubbly laugh. That was just too entertaining.

"I'm not attracted to fire, just as I assume you're not attracted to pancakes, you dumbass" Hiccup retorted dryly with a tiny smile tugging at his lips, and Flynn chuckled at that. Jack grinned widely at Hiccup calling him a dumbass. It was so out of character for him, which only made it more hilarious, and it was great that he was already comfortable enough to call him something like that. "It's like…the faint smell of fire and smoke in the air after a bonfire" Hiccup explained gesturing eagerly with his hands.

"Well that's not too creepy, mr. Arsonist" he said sarcastically. He briefly wondered if Hiccup would smell fire from the potion because of the dragons, but quickly pushed the thought away.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you, Snowcone" Hiccup deadpanned and nudged Jack's shoulder playfully.

"Be nice or I'll blab to your fangirls" he threatened with an evil smile gracing his lips. He heard his friends chuckle at that comment.

Hiccup's eyes widened for a few seconds in absolute horror. "No…you wouldn't"

"Oh, I would" he said darkly and narrowed his eyes.

"Stupid pale snow-loving Gryffindors…" Hiccup mumbled under his breath and Jack laughed loudly not being able to restrain himself and then ruffled Hiccup's soft brown hair once again.

* * *

"He did not!" Rapunzel beamed in amusement, as Hiccup regaled her with the story of Jack and Flynn's little competition in Potions. The three of them had arrived 10 minutes early to their Herbology class, and were spending the remaining time catching up on how their classes had been, as they were currently the only ones in the large bright greenhouse. The musty, moist smell of soil and the fresh scent of leaves and flowers were naturally always very pungent in the greenhouses of Hogwarts, but Hiccup didn't mind at all. He found the earthy scents soothing and comforting, as he liked being outdoors and in contact with nature. It made a certain calmness wash over him, the same way the scent of pine did when he was walking through the forests back at Berk or spent time with Toothless in the little forest here at Hogwarts.

That was another reason why he liked Herbology. To get your hands in the dirt, to learn how to tend to the magical plants and make them grow, to find out how to process the plants to get potions ingredients out of it, all of these things were nice variations from the classic way of teaching classes at Hogwarts.

Unfortunately though, Ravenclaw and Slytherin shared this class, much to Hiccup's discontent. Sure, there were decent people in Slytherin, but some of the worst bully types were definitely also in that House. It really didn't help that Know, Jarvis and Kinney all had Herbology too. They had always had a strong dislike for Rapunzel, ever since their first year.

Naturally, he and Fishlegs would always defend her, but it still made her sad that these three guys strongly disliked her. Luckily, Rapunzel had become more immune to the mean comments as the years went by, but once in a while when one of them had made a particular nasty remark, she could be in a gloomy mood for the rest of the day.

Those situations definitely made Hiccup fume with anger on the inside. He really wished that they could share Herbology with the Hufflepuffs or the Gryffindors. Preferably the Gryffindors though. Jack could probably create some very amusing moments out of dealing with strange and/or dangerous plants. Now that Hiccup thought about it, he wasn't even sure if Jack actually had Herbology at all though.

"Oh yeah, he did" Hiccup told his friend with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips and Fishlegs snickered next to him.

"Wow, that sounds gross…a doxy egg? Boomslang skin? Eww" Rapunzel's crinkled nose and furrowed brow showed her obvious disgust.

"Yeah, it definitely wasn't a gourmet meal, that's for sure" Fishlegs chimed in with mirth in his blue eyes.

"Wait…you said you had to brew Amortentia. What did you smell then?" Rapunzel asked curiously, tilting her head in a questioning manner.

"Well, Fishlegs' apparently a pirate now, as he's attracted to the smell of wet wood, the sea and Icelandic cod" Hiccup chuckled and Rapunzel quickly joined in.

"Wow, Fish. Are you going to commandeer a ship then and sail around the world in search of booty?" Rapunzel asked teasingly, nudging Fishlegs' shoulder.

"Hey, at least I'm not attracted to fire" Fishlegs retorted, his blue eyes gleaming with mirth. Great, this again Hiccup thought and chuckled mentally.

"Hiccup…seriously?" Rapunzel said skeptically, watching him with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, seriously. It's not like I can control what that potion smelled like, you know" Hiccup replied with a twitch of his lips, as his second close friend was now apparently questioning his sanity.

His friend friend shook her head with an amused smile. "You really are something else…"

"Why, thank you" he replied and bowed his head to her. "You're…kind of okay too" he finished hesitantly, as if Rapunzel was actually some sort of chore to be around.

Rapunzel instantly punched his arm in protest. "Hey! I'm more than okay" she objected, narrowing her green eyes but with a smile tugging at her lips. Ouch. She may be sweet and innocent, but that punch was definitely going to leave a bruise.

Hiccup shrugged in a carefree way. "Well…I tolerate you, let's leave it at that" He replied nonchalantly, causing Fishlegs to snicker in amusement and Rapunzel to narrow her eyes in hostility before she burst into a bright grin.

Their conversation was interrupted as four Slytherins and three Ravenclaws entered the Greenhouse and placed themselves around the large, oblong table that was filled with plants of different kinds as well as gardening tools. A relaxed atmosphere of casual chatter among the students filled the bright greenhouse, as they all waited for their professor to arrive. As the minutes ticked by, more students brimmed through the entrance to the large glass building, and Hiccup felt a pang of annoyance as he spotted the three familiar Slytherin guys enter. Luckily they remained at a fair distance from Rapunzel, at least for now.

As professor Cherry appeared, the casual buzzing of conversation died down and the students focused their attention on their Herbology teacher. The professor was a young woman in her late 20's, who had begun teaching at Hogwarts just last year. She was of average height and slightly skinny with light skin, straight, shoulder-length blonde hair and warm brown eyes. Hiccup, Fishlegs and Rapunzel had immediately taken a liking to her, as she was not just a competent, intelligent teacher but also very kind and compassionate, always willing to help anyone who had problems in class and not tolerating any kind of rude behavior between students.

When Professor Cherry joyously announced that they were going to be handling Venemous Tentacula plants today, a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation rushed through the students, causing hushed whispers to erupt among them. Their teacher had placed a large example of the nasty plant on the large workstation next to her, and it was swinging its spiky vines menacingly in seemingly angry gestures. Could plants even be angry? As Hiccup was observing the plant, it definitely had an air about it that seemed to be seriously pissed off at the universe. And they were going to handle its probably-just-as-pissed-off brothers and sisters?

Well, this was going to be…interesting, Hiccup thought to himself. Venemous Tentaculas were very dangerous, much more dangerous than any plant they had handled before. Apparently professor Cherry wasn't kidding when she'd told them that this year was going to be a lot more challenging. And potentially deadly, Hiccup thought to himself. He was going to be seriously pissed off if he was killed by a plant…that was an uneventful death, if he ever heard of one. If that happened, he would definitely be coming back to haunt the greenhouses. The Venemous Tentacula was a green, spiky plant with strong moving vines that could grab you and try to strangle you. It could spray venom from its shoots and the spikes on its vines were deadly if they broke skin and spread their poison. It also had a very strange, creepy mouth that could bite you, which was also fatal. All in all, it was a definitely a fully developed killing machine. Fishlegs visibly paled next to him and Hiccup chuckled a little and patted his friend on the back a few times in a reassuring gesture.

Professor Cherry used the first 15 minutes explaining how to tend to a Venomous Tentacula so it would grow quickly and develop a lot of leaves and thorns, which were the ingredients from the plant mainly used for potions. However, the venom was also a potent ingredient, and their task today was to extract a vial of it. Well, that wasn't suicidal at all Hiccup thought to himself in amusement.

She continued to inform them about the plants abilities and dangers, as well as different methods to handle these risks, when you needed to pick certain areas of the plant. Apparently Diffindo and stunning spells were the most effective spells against it. She had told them that they'd need to work in teams of three, as the handling of this particular plant was going to be very difficult, not to mention risky. Afterwards she had temporarily excused herself for a few minutes, as she needed to help the caretaker haul the nasty plants into the greenhouse.

"Don't worry Fish, we're going to get through it together, okay?" Hiccup told him in a confident tone that he hoped would quell his friend's anxiety.

"Uhh, Hiccup…Do you know how dangerous Venemous Tentaculas are?" Fishlegs asked nervously and hesitantly, not taking his eyes off the example of the plant that professor Cherry had taken out.

"Well, yeah?...But like I said, we'll do it together. Nothing bad is going to happen" He said calmly, determined to ease his friend's troubles. He quickly glanced at Rapunzel, who was also looking slightly nervous, her green eyes darting back and forth from the plant and her two friends. Not that he could blame them. It would be risky dealing with those particularly diabolical examples of flora.

"But…it's….it's deadly" Fishlegs argued with obvious distress in his blue eyes.

"Yeah, but you heard the professor…we're going to be working in teams of three, so you, me and Rapunzel can be a team…Look…I'll deal with the plant, and you and Rapunzel be ready to attack it if it tries anything"

Fishlegs let out a breath that he had apparently been holding. "Really?" he asked, as if Hiccup's offer was too good to be true.

"Sure, don't worry about it, Fish" he smiled fondly at his friend, who beamed at him in response, a sudden transformation from the obvious anxiety that had marred his face only a few moments ago. Rapunzel also seemed more at ease, as he'd volunteered to handle the plant. It was a strange balance with Fishlegs sometimes, when it came to his fears and concerns. He was a big, strong guy and Hiccup knew that he could defend himself if he needed to. He'd seen Fishlegs fight plenty of times back at Berk during training sessions when he'd helped defend the island against enemies. Somehow though, those experiences and skills didn't quell Fishlegs' nervous nature, as he still became anxious at signs of danger or conflict. He would always do his best to avoid any conflicts or hazardous situations. Right now, Hiccup was just glad that it had made his friends relieved, when he'd volunteered to handle the murderous psychopathic plant.

"Just be careful, okay Hiccup? This is going to be more dangerous than anything we've done before in this class" Rapunzel said gently, watching him with those concerned, affectionate green eyes. She always worried so much about him and Fishlegs, although in this particular situation her concern might be justified.

"Of course. I'm always careful, right?" he said cheekily and winked at her.

Rapunzel scoffed. "Try "no"? You're definitely more reckless than you should be". Somehow, he'd known Rapunzel would say something like that. He chuckled in his thoughts. She wasn't a fan of anything that put him in any kind of danger, like some of his more…experimental drills with Toothless or potentially dangerous inventions or intense battle training that could cause serious injuries. That never stopped him though and she knew that. It was a part of who he was. He always tried his best to be smart about it though. There was no need to add risk to already risky endeavors.

Hiccup waved one of his hands in a dismissive gesture. "Come on, I'm not that bad". He was though, they both knew it, but he wasn't about to admit that right now.

"Yeah, you are" Rapunzel said and ruffled his hair in a friendly teasing gesture.

"Aww, how cute" he heard a familiar, malicious voice say. Oh great, Hiccup thought to himself in annoyance. He sighed, before training his eye on that particularly nasty, blonde, tall Slytherin that he knew the voice belonged to.

Jarvis, Know and Kinney were standing across from the table from them and snickered mockingly. Jarvis was leaning slightly against the edge of the table, and watched Hiccup and his friends with a self-satisfied smile.

"The ugly nerd falls for the naïve, stupid little girl. I didn't you two were a thing now, Haddock…A bit of a surprise I must say. I didn't know you were attracted to slow children…but I guess everyone has their type" Jarvis finished and crossed his arms in some kind of malicious triumph, as if he was congratulating himself on his comment. Hiccup felt the anger rise inside him, swirling violently in his gut, and he clenched his fists. He didn't care if Jarvis or anyone else insulted him, but they were speaking horribly of one of his best friends, and he was so sick of it. They'd thrown their condescending, mocking remarks at Rapunzel for years, and his patience was really beginning to run out. He took a deep breath. He needed to remain calm right now. As usual, it was no use escalating the situation.

Rapunzel's face immediately fell, and she stared at the ground. She wasn't very good at handling bullies, usually she just tried to ignore them.

"Just shut up and leave her alone, Jarvis" Hiccup said, his voice steady but with a deadly trace of a warning. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Fishlegs' gaze darting back and forth.

"Oooh, and who is going to make me, Haddock? I can do whatever I want to your pathetic little friend" Jarvis snarled and then chuckled. Know and Kinney both smirked in amusement at their friend's remark.

_Oh Hel no…_

There was no way that that cruel, petty jerk was going to get anywhere near Rapunzel or bother her in any way.

"What's the matter with you? You don't get enough hugs?" Hiccup asked Jarvis mockingly, his head slightly tilted in a questioning manner.

There was a little truth behind his words though. You always hear that cliché "bullies only bully because they feel bad about themselves", but Hiccup wasn't sure if that was true in all cases. It was definitely the reason behind a lot of bullying, but in other situations it seemed like there might be other factors influencing it. He wasn't certain of Jarvis' motivations for being such an unpleasant jerk. But no matter the reason, there was no excuse for his cruel behavior. Sure, unpleasant experiences in a bully's past could definitely help explain, why they were acting that way, but it would never make it acceptable.

"You think you're so special, don't you? You think you're so clever, the teachers love you, the girls think you're some kind of hero…Well, listen you little shit, no one cares about you, no one likes you, they just pretend to like that little ugly nerd you are inside, so why don't you sink down into a hole in the ground where you belong?" Jarvis replied menacingly and clenched his jaw. His two friends snickered from behind him.

"Did you come all the way over here just for my hurt feelings? Because I think I left them back in the dormitory." he said and patted his clothes, as if he was looking for something. Sure, he couldn't deny that hostile words always stung a little, even when they came from someone like Jarvis, but there was no way in Hel he was going to let him get to him. The best strategy was to appear calm, like their comments didn't matter. Which they didn't, but it was still difficult to control his frustration.

"You're such a bloody pathetic loser, Haddock. You think you can hide behind that sarcasm shit, and no one will notice just how weak and lame you really are?" Jarvis spat, his nose crinkled in a look of disgust.

_Well, the feeling's mutual, you sorry heap of Zippleback shit._

He truly loathed Jarvis. He practically appeared to get off on making others suffer. It seemed like some sort of sick justification for his actions.

"Oh, you don't like my sarcasm? It took me many years of dealing with wankers to become this good at it" Hiccup retorted with his face in perfectly neutral folds and his voice calm. He crossed his arms defiantly and continued to watch the three Slytherins in front of him with a analyzing gaze.

"Watch your mouth, Haddock. Unlike me, you and your friends will always be weak losers" Jarvis growled and his cold grey eyes had turned to slits.

Hiccup had to restrain himself from doing something drastic that he would regret later.

"We don't like being cruel assholes to people and you do. Please tell me how that makes us losers…And by please tell me, I mean piss off" Hiccup spat and his sudden transition from neutral to angry apparently caught the guy off guard. Jarvis took a few moments to observe Hiccup with narrowed, contemplating eyes, as if he was considering whether or not to continue this heated exchanged of words.

Good.

Hiccup wasn't going to back down from this, so he was hoping that Jarvis would do just that soon. Being in conflict with jerks like them was always exhausting and he was getting seriously irritated every time he had to deal with someone like Jarvis…or McGowan for that matter.

The decision of whether to continue the conflict was taken out of the Jarvis' hands, as professor Cherry and the caretaker entered the greenhouse, hauling a cart each filled with the menacing, twisting venomous plants. Each plant was contained inside a see-through box to avoid any students being attacked by it when they would transport it to their side of the greenhouse. The three Slytherins went back to the place on the further end of the greenhouse, where they'd been before they decided to bother them. Professor Cherry and the caretaker began carefully and in protective gear, to place one box after another on the large workstation.

Hiccup's eyes quickly met Fishlegs' gaze and he seemed to have relaxed now that the conflict was over. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rapunzel still looking at the ground. He took a few steps to close the distance between them and squeezed her shoulder gently, letting his hand rest on it afterwards.

"Are you okay?" he asked her soothingly and observed her defeated features intently.

"Yeah, I guess. Thanks for sticking up for me…again" she said genuinely but with a hint of sadness. She didn't meet his eyes, but that wasn't unusual after an encounter like this. She always felt vulnerable and exposed after being the subject of cold, harsh words and Hiccup really couldn't blame her. No one liked that kind of attention, and Rapunzel's sensitive nature made it especially difficult for her to handle such situations. She wasn't a pushover, he had seen her stand up for herself several times, but she struggled to handle actual bully-types who didn't hesitate to fight dirty, using every single low blow they could possibly think of.

"Any time. I'm always here for you" Hiccup replied and guided her into a warm, comforting hug. He felt her wrap her slim hands around him, and he squeezed her a little for reassurance and stroked her soft, golden hair slowly a couple of times.

"I know…" Rapunzel whispered into his chest. In moments like this, Hiccup realized how much like a sister she really was to him, and as her 'big brother', he would never hesitate in defending her against anything that could harm her physically or emotionally. Much like Jack, Rapunzel had that child-like demeanor that caused her to openly embrace all of those traits associated with childhood…imagination, playfulness, wonder, dreams. Unlike Jack though, Rapunzel's personality had a certain vulnerability about it that invoked that protective streak in Hiccup. The two were definitely very different. Jack didn't seem vulnerable in any way. He actually appeared to be the kind of person, who could handle almost anything and do it with a confident smile on his lips.

As they pulled apart, Rapunzel gave him a small but warm smile, her eyes seeming a little brighter now. That was good. She really shouldn't spend time or energy worrying about petty, horrible Slytherins. He hated seeing that defeated look mar her gentle face and dim her bubbly spirit. His felt own lips tug upwards in an affectionate smile and he had to look down to meet those familiar green eyes, as she was a good deal shorter than him, since he'd had his growth spurt.

"Every team grab three sets of protective gear and put them on before coming back to take a plant" professor Cherry's light and eager voice exclaimed to the students, and most of them didn't need to hear that twice. Students were brimming around the large workstations, grabbing protective gear, handing it to their teams and putting on their own set, the ruffling of long thick leather gloves, leather aprons and goggles invading the atmosphere.

Fishlegs had grabbed three sets of safety gear for them and quickly made it back to their spot. They all quickly donned the protective items and Hiccup then made his way back to the workstation by their teacher to grab one of the plants. He leaned in and grabbed one of the large boxes containing a Venomous Tentacula and lifted it up into his arms. Despite not being terribly large, the plant weighed quite a bit. As he approached Fishlegs and Rapunzel with the dangerous cargo safely nestled in his grip, his two friends were eying the see-through box and the plant within with suspicion and anticipation. They both moved a few feet away, when he made it to their spot and put the box down with a thud on the large wooden surface.

"So…what do we do then?" Rapunzel asked hesitantly.

"Well…I guess there's nothing left to do but let the beast out" Hiccup said, and immediately opened the box and stepping a few feet back in case this plant was as temperamental as the professor's example.

"Wands ready" Hiccup told Fishlegs and Rapunzel and they instantly pulled out their wands and directed it at the thorny plant with matching looks of uncertainty.

Hiccup closed the short distance between him and the menacing plant that remained suspiciously still. He was definitely expecting an ambush as he reached out his leather-gloved arms towards it and the feeling of anticipation made his senses hyper-aware of any potential movement.

"Okay, stun it" He told his friends and they both complied instantly. The plant seemed to remain still as he came nearer, effectively stunned. He felt a little unease creep into his stomach about the unpredictability of this situation. Sure, the killing machine seemed to be still right now, but it could definitely be scheming something diabolical, as it waited for its chance to pounce.

He picked up one of the vials and set to extract some of the bright green venom from the temperamental plant. The stunning effect didn't last long however, as it suddenly sprang to life, as its thorny vines shot through the air at an amazing speed. There was no way Hiccup could have dodged it, and it wrapped itself tightly around his arm. Despite the protective gloves, he could feel it claw at his skin. He held the vial tightly in his hand, not wanting to drop it and remained calm, not trying to yank his arm away or yell. That would only panic Rapunzel and Fishlegs, and if this plant was as much a devil spawn as it seemed, it would probably only get more riled up by startled reactions.

Fishlegs and Rapunzel moved quickly and both cast a Diffindo spell on the plant, severing the vine that had its firm painful grip on Hiccup. The scorched vine landed gently on the greenhouse floor among specks of dirt and scattered leaves, and Hiccup quickly stepped a few feet away from his attacker.

"Are you okay?" Fishlegs quickly asked, looking him over as if he had some kind of serious injury.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Hiccup replied. He could still feel several stinging jabs where the plant had stabbed him with its thorns, but luckily the gloves prevented it from breaking the skin and poisoning him. He quickly glanced around the greenhouse, where loud noises of panicky shouts, spell casting and angry outburst had suddenly filled the usually peaceful atmosphere of Herbology class. Apparently Hiccup was not the only one being attacked by the moody plants, far from it. Practically every team around them had either scorched or stunned the plant or was in the process of doing so to get it to release their fellow students.

"Help! Get it off!" A Slytherin girl with short black hair screamed in distress. This however, seemed to only make the situation worse as two more vines seized her arm. Professor Cherry had to assist the girl's teammates in getting the angry plant to release their friend.

The rest of the class passed in the same state of chaos. Hiccup approached the temperamental Venomous Tentacula several times after it had been stunned and he was attacked each time, until he had a clear idea of how it preferred to move and strike. He used this to his advantage the next time he came near it, and finally managed to be two steps ahead of it, grabbing several of its striking vines in a tight fist before it managed to curl around his arm, and used his other hand to quickly put the vial and extract the remaining venom from it. He quickly passed the last vial of green venom to Fishlegs, who took it and planted it on the rack, where the other filled vials were neatly placed.

"Stun it again" Hiccup told Rapunzel, who obliged instantly, causing the vines to droop and stop fighting him. He released his grip on them and quickly closed the box around it once more.

"We're done" He told his two friends, who both smiled in relief. This whole thing had been pretty stressful, he had to admit. Wrestling with an angry plant that could potentially kill him with its venom spews or thorns or strangle him to death had put him a little on edge.

As Hiccup removed the long leather gloves from his arms, a lot of long angry marks from the thorns were revealed, marring his skin with their angry red color.

"Wow…You look like you've been wrestling with a tiger or something" Rapunzel said in amusement but with a hint of concern as she examined his arms.

Hiccup chuckled in response. It was damn close to the truth. That moody, scheming hostile plant was practically as angry as any fierce tiger. At least tigers only attack you from behind, so you can prevent it a lot more efficiently, than with this piece of diabolical flora that had no hesitations in lunging right at you. Thank the gods that this class was finally over. Hopefully they would be dealing with something a little more docile next time.

* * *

Arithmancy had been a drag today, and Jack found his thoughts wandering, not being able to concentrate. He usually didn't mind the subject, but today he couldn't focus at all on the complex number charts that professor Keller was currently droning on about and illustrating on the blackboard. Why had he let Mavis talk him into taking this class again? He hadn't had a problem with it in earlier years, but it definitely seemed to have become a lot more advanced this year.

He shot a brief look at Mavis who was sitting next to him and eagerly scribbling notes while glancing back and forth from her notebook and the professor. He was definitely going to ask for a copy of her notes afterwards, as he hadn't written down a single thing. While he wasn't one of those types that wrote everything down the professors said, he usually did make a few notes on important things. Today though, he couldn't take in anything professor Keller was saying. It was like he understood the words, but they formed no coherent meaning in his brain, and right after the professor had finished a sentence, Jack had already forgotten what it was. He definitely should have taken Divination or Herbology instead. Hell, even that geeky Building, Managing and Repairing Magical Objects class that Hiccup seemed so fond of would be better than this. Jack might have no experience at all in building anything but snow forts and snowmen, but at least he would be able to joke around with Hiccup, if he'd taken that class.

He suddenly felt eyes burning into his skin and turned his head quickly to spot the culprit. A familiar face with blonde hair and sky blue eyes was watching him from a few rows of tables back. And by watching, he meant glaring daggers. Okay…what was Astrid's problem with him now?

He turned his attention back to professor Keller and desperately tried to focus on the words that were leaving the professor's mouth in hasty, complicated sentences that still made no sense to his distracted mind. He could feel Astrid's dissatisfied eyes lingering on him, but he deliberately ignored her. He was in no mood for her temperamental personality.

He was beyond relieved, when professor Keller finally dismissed them. He quickly threw his stuff in his grey backpack and slung it over one shoulder. Mavis carefully packed her own supplies into her brown leather satchel, being much more delicate and patient than Jack. As usual. They exited the old dusty classroom and walked together down one of the corridors, Jack whining about how much this class sucked and Mavis trying to reassure him that he would survive. He had a brief dejá vu to him and Merida in Potions.

They soon had to part, as Mavis had to go to her Muggle Studies class and he had Defense against the Dark Arts. Mavis was from a long line of pureblood witches and wizards, so she found the muggle world fascinating. She often asked him, Flynn and Merida about muggle-related things that she didn't understand and wanted to know more about. When they'd first started at Hogwarts and became friends, Mavis would often look completely clueless when a reference to something from the muggle world was made, such as movie quotes or famous songs. Through the years though, she had become very well-versed in such things, as she had spent so much time with him, Flynn and Merida and also been to their houses during holidays several times.

As Jack strolled casually through the old stone passageway towards the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom, he met several people he knew and greeted them and waved at them, flashing them bright smiles.

He briefly saw Liam pass him by and nudged his shoulder playfully and threw him a "Hey man", which was warmly returned with a toothy grin. Liam was one of his and Flynn's dormmates. He was a genuinely nice but slightly shy guy with an affinity for Astronomy and Divination. He was tall and lanky with black, semi-long hair, tanned skin and bright blue eyes. Unfortunately Jack didn't share many classes with him, except Potions and Care of Magical Creatures, but at least they managed to hang out once in a while in the common room and the dormitory.

As Jack continued on his way through the sea of students brimming through the halls towards their classes, Olivia Davies, a Ravenclaw in the year below Jack, quickly handed him a note and scurried away, barely looking at him at all. An amused smile immediately graced his lips, as he already knew what was happening. He unfolded the note as he continued to walk in a relaxed pace towards his destination, his blue eyes scanning the words on the crinkled piece of paper. The message was short and simple:

"Hi Jack. I really like you a lot, you're great. Just wanted to let you know. Olivia"

He smiled warmly, not stopping his stroll towards his class. It was a nice, honest message, not too sugary-sweet or too vulgar and direct. He didn't know Olivia very well, having only talked a little bit with her a few times during their years at Hogwarts, but she seemed like a nice, down to earth girl. He didn't see her as anything other than an acquaintance though, and he was fairly certain that he never would. He folded the note and stuffed it into the pocket of his robes. He had a class to get to.

* * *

Defense against the Dark Arts had been more demanding today than usual, as professor Bunnymund had decided to give them a surprise test. They'd only been back at Hogwarts for about a week, but the stern, Australian professor wasted no time in examining their ability to pay attention in his class. He had made it clear that now that they were N.E.W.T students, they needed to up their game and be prepared to do a lot more work. That had earned the professor a quiet whine from Jack, which caused Hiccup's lips to twitch in amusement.

The class was divided in two parts of 20 minutes and a break of five minutes in between. As Hiccup focused all his attention on the parchment with questions lying in front of him on the dark wooden table, he scraped his quill across the paper, formulating the correct answers in steady, even letters. The test wasn't that bad as most of the questions were easily answered, but there were a few questions where a little doubt snuck into his thoughts, and he found himself reconsidering his answers carefully, recalling the knowledge he had gained in this class. Jack was sitting next to him, and Hiccup could practically feel the boredom radiate off him, as he twirled his quill incessantly, sighed deeply and ruffled his snow-white hair.

As the five minute break came, Jack wasted no time in complaining. Instead of whining to Merida and Flynn though, he turned his attention towards Hiccup.

"Hiccuuuuup" he whined pathetically, his eyes closed for a few seconds as if he was in physical pain.

"Yeah Jack?" he replied, repressing a chuckle. It was quite amusing to watch Jack be all whiny and frustrated like this. Somehow his whole child-like demeanor really appealed to Hiccup. It was sort of liberating to be around someone who just embraced that side of themselves and protected it against the realities of growing up, without wondering if anyone found it strange.

"I'm not sure I'm going to survive this" Jack continued to complain, his whole body drooping, as he stared emptily at the table in front of him. Jack definitely had dramatic flair. Not that he ever doubted that. Even though they only recently began hanging out together, he'd seen the guy do countless pranks through the years, start snowball fights, run and scream loudly in amusement through the hallways chasing people and so on. Jack had no problem putting on a show, no matter if it was just for a friend to gain some sympathy or the entire school to get some fun going. It was an essential part of who he was, and Hiccup found himself appreciating that side more and more.

"Can I have your stuff when you die?" Hiccup deadpanned, trying to get Jack to cheer up a little.

"Wow that's cold…You don't even care that I'm going to die, Hic" Jack pouted and crossed his arms, reminding Hiccup of a child who wasn't allowed to get a lollypop.

"No not really" he replied casually, earning him a scowl from Jack, who nudged him hard in the shoulder.

"Pfft…you should be concerned too, you know. I'm pretty sure this test is an elaborate plot to murder us with boredom and frustration" Jack explained, while gesturing wildly with his hands to illustrate the sinister scheme. There was that dramatic flair again, Hiccup thought and chuckled mentally.

"Actually all the students here are in on it. You're the only one we're trying to murder" Hiccup replied with as much sass as he could muster to get a reaction from Jack. He heard Merida and Flynn snicker.

"What? Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!" Jack said dramatically, shaking a fist at him.

"Sheesh, relax…I was only trying to murder you. Don't be such a drama queen" Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Well, maybe murder is an everyday occurrence for a Viking, but for a good-looking, intelligent, fantastic guy like me, it's not common to be subjected to such brutal schemes" Jack replied with that smug, arrogant façade that Hiccup had already come to find familiar. Not to mention highly amusing.

"Better get used to it then, Snowflake."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing, nothing…" Hiccup said in an overly innocent fashion. Then he smiled evilly, rubbing his hands together slowly in a menacing gesture.

"It's always the quiet ones that turn out to be psychopaths that cut your hair off while you're sleeping and then wear it as a wig, isn't it?" Jack asked, earning him chuckles from Merida and an amused "So true" from Flynn.

"Don't worry, I'm not like that…" Hiccup started dismissively. "I mean, a wig, honestly? Total waste of hair…It would make nice pillow stuffing though" he finished and watched Jack's hair in mock contemplation, trying to bait him into getting riled up.

"What?! Don't you dare use these perfect white locks for a damn pillow, you lowly Viking".

Aaaand, it worked Hiccup thought to himself in amusement. It was odd how their playful banter had already become so familiar to him. Even though they'd only hung out together for a few days, he found that it would be strange if their sarcastic, humorous exchange of words suddenly stopped and things went back to the way they were before. Hiccup had to admit that he really enjoyed spending time with Jack and that he hoped they could continue doing that.

Hiccup scoffed, but he felt the corners of his lips turn upwards. "Don't flatter yourself. There's plenty of yak hair that would be softer and nicer than your frosty tresses" he retorted dryly.

Merida snickered, and Jack gave her an evil glare. "Well, he's got you there" she said and shrugged.

"No, he hasn't" Jack said indignantly. "Are you honestly saying that my hair can be compared to goddamn yak hair?" Jack asked Hiccup in disbelief.

"Well, maybe there are some differences…." Hiccup began hesitantly, his brow furrowed as if he was in deep contemplation.

"That's better" Jack said with a confident smile and crossed his arms, as if he had just won a huge argument.

"I mean…yaks are brown after all…but…maybe an albino yak?" Hiccup finished innocently with the tiniest of smiles tugging at his lips. Merida couldn't contain her laughter, as Jack looked baffled for a few seconds, a look of pure disbelief evident on his features. That was seriously a hilarious look on him. It wasn't often that he was left temporarily speechless. Hiccup found himself thinking that this should happen more often. Note to self: work on doing more surprising retorts that can shut the notorious prankster up.

"Damn Scotsmen…damn Vikings…can't even appreciate a beautiful head of hair" Jack pouted and crossed his arms in protest.

"Aww, are you pouting, big baby boo?" Hiccup cooed and he relished the angry scowl he received. That was another really amusing look on Jack. It was such a stark contrast to his usual, childish, carefree demeanor.

Jack scoffed. "You know, that wall of impenetrable sarcasm can't protect you forever from your obvious adoration of me"

Hiccup heard Flynn and Merida snort in unison.

"Right" Hiccup drawled. "What do you suggest I do then, oh magnificent Jack?"

"Well…You need to move on and stop thinking about me. We can only be friends, Hiccup. You need to realize that" Jack said in mock seriousness, his face in pained folds. Oh that cheeky Snowflake, Hiccup thought to himself. He was trying to get the upper hand in this banter-battle. Well, two could play that game.

"It's pretty difficult to stop thinking about you, when I constantly see things that look like you…like pet rats or owl shit" Hiccup deadpanned. Merida and Flynn instantly roared with laughter next to him, and Jack couldn't contain his own sputtering either, which made Hiccup feel oddly content. He watched the laughter fit with amusement. It lasted for a few minutes, before they once again got themselves under control, almost breathless from giggles and sputtering. He felt really happy and satisfied that he could make them laugh like that, it was great to watch, and he instantly felt a little closer to them than just a moment ago.

"Aww, you need some water for that burn, Jack?" Flynn asked, rubbing Jack's shoulder in a teasing gesture.

"No need, Flynn. I'll get back at him later" Jack said menacingly and narrowed his eyes. Hiccup in a combination of amusement and challenge. Jack could just bring it on, he'd be ready for anything.

The second half of the test was uneventful, and Hiccup finished the questions before time had run out. The last part of the test had been standard questions on the basilisk and the acromantula, which he didn't have any problems with. Judging from Jack's less frequent sighs and impatient gestures, it seemed that he didn't struggle with this part either. As he waited for class to be over, he continued working on the sketch that he had started a few days ago. It was a drawing of Fishlegs and Rapunzel studying in one of the courtyards.

It was nowhere near finished, but he had a good feeling about it. He gently traced his pencil across the paper, creating the illusion of the soft texture of Rapunzel's long hair. He suddenly felt eyes on him and turned his head only to meet the familiar blue eyes. Jack lowered his gaze and observed Hiccup's sketch, only to flash him a bright smile. Hiccup's own lips twitched at the happy look on Jack's face. Apparently he liked his sketch, which for some reason made Hiccup feel oddly warm and content.

* * *

In an unusual twist, the seven of them found themselves all hanging out together. After class, Merida had suggested that they'd go relax by the lake to get some fresh air after a whole day of remaining indoors, and Jack couldn't have agreed more. His head was throbbing from the lack of clean, cool air and the exposure to the suffocating, clingy warmth that always appeared when many students were in the same room together.

He had decided to ask Hiccup, if they could ditch their planned study session today, and if he and Fishlegs and Rapunzel wanted to join them. He had made sure to whisper to his friends that they shouldn't ask Hiccup anything dragon-related, and they agreed without complaints. They understood that it was a sensitive topic for him and they didn't want to make him uncomfortable.

They agreed to do a quick change of clothes in their respective dormitories. After a long, hard day of school, it was always such a pleasant feeling get out of the school uniform and throw on something more comfortable. Jack had chosen to wear a soft, cotton dark blue T-shirt and his favorite blue hoodie with the frost pattern. He also threw on some dark brown skinny jeans and his dark blue Converse. He didn't need a coat due to his high tolerance of cold, but his three friends all wore warm jackets. After the quick trip back to the dormitories, they made it to the lake, where they found a nice spot by the water's edge and spread out several warm, thick blankets on the ground.

Sure, there were benches and tables several places by the lake, by the four of them had always preferred sitting on the ground on a nice, soft blanket. They felt more relaxed that way, as they could easily shift their positions between sitting and lying down whenever they wanted.

After they had found a nice spot by the lake, spread out the blankets on the ground, and sat down comfortably, they spotted the three familiar Ravenclaws approaching. Just like Jack, neither Hiccup nor Fishlegs wore jackets, and Jack briefly remembered when Hiccup told him that he was used to the cold, because Berk had chilly weather most of the year. Now that Jack knew that they were Vikings, it was suddenly a bit strange to see them in modern clothes. Hiccup wore a simple loose long sleeved shirt with black and dark green stripes, loose dark brown jeans and a pair of dark green Converse, while Fishlegs had a thick, dark brown knitted sweater on, grey trousers and a pair of brown boots. Rapunzel looked very warm and comfy in a long, thick dark purple wooly coat and a white scarf.

To Jack's surprise there was no actual awkwardness between the seven of them. Sure, at first Fishlegs and Rapunzel were a bit hesitant to join in, but they quickly overcame that as Jack and his friends would ask them questions and direct friendly comments at them to get them to feel comfortable and also to learn more about them. Jack was pretty sure that it had become evident to his friends that he wanted to hang out with Hiccup on a regular basis, and that meant also getting to know Hiccup's friends a bit.

Not that Jack minded. Fishlegs and Rapunzel both seemed like genuinely nice, caring people and they had a good sense of humor too, which became clear whenever they chuckled or laughed at the banter between Jack and his friends. They also did some of their own bantering, which was how Jack had come to learn that Fishlegs' became angry with Hiccup in his sleep whenever Hiccup responded to his strange, sleeping ramblings, and that Rapunzel seemed to love drawing her chameleon in all sorts of weird situations like skateboarding or waterskiing.

Jack wasn't sure at all how the conversation had ended up on weapons and violence, but he had a feeling that Merida had something to do with that. Currently she was questioning Hiccup and Fishlegs on Viking weapons, and whether they had brought any to Hogwarts that she could see. Jack chuckled and shook his head slowly to himself.

"No, Hogwarts is pretty strict about bringing weapons to school…they were certain to mention that several times in our acceptance letters" Hiccup replied and laughed genuinely at the memory, soon joined by Fishlegs.

"Yeah" Fishlegs chirped. "They must have been scared to death that the terrible Vikings would come to the castle with our trunks packed full of battleaxes and swords".

Jack could imagine older, bigger Vikings chucking Hiccup's and Fishlegs bags full of weapons of different kinds, not thinking they would ever need anything else. He smiled at the thought.

"They were probably right to be." Rapunzel chimed in. "Knowing you two…you" she pointed at Fishlegs "would have brought your favorite dagger and mace, probably ending up accidentally mutilating someone in a paranoia fit…and you" she pointed at Hiccup "would have brought that crossbow shield and probably several other inventions and weapons that would have ended up poking someone's eye out or setting the dormitory on fire" she finished with a twinkle of humor in her eyes, crossing her arms defiantly.

The others chuckled. Considering how accident-prone Hiccup was, the scenarios were definitely plausible in Jack's opinion. He didn't know Fishlegs very well, but he could definitely imagine him causing some kind of accident due to his nervous nature, if he thought he was being attacked by a serial killer or something like that.

"Sure, just make us sound like crazy, uncoordinated, violent psychopaths" Hiccup deadpanned. Jack wouldn't ever admit it to Hiccup or Fishlegs, but that was how he typically imagined Vikings, before he got to know them. Now though, the idea seemed pretty ridiculous.

"Aren't all Vikings?" Rapunzel provoked and stuck her tongue out.

"No!" Hiccup and Fishlegs objected in unison, both looking slightly offended.

Jack and the others laughed at their expressions. Rapunzel had really hit a nerve there.

"Calm down you two. You know I was only kidding" Rapunzel clarified, smiling widely.

"Well, when you come to Berk, you should probably keep that sort of comments to yourself" Fishlegs declared with amusement in his clear, blue eyes. Rapunzel was going to Berk? Jack wondered to himself. Well, Hiccup and Rapunzel had told him that it was a possibility in December, "if the time was right". Apparently they had decided that it was.

"Of course, Fish! Come on, you know me. I'm not socially inept….I'm not…Hiccup" she enunciated the name and pointed at him.

"What!? Oh come on…." Hiccup groaned, while the others burst out laughing. Jack grinned widely, not being able to contain it. "I'm not that bad" Hiccup finished. 'Yeah you are' Jack thought jokingly, but kept it to himself. Hiccup was definitely socially challenged, except with people he felt comfortable around for some reason. Somehow, it just made him more intriguing to Jack. Maybe it was because Hiccup didn't just open up to anyone. It would take time to get to know him, to gain his trust, to see all the complex layers beneath the sarcastic exterior.

Rapunzel scooted closer to Hiccup and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him gently from her sitting position.

"No…you...are...not" she said, smiling. "But I still like to mess with you". She ruffled his hair.

Hiccup smiled fondly, as they parted again and Rapunzel grinned in response. Jack could almost feel the tender friendship radiate off Rapunzel and Hiccup in that moment. They seemed to be incredibly close, almost like siblings.

"You're going to Berk?" Jack inquired. He already felt slightly envious, even though he would never admit it. He definitely wanted to go to Berk, even though it wasn't possible. It would be so awesome to see the Vikings, the dragons, experience the traditions and the harsh weather. Everything. Rapunzel was lucky to be able to do that.

"Yeah, Fishlegs and Hiccup invited me to Berk for Christmas" she said happily, seeming almost ready to burst with joy. Jack smiled at her. He had already taken an instant liking to Rapunzel's bubbly nature.

"Jól*" Hiccup corrected her with a friendly smile.

"Oh right, sorry…" Rapunzel remarked to the confusion of the rest of them. At their puzzled expressions, Rapunzel continued. "These guys don't celebrate Christmas". She pointed at Fishlegs and Hiccup.

"You don't?" Flynn asked surprised as if the idea of not celebrating Christmas was almost unfathomable.

"No, why would we? We're Vikings, and Christmas is a Christian tradition" Hiccup explained. "But jól is similar in some ways".

"Yeah" Fishlegs chimed in, excitedly. "There's a huge feast with a whole smörgåsbord* of food and all the mead you can drink! And then we do the blót*, pray to the Gods and then drink the night away, celebrating." Jack had to admit that that sounded like a lot of fun, even though he would never give up Christmas.

"That sounds great!" Flynn exclaimed happily. "Except for the parts I didn't understand at all".

"Don't worry" Rapunzel said. "You get used to it".

"What are you celebrating then?" Mavis wanted to know, obviously eager to learn more about Viking culture.

"That the worst of winter is over, so the days will be lighter and the weather milder. Although it's also a celebration of peace and fertility" Fishlegs explained in an over-excited tone that he seemed to get, whenever he had to explain something he cared about to someone.

Jack chuckled. "Well Rapunzel, you're going to fit in great among a large group of burly, bearded, drunk Vikings".

Rapunzel just smiled. "It sounds fun doesn't it?" she asked, and he quickly agreed. They all did actually. Hiccup and Fishlegs smiled with pride.

"Well, even if you don't celebrate Christmas, you should see Christmas at Jack's house" Flynn said joyously, obviously reminiscing.

"What's it like?" Hiccup asked curiously, tilting his head a bit to the side.

"Oh it's great!" Merida exclaimed happily, throwing her hands up. "There's lights and decorations everywhere! There's always Christmas music playing, there's a huge beautiful tree in the livingroom, freshly baked cookies and other goodies, and Jack's dad always arranges a bunch of fun things for us to do" she finished, barely containing her enthusiasm.

Mavis quickly nodded and joined in. "Yeah, and don't tell anyone, but Jack's dad is actually Santa Claus" she whispered jokingly, while looking from side to side as if she was revealing some great secret.

"He totally is!" Merida agreed, and Flynn agreed with a concluding "Definitely".

"Uh, okay…" Rapunzel started, while Hiccup smiled knowingly and Fishlegs furrowed his brow in confusion.

Jack smiled. "They're just kidding" he explained.

"No, we're not…He's huge, he's jolly, he loves everything about Christmas, he owns a toy factory for crying out loud!" Flynn said, objecting to Jack's dismissive comment, earning him several chuckles from Hiccup, Fishlegs and Rapunzel.

"And he's Russian" Mavis added and was about to elaborate, when their conversation was interrupted by two giggling girls approaching them.

Jack observed them, frowning. He knew one of them, Jane Glass, a fifth year from Hufflepuff with long, smooth brown hair and deep chocolate brown eyes. She had a pretty face with a small, narrow nose, full rosy lips and perfectly sculpted eyebrows that seemed to enhance the rich color of her eyes. Jack didn't recognize the other girl, but she was pretty as well. She seemed to a fifth year too, with smooth pale skin, thick black hair that was pulled back in a loose braid and sky-blue eyes, that somehow reminded Jack of Astrid.

The two girls stopped giggling as they reached Hiccup, who looked at them with confusion, furrowing his brow. The girls both said "Hi Hiccup" while smiling brightly at him. Hiccup gave them a small smile and said "Hi", but he was definitely already a little uncomfortable with this situation. The two girls proceeded to hand him a small note each, before quickly walking away giggling, linking their arms together and whispering to each other.

Jack felt a knot form in his stomach and irritation seemed to infect his thoughts, as he looked at the two girls' backs as they walked away. He didn't know Jane well and he didn't know the other girl at all, and yet he strongly disliked them now. Where were these negative feelings coming from? He ended up concluding that it was simply because he wanted to protect Hiccup. He didn't like that kind of attention, couldn't they see that?

Hiccup immediately handed the notes to Fishlegs, who took them and unfolded them. Rapunzel scooted closer Fishlegs and leaned in to observe the notes, their eyes scanning across the words on the pages.

"You're not going to read them"? Flynn asked confused. Hiccup shook his head.

"No" he simply replied, not offering any explanation. Jack was confused by this. Why wouldn't he want to know what it said? Jack always read the notes he received from girls, not being able to contain his curiosity. Sometimes the notes would give him a nice ego boost from the obvious compliments, sometimes they would make him cringe if the message was particularly sugary sweet or cliché. Still though…he couldn't imagine not reading them. His natural curiosity would definitely get the better of him.

"Why?" Flynn pressed on, expressing Jack's own thoughts.

"I don't need to know what it says. Fishlegs and Rapunzel take the notes, read them, and let me know if there's anything important in there. If not they throw them out" Hiccup explained. Jack felt slightly smug at those words, though he wasn't sure where it was coming from. Even though Hiccup's method of dealing with the notes had confused him, it made sense now that he explained it. He was definitely the type of person who would feel uneasy by strangers hitting on him, so it seemed better to just avoid it.

Suddenly Fishlegs began coughing, a red flush appearing on his face, while Rapunzel chuckled amused. Fishlegs slowly lowered the notes, looking flustered and embarrassed.

Flynn immediately burst out laughing. "It's that juicy, huh?" he asked Hiccup's two friends, as his lips changed into a knowing smile. Jack had recognized Fishlegs' and Rapunzel's reactions as well. Both he and Flynn knew what kind of things could be in that kind of note. He didn't like the thought of it now though.

Hiccup groaned, putting his face in his hands for a few seconds, causing everyone to chuckle. He was seriously way too uncomfortable in his own skin, Jack thought to himself with equal amounts of amusement and a certain friendly affection.

Fishlegs crumbled the notes and put them in his pocket, not having a trashcan around. Rapunzel put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder, while Hiccup looked up, letting his hands fall to his sides.

"Come on, Hiccup, you should be thrilled that pretty girls like that are finding you irresistible" Flynn said casually, causing Merida and Mavis to roll their eyes. Jack felt a slight annoyance at his friend's words. Not that Flynn was wrong as such, but he knew Hiccup better than that now. He didn't like that kind of attention. It made him uncomfortable.

"Yeah, well, I'm not" Hiccup merely stated, crossing his arms. Jack felt satisfied with that answer for some reason, and like his earlier dislike for the girls that approached Hiccup, it confused him. He tried to push these thoughts away like he had done previously. He liked Hiccup, and he obviously didn't want him to be distressed, which he quickly became whenever strangers approached him this way. He wanted to somehow shield him from the self-consciousness and awkwardness that followed these encounters.

"Those girls didn't care about Hiccup before" Rapunzel said softly. "All they're interested in is getting close to the famous dragon trainer". She sighed in annoyance. Jack definitely agreed with that observation. It was pretty obvious that Hiccup's new fangirls had some kind of agenda.

"Yeah, they clearly have motives that are…less than genuine" Fishlegs said, unknowingly agreeing with Jack's thoughts, while training his eyes on his friend with sympathy. Hiccup nodded in response.

"Yeah, I kind of wish they'd stop and just go back to ignoring me" Hiccup said almost longingly while briefly focusing his green eyes on the blue surface of the lake.

"Well…fangirls can be kind of intimidating sometimes" Flynn said and Jack quickly hummed in agreement. He clearly remembered a few years ago when a blonde Hufflepuff named Amanda constantly followed him around, put tons of notes in his bag and even took pictures of him. That was slightly disturbing. Luckily for him, she transferred to Beauxbatons.

"All girls are intimidating to Hiccup" Fishlegs said in amusement. Rapunzel squeezed Hiccup's shoulder in a teasing manner, while smiling brightly at him.

"Hardy har har, laugh it up, lǫngubak*" Hiccup said dryly, rolling his eyes.

"Oh I will, burlufotr*" Fishlegs responded with a toothy, amused smile.

While Hiccup and Fishlegs were grinning at each other, his and the others' confused expressions didn't go unnoticed by Rapunzel, who took it upon herself to offer an explanation.

"They like to offend each other in old norse as some kind of show of affection…" she explained warmly. "Fishlegs likes to call Hiccup "clumsy foot" and Hiccup calls him "fishbelly"

"Wait, so you guys actually speak old norse?" Jack asked impressed. Well, now that he thought about it, he should have realized that, since Hiccup wrote in runes. Somehow though, he hadn't even thought about it that way. He smiled as he thought about Hiccup's nickname…clumsy foot. Well, it definitely fit in a friendly, teasing way.

"Well, yeah. All the Vikings in the archipelago do...although there are different dialects" Hiccup replied with a small smile on his lips. Fishlegs nodded next to him.

"That is awesome" Jack said enthused and Flynn hummed in agreement. It really was though. How many people could speak old norse? Almost no one. Outside the archipelago it was probably limited to academic scholars.

"Yeah, I wish I could speak an ancient language" Mavis added.

"So do you speak it when you're back home?" Jack asked curiously, wanting to know more about this.

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah…We mostly speak English but with a mix of old norse amongst ourselves. Knowing the language isn't really for any practical purpose, but it's very deeply ingrained in our culture"

"Yeah, it's important to all Vikings to preserve our traditions and language, so we need to make sure to use it once in a while, so we get our practice" Fishlegs added.

"That makes sense" Mavis said and nodded.

"Do you guys learn how to fight?" Merida asked, her blue eyes gleaming with interest. Jack chuckled mentally. Typical Merida, although he had to admit that he was also interested in the answer to that question.

"Yeah, fighting skills are a pretty essential part of Viking culture, so we begin training when we're very young" Hiccup explained and Fishlegs nodded in agreement next to him. Jack wondered how good Hiccup and Fishlegs were with weapons. It'd be pretty cool if they had serious skills.

"I wish my mum would let me learn how to fight, but she doesn't think it's appropriate for a girl to learn stuff like that" Merida complained, rolling her eyes. "I'm already taking archery classes during the summer holidays, but that's difficult enough to hide from her. She's like a hawk sometimes" she groaned, earning her sympathetic smiles from the rest of them.

"Sounds like you'd be happy on Berk" Hiccup said with a fond smile on his lips. "All women are expected to learn how to fight".

"Yeah" Fishlegs added eagerly. "And not just with swords either but shields, daggers and bows too".

Wow, that sounded really cool, Jack thought to himself. So the two of them actually knew how to use all of those weapons? He would love to see them in action some time.

"I wish it was like that back home" Merida said, almost longingly.

"You know...I could make you a bow and some arrows, if you'd like? Then you could practice while you're here too" Hiccup offered with a warm smile. Jack immediately felt his opinion of the guy skyrocket, and his facial expression softened. Hiccup was offering to spend his time and energy crafting a bow for Merida, who he barely knew, so she could satisfy her urge to get better with a bow. Jack already knew that Hiccup was a genuinely nice guy, but this just illustrated it further. That was a really heartwarming gesture.

Merida's whole face lit up. "Really?" she asked with pure giddiness and a slight uncertainty in her voice, as if she thought it was too good to be true.

"Yeah, sure. I wouldn't take me more than a week or so. Two weeks if you want some kind of special design on it" Hiccup confirmed, his green eyes amused by her joyful reaction.

"Thank you Hiccup" Merida said sincerely with appreciation evident in her blue eyes. "That's so nice of you to offer". Jack smiled softly at his friend and Hiccup.

Hiccup gave Merida a genuine smile. "It's fine" he said and waved his hand dismissively. Typical Hiccup, Jack snorted mentally. He hadn't known him for long, but he already knew that the guy was very dismissive when it came to himself, as if he wasn't anything special.

"I'll show you some sketches of some different bows tomorrow and you can tell me which kind you'd like" Hiccup finished and Merida nodded eagerly with a bright grin on her face.

"How are you going to make it?" Jack asked curiously. He briefly wondered where in the castle it was possible to work on something like that.

"Well…I'm taking Building, Managing and Repairing Magical Objects and there's a huge workshop available for that, so I can use it to work on the bow" Hiccup explained. That made sense, Jack thought to himself. He'd never actually seen the workshop so he had no idea what it looked like or what kind of tools and materials you could find there, but Hiccup seemed to be confident that he could make a bow there.

"Thank you" Merida then said once more, her voice lower and gentler, and Jack knew that it was a consequence of how touched she obviously felt. Hiccup simply smiled in response.

"So you're finally getting a bow, Red. Just make sure not to aim it at me" Flynn said jokingly and nudged Merida's shoulder.

"I can't make any promises, Rider" she shot back with a steady voice and mirth in her blue eyes.

Flynn held up his hands in surrender. "Whoa whoa, no need to get all aggressive just because you want a piece of this" he said teasingly and gestured to his body. Merida snorted.

"Oh please. I wouldn't want 'a piece' of you if you were the last guy on earth" she spat.

Flynn scoffed. "In denial, are we?" he said and waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Merida scoffed. "You wish"

Jack suddenly noticed Hiccup scratching his arm, and his sleeve was accidentally rolled up a little by the action, revealing some angry red marks on his skin. What the heck was going on there? It looked like he'd been attacked by something very angry.

"What the hell happened to you? Were you mauled by a honey badger or something?" Jack asked in a combination of curiosity and concern, as his blue gaze continued to examine the damaged skin.

Hiccup rolled up his sleeve some more, revealing more of those angry looking scratches. The marks were clearly not serious injuries, but it looked like it was quite unpleasant.

"Might as well have been. We had to deal with Venomous Tentaculas in Herbology" Hiccup explained and chuckled a little. "They were not too agreeable". Jack smiled at that. He had heard of those horrible plants before, and they were not something to take lightly.

"Oh no, me and Mavis have Herbology tomorrow…we're definitely going to have to do the same thing" Flynn groaned, obviously not looking forward to the prospect of having his arms attacked like that.

"Got any tips?" Mavis asked.

"Well…stun it before you try to extract the venom, but be careful because the stunning effect only lasts a little while. It helps if you can figure out how it prefers to move, so you can predict its attacks" Hiccup explained calmly, gesturing with his hands in that way of his that had already become familiar to Jack.

"It sounds like a peachy little plant" He said cheekily with an amused half-smile gracing his lips.

"It's a diabolic devourer of souls" Hiccup deadpanned, causing the rest of them to chuckle except for Flynn, who seemed a little worried that he would be dealing with this apparent killing machine tomorrow.

"Great…I'm really looking forward to that" Flynn said sarcastically.

"Come on Flynn, it won't be so bad. We'll handle it." Mavis reassured him.

Jack scoffed. "Don't trust anything that vampire says, she's the one who talked me into taking Arithmancy again this year" Jack said teasingly, but with the underlying frustration of actually regretting taking that particular class.

At first Mavis smiled at the nickname. Due to her pale skin, black hair and her very unusual last name, she had quickly been dubbed 'the vampire' in their little group. "Aww, are you still whining about that?" she asked in a combination of amusement and affectionate scolding.

"Ugh…There's just nothing worse than being forced to study something you're not interested in" Jack groaned. He had actually found Arithmancy interesting in previous years, but now it had become so abstract and intricate that it had sucked all the interesting potential right out.

"Oh really? How about getting electrocuted? Or having your head held underwater by a Grindylow? Or being wrongfully accused of killing someone with a spoon and being thrown in Azkaban? Or all of these things put together plus getting pecked in the groin by an angry owl?" Hiccup asked him, one eyebrow raised in an obvious challenge, as he picked apart Jack's statement with that sharp logic of his.

"You are like…permanently sarcastic, aren't you?" Jack said, one eyebrow raised.

Hiccup waved a hand dismissively. "I'm permanently awesome, Snowcone"

Even though Jack knew that Hiccup was kidding, it was still somehow nice to hear him say things like that. Things that almost seemed confident.

"You should be nicer to me, now that I know what your Amortentia potion smelled like"

"Well, my sarcasm is my way of saying I like tolerating you" Hiccup retorted dryly, but with amusement evident in his green eyes.

This caused a huge grin to spread across Jack's face, while the others smiled or chuckled at the comment. Especially Rapunzel and Fishlegs were amused by their friend's statement, and that made it seem like there was more to it, than what could be observed from the surface.

Jack kicked off his dark blue Converse and pulled off his blue and black striped socks. He wiggled his toes a couple of times and immensely enjoyed the cool wind that caressed the sensitive skin, chasing away that suffocating warmth that would always occur, when your feet were imprisoned in shoes.

Hiccup gave him a curious look with an amused smile, and Jack shot him a grin in response.

"What's going on there?" Hiccup asked him and nodded towards his bare feet.

"I'm not a big fan of shoes…or socks…or anything that restricts my feet in any way. It's too confining" he explained, watching his feet for a moment as he wiggled his toes once again. It really was nice feeling the chilly autumn wind on his bare skin.

"No kidding…If there wasn't a dresscode inside the castle, you'd pad around on bare feet all day long" Flynn teased him. It was true though. He definitely would.

"Of course I would" Jack shot his friend a bright grin. "Who wouldn't?"

"Uh…me for example?" Hiccup deadpanned.

"Well, you're already confined in that sarcastic bubble of yours, so a few more restrictions shouldn't matter to you" Jack replied cheekily.

"Tell me...what's the opposite of 'thank you'"? Hiccup asked rhetorically, holding a finger on his chin, as if he was deep in thought, causing giggles to erupt from the others. Jack grinned.

They all stayed by that spot by the lake for two hours, before they'd had to head back to the castle for dinner. It was slowly getting dark outside and a crisp evening chill was in the air, much to Jack's delight, as the seven of them walked together towards the Great Hall, all in friendly conversation with each other. Jack and Hiccup had briefly agreed to meet up tomorrow after classes to continue working on their Defense against the Dark Arts assignment, before Flynn, Merida and Hiccup began discussing ideas for Merida's bow, while Mavis, Rapunzel and Fishlegs were engulfed in a discussion about their homework for Magical History. Jack snorted at that. He was content just listening to his friends getting along with Hiccup, Rapunzel and Fishlegs, as they continued to make their way towards the ancient magical castle.

As Jack and his friends sat by the Gryffindor table, enjoying their nice, hot meals, he found himself thinking that he had really enjoyed Hiccup's, Fishlegs, and Rapunzel's company and it seemed that his friends had as well. As they parted with Hiccup, Rapunzel and Fishlegs by the entrance to the Great Hall and took their seats by their own House table, Mavis, Flynn and Merida had all agreed that their three new acquaintances were definitely not only genuinely nice people but also fun to hang out with.

Jack actually felt slightly relieved at that and it confused him a little. Sure, he wanted to spend more time with Hiccup, that much was clear, but he could do that even if his friends didn't like him. On the other hand, it would be a shame if his closest friends disliked the guy that he was trying to befriend, and everything would definitely go a lot smoother, if all of them got along. He had expected them to like Hiccup though, as his sarcastic wit and playful banter fit in well in their little group.

As he listened with one ear to Merida's and Mavis' discreet discussion on whether Jim and Hayley had broken up, he cast a quick glance at the Ravenclaw table, where Hiccup was telling Fishlegs and Rapunzel something, his green eyes wide with obvious excitement and his hands gesturing eagerly, as if he had too much energy in his body right now.

Jack smiled to himself, until he noticed how several Ravenclaws were somehow keeping an eye on Hiccup, the girls with obvious interest and the boys with curiosity. They were all trying to be discreet but definitely failing. Wow, they were like sharks, Jack thought. No wonder that Hiccup seemed a little paranoid about all of this. He would probably be too, if he was in that situation. Jack tore his eyes away from the Ravenclaw table and focused his attention on his friends once more, listening to their discussion, as he stabbed a roasted potato with his fork and brought it to his mouth, enjoying the salty taste spread on his tongue.

* * *

After dinner in the Great Hall, Jack's feet were taking him towards the boy's bathroom closest to the Gryffindor common room, as he was meeting up with his friends and the other Gryffindors there afterwards. He was looking forward to hanging out with Jim some more, as they actually hadn't seen that much of each other these few days. It would also be nice to catch up with some of the others though.

As he walked down one of the old empty hallways and turned a corner, he was suddenly slammed into the wall, feeling his back being thrown against the hard stone and hands clenched around his wrists. Angry, narrowed, sky-blue eyes gazed into his, threatening to bore into his very soul. Great. Somehow he had pissed off Astrid. He wondered what he had done now. He hadn't played any pranks on her, and they hadn't even spoken to each other, since he bumped into her at the platform waiting for the Hogwarts express. So what was going on? What was her problem with him? He'd noticed how she was glaring daggers at him in Arithmancy, but he had no idea whatsoever what he had done to annoy her this time.

"What are you doing with Hiccup, Frost?" She asked in a deadly tone that left no room for jokes or discussion, while her grip tightened on his wrists, still pinning him against the wall. He felt her slim fingers dig into his skin.

Okay, he had definitely not been expecting that. Surprise filled his head as his thoughts flew in all sorts of different directions. What was she implying? Why was she so aggressive? Why had she felt it was actually necessary to slam him into the wall?

"What are you talking about?" he decided to ask, genuinely confused about this encounter. His back was aching slightly from the impact with the hard surface that it was now leaning against. It was probably going to leave a bruise.

Astrids brow furrowed in irritation and her lips were a thin line, as she observed him for a few moments.

"Are you trying to get him to tell you about the dragons?" she inquired, clearly frustrated that he hadn't understood what she was talking about right away.

"What? No!" he exclaimed and his eyes widened slightly. So that was it. She thought he was somehow using Hiccup to get information. And then what? Did she think that he would actually befriend someone and then just betray their trust? She really was too suspicious for her own good. On the other hand…he had noticed how people were throwing themselves at Hiccup, so maybe deep down he could understand her concern…a little. Not a lot. Definitely not a lot. He had good intentions though, so he didn't deserve getting slammed into a wall on his way to the goddamn bathroom.

Astrid kept looking at him with narrowed eyes, not looking the slightest bit convinced. The way she stared at him was unsettling. It was like she was trying to bore a hole in his brain. What was her problem? He got that she was protective of Hiccup, but seriously…He found himself getting annoyed with her. He didn't deserve this shit.

"Would you get off of me" Jack snapped as he pushed his whole body towards Astrid, causing her to step back a few feet and let go of his wrists. Finally. It was very rare for him to lose his temper. His cheery and fun nature usually deflated any conflicts, before they got too far, but this was just too much right now. She had invaded his personal space and accused him of being a two-faced, lying jerk, just like that.

The two of them glared at each other in silence and the air was thick with tension. Astrid clenched her fists, and Jack seriously doubted that his usually upbeat personality would win him any favors with her. It never had before.

Astrid crossed her arms, her eyes still narrowed in obvious suspicion and frustration. She tapped the stone floor a few times with one of her feet in an impatient gesture. Right now she reminded Jack of a stern mother who was protecting her child from some punk kid, who she had decided was a bad influence. He didn't deserve that though, and he found himself feeling more irritated by the second.

"If you're not trying to get information from him, what exactly are you doing?" she asked icily. She angrily shoved her fists in the pockets of her red shirt, just to take them out again a few seconds later.

"Uh…working on a project, joking around, talking?" he answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which it was to him. They were just hanging out and having fun, there was no reason for her to be so overprotective and suspicious.

He saw Astrid's jaw clench. Great. She hadn't liked his answer one bit.

"Right" she said with anger lacing her tone in a deadly manner. "Because that's what you always do…no wait, it isn't. I get that you're working on a project, but why are you hanging out together outside of that?"

"Why is that any of your business?" Jack sneered at her. He was seriously getting agitated by this. Hiccup was his own person, and he could decide for himself who he wanted to spend time with. He wondered if Astrid had always interfered in Hiccup's business. He hoped not. Hiccup had the right to have his privacy, without Astrid meddling, as if that was somehow her right.

She took a few steps forward, closing in on him. Her face was now so close that he could feel her warm rapid breath on his skin, and see those few flecks of silver in her oval blue eyes. The eyes that were still squinted in suspicion. She was intruding on his space again and he could feel the irritation swirl inside him. He wasn't like Hiccup who truly valued his personal space and became awkward when people invaded it, but he really didn't like people being this close to him when the reason was agitation.

"It is my business…Hiccup is my…friend" Astrid said, her face not moving one inch away or revealing any change in its expression.

Her voice however had betrayed her. The last word and the way she had said it, had Jack's brain shooting into overdrive. It had sounded so…hesitant? Resigned? Like she had wanted to say something else, but changed her mind at the last second. It was very out of character for Astrid to sound hesitant or resigned about anything. She was overly confident, smart, outspoken and she could hold her own against anyone and anything. There was never any reason for her to hesitate. So why now? Was she disappointed that she felt the need to protect Hiccup? Like a big sister who was sick of looking out for her little brother that always got in trouble? Jack knew that Astrid felt responsible for Hiccup in some way. Maybe she was tired of it, even though she couldn't let go of it? Or maybe she knew that she cared about Hiccup on some level but didn't actually think of him as a friend?

"Well, Hiccup is my friend too" he retorted defiantly, feeling slightly childish at the stubbornness that had snuck into his voice. Hiccup wasn't some plaything to discuss ownership of, but he was so annoyed now, and he just wanted her to step down first. If he was honest with himself, Jack had no idea if Hiccup even considered him a friend yet, but they were definitely getting there.

"Hiccup was never your friend before. Why now?" she demanded to know, stepping a few feet back, once again creating some space between them, and Jack felt that he could finally breathe comfortably again. At least she had the decency to not be in his face constantly. He observed her for a moment, while she ran her hand quickly through her blonde bangs in an impatient gesture.

She had hit a nerve with her comment. Of course she was right. They hadn't been friends before, and if Jack was completely honest with himself, he somehow felt a little guilty about that. He'd only started paying actual attention to Hiccup after the whole dragon thing was pulled out into the light, and even though he would never try to fish information out of he, maybe he did feel slightly remorseful that he had been one of many to never truly notice Hiccup's many great qualities before.

Jack decided to take on the role of the peacemaker instead of pushing her buttons, as he had intended because he was so annoyed with her meddling. It wouldn't do any good, and Astrid was Hiccup's friend. He didn't want to create tension between the three of them.

"Look...I get that you're trying to protect Hiccup, but I just like hanging out with him. There's nothing sinister going on" he reassured her, while holding his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

"There better not be. Or I will end you, Frost" she threatened, her voice low and growling, and her eyes glaring daggers at him, mentally stabbing a thousand holes in his pale skin. She put her hands on her hips while looking very dissatisfied, her signature don't-mess-with-me-I-can-kill-you-with-my-thumb move. Jack felt uneasy at her tone of voice and he swallowed thickly. He had experienced her icy glares before, and had even received a death threat or two before from her. There wasn't anything particularly unusual about that. She had a tendency of giving other students death threats, if they had truly pissed her off. No, what was making Jack uneasy was her dark, growling voice. He had never heard her speak like that before. It was primitive, almost animalistic…as if she would truly have trouble restraining herself from ripping him apart with her bare hands, if he did something to Hiccup. As if she had some sort of basic, primal instinct to protect him.

Jack felt uneasy but refused to let her see that. He looked straight into her eyes with confidence, ice blue meeting sky blue.

"You know…Hiccup is old enough to take care of himself, Astrid. He doesn't need you watching over him all the time". He tried to keep his voice neutral, not wanting to provoke her further, but also wanting to get his point across.

Her face fell for the tiniest of moments before she regained her icy expression. It happened so quickly that Jack had almost missed it. He didn't though. What was that about? If she was disappointed at the thought that Hiccup might not need her protection, his thoughts of her being a tired big sister who was sick of looking out for her brother went out the window. Astrid was confusing him more and more by the second. What was all of this really about?

"Well, tough. I'm going to do it anyway" she said with fierce determination in her voice.

Jack knew that Astrid was one of the most stubborn people, he had ever met. When she was determined to do something, nothing could ever make her turn away. It was useless even trying. Jack decided to stop beating around the bush. He wanted answers.

"Astrid…Seriously, what's all this about?"

He was already sick of fighting with her. Sometimes it was necessary to fight with someone, like the time when Martin Campbell and his friends thought it was okay to play dirty in the Quidditch matches. Yes, Hufflepuffs were usually amiable and bubbly, wanting to befriend everyone and everything, but there were exceptions to every house. That fight had been necessary, but this thing with Astrid wasn't. They both obviously cared about Hiccup, so couldn't they just be content with that? Well, that sort of depended on Astrid. She was apparently intent on thinking that he had some ulterior motive for spending time with her friend. Jack wasn't sure that she could be pacified just like that.

His question however had obviously caught her off guard. Her eyes ceased to be narrowed, only to widen slightly for a few seconds, before she regained her composure. She hadn't expected his question, and she was unsure on how to answer it. Her hands fell from her hips and rested by her sides, her defensive demeanor budging slightly.

Jack caught himself thinking that this whole conversation had been surreal. Astrid was never unsure or hesitant. She was the perfect Gryffindor: brave, fearless, impulsive…and yet he had seen those flickers of hesitance, of resignation, of doubt. The moments had been brief, so brief that one could argue that they almost hadn't happened. Someone less observant would have never caught them, but Jack had and it confused and unsettled him.

"Just remember…" Astrid said, determined but without the bubbling anger that had previously laced her voice. "If you do something to Hiccup, you will regret it".

She didn't give Jack time to answer, as she quickly spun around and walked away briskly, her movements stiff and tense, her blonde loose braid swaying gently from side to side on her back from the fast pace. He watched her disappear from view around a corner. She was really something, Jack thought, still a little annoyed by her physical and verbal attacks but also mollified by her obvious concern for Hiccup. She really was looking out for him, trying to make sure that no one would hurt him. Jack wondered if Hiccup knew that she did such things. He decided not to tell him though. This was between Jack and Astrid. He assumed that she would soften up when she realized that he wasn't a threat to Hiccup's wellbeing.

It was curious though…Hiccup was a dragon tamer, he had been in a battle with a giant dragon queen, and he was studious person who had acquired more magic knowledge and know-how than the average student at Hogwarts…and yet, he still awoke that protective streak in the people that cared about him. Jack wasn't at all sure that he needed their help though. He could take care of himself and yet his friends felt the need to take care of him somehow. It was peculiar….Maybe it had something to do with his past, Jack mused. Hiccup had been short and scrawny when he was younger, and coupled with his brainy and sarcastic demeanor it obviously sparked the protective instinct of those around him. But now…Hiccup was grown up. He was tall, had gotten a leaner build, he had learned fighting skills, had a dragon and he had accumulated more magical knowledge. He hardly needed to be protected.

During the rest of the evening, Astrid frequently popped into his head. As he hung out with his friends and several other Gryffindors in the common room, she was present at the edge of his mind, causing him to be slightly distracted. Luckily Astrid was nowhere to be seen, which he was grateful for. His friends quickly noticed his distracted behavior, but he didn't feel like sharing this, at least not yet, so he just told them that he was tired. They seemed to accept that explanation and carried on their discussions, where Jack once in a while threw in a comment or two when he was able to focus.

When it was time for bed, he was actually quite relieved in a strange way. He wasn't lying when he told his friends that he was tired, but whether his drowsiness came from a long day of school and friends or being deep in thought about his encounter with Astrid, he wasn't certain.

As he dropped onto his soft bed with a gentle plop and curled under the comforting, warm covers, he and Flynn said goodnight to each other and to their two dorm mates Harry and Liam. When the lights went out he closed his eyes and felt his body sink comfortably into the mattres. His last thoughts before he fell into a deep slumber was how confusing Astrid had been today and how the pleasant taste of peppermint from his toothpaste lingered on his tongue.

* * *

**Author's note:**

The joke about pet rats and owl shit reminding Hiccup of Jack is based on a similar joke I once heard someone say.

Jól: The Vikings' celebration of the days becoming lighter and milder, as well as fertility and peace, where they drank, ate, prayed- and sacrificed to the gods for the upcoming year to be a good one. All their best food and drink were brought out for the Jól celebrations, and especially the mead was highly important, as Jól wasn't actually "celebrated" as such but "drunk", that's what the Vikings called it: Drinking Jól :) The word Jól is where the old english word Yule comes from. When the Scandinavians converted to Christianity, the church tried to introduce the word "Kristmesse" (Christ-mass) insted of Jól to sort of destroy the remnants of this important norse celebration, but that was never accepted, and to this day Christmas is called Jul, Jól or Joulu in all Scandinavian countries.

Smörgåsbord: A type of Scandinavian meal with a large array of dishes (both hot and cold) served together on a table as a kind of buffet. It's very common in all of Scandinavia, although it has different names. In Denmark and Norway for example it's known as "det kolde bord" and "koldtbord" (both meaning: the cold table).

Blót: Sacrifice to the Gods in return for something, for example fertility or good luck in war. The word covers a number of different kinds of rituals. Some were small like when a single Viking would sacrifice weapons or jewellery and some were very large such as huge feasts where a lot of Vikings joined together in sacrificing to the Gods. The Vikings had a least four different kinds of blót every year, one in each season, but they also did the blót when some kind of special situation or crisis emerged, where they needed the help of the Gods. What they sacrificed varied a lot. It could be anything from animals to tools to weapons.

Lǫngubak: Means "Fishbelly" in old norse

Burlufotr: Means "Clumsy Foot" in old norse.


	6. We're on our way

"…and you just know that he's going to mess everything up" Rapunzel sighed and rolled her eyes. She was in a bad mood this morning, and that was a very rare occurrence. Hiccup and Fishlegs were listening attentively to her, as she continued to complain about her assigned partner for a new Care of Magical Creatures project. Apparently Professor Lucero had paired her with Neal Booker, a lazy Gryffindor who didn't bother putting any considerable effort into his academic achievements. That meant Rapunzel was stuck doing most of the work, if she wanted to get a decent grade. Which she did.

Hiccup nodded sympathetically as she told them how Booker had refused to meet up more than twice to get the report done. He could feel the irritation stir in his gut. He was a Ravenclaw and he never shied away from academic effort, but over the years he had experienced a fair amount of selfish, lazy project partners, who didn't want to pull their own weight. As a result, he had accumulated a certain intolerance towards this particular kind of student. Not everyone enjoyed gathering knowledge through studying and that was more than fair. However, when you're paired up with someone, you better do your part of the work.

"You need to set him straight. He's going to do his share of the project, whether he likes it or not" he said calmly and gave Rapunzel a firm look that told her he wasn't kidding.

"I know, Hiccup. It's just…difficult. And what if he doesn't care what I say?" Rapunzel asked him and sighed.

"Then you have two choices. Either you go to professor Lucero or I talk with him" he told her, as he tapped his fingers a few times on the table.

"Definitely professor Lucero then. I'm not setting my overprotective Viking "big brother" on him, no matter how big of a jerk he is" Rapunzel said, her green eyes shining with amusement, making air quotations with her hands at his 'title'.

Hiccup couldn't stop the warm smile that spread across his face, as she called him her big brother. She referred to him once in a while using that expression, and each time he was touched by the love behind her words.

He and Rapunzel had been friends for so long now, and their relationship had developed into something similar to that of siblings. He was only a few months older than her, but her place in his heart had many characteristics in common with that of a younger sister. He felt protective of her, wanting to guard her and keep her safe. This was never clearer to him than when others put her down and made her feel inferior or tried to use her for their own purposes.

"Come on, I'm not that bad" he smiled, waving one hand in a dismissive motion.

"Yes you are" she beamed at him, flashing that bright, joyful grin that lit up her face.

He couldn't keep himself from chuckling.

"I agree" Fishlegs interjected with a smile, a hand in the air as if he was trying to get a teacher to notice him.

"Is this a mutiny?" Hiccup asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. "Traitors".

"Are you implying that you're somehow our captain?" Fishlegs asked with a gleam in his eyes.

"Yeah of course I am" he said. "Who else could keep you two in line? Without me you would clearly be lost with no sense of purpose in life"

Rapunzel and Fishlegs both chuckled.

"Of course we would, oh captain, my captain" Rapunzel said with fake adoration, her eyes soft and her chin resting on her knuckles, as if she was watching him with longing.

"Stop that, it's freaking me out" he quickly replied, his brow furrowed, much to the amusement of both his friends.

He was obviously joking, but there was a certain truth in it as well. If Rapunzel ever genuinely looked at him like that, he would be seriously disturbed and there would be a Hiccup-shaped hole in the nearest wall.

"The tough dragon rider can't handle a simple crush" Rapunzel teased him lovingly and poked him in the side with a finger.

He jumped at the sudden touch.

"Well, that's no surprise. He would rather face the Red Death again than handle any girl's googly eyes" Fishlegs laughed and reached out to grab another sausage from the tray with his fork.

"Ha ha, Hiccup is scared of girls…_that's_ a new one" he replied, lacing his words with sharp sarcasm.

He knew that he wasn't the most eloquent or confident person around the opposite sex, but he wasn't completely hopeless either. He could handle polite conversation with anyone, even flirty schoolgirls who used any excuse to squeeze his arm or brush some imaginary dust off his shoulder even if it made him uncomfortable.

"But you so are!" Rapunzel exclaimed, her big eyes filled with triumphant teasing, a slim finger pointed directly at him.

Her playful nature was infectious, and he saw Fishlegs watch him with an amused smile.

Damn those two and their mutiny. He had obviously been too lenient a captain, since they now dared to rebel against him.

"I am not" he said. "My best friend is a Night Fury, I think I can handle a few girls".

That didn't mean he had to like it though.

"But you would still rather put your good foot in a Gronckle-trap than deal with flirty girls right?" Fishlegs asked with a smile on his lips, twiddling his thumbs.

"Oh definitely" he confirmed and grinned at his two dear friends. "Always choose the least painful option, right?"

"You're unbelievable" Rapunzel said.

"Why thank you" he said and did a little bow with his head, causing her to roll her eyes.

As the three of them continued to eat their breakfast and enjoy some more friendly discussions and funny banter, their conversation was interrupted by a vast number of owls flying into the Hall. The familiar sounds of hooting from the birds and hushed noises of excitement from the students filled the air.

While Rapunzel often got letters and packages from her parents, Fishlegs and him didn't receive mail that often. For that very reason Hiccup was surprised to see his father's familiar black owl approaching with a letter gripped tightly in its claws, as well as the large white and brown owl that belonged to Fishlegs' parents carrying a package. As the two owls flew past overhead, they dropped the items into his and Fishlegs' hands.

Rapunzel eyed the package with a mix of curiosity and nervous anticipation, as if it might contain something dangerous or illegal.

Hiccup smiled to himself. He was fairly certain that it wouldn't. Fairly….After all, you never truly knew when it came to Vikings he thought to himself with amusement.

He began opening the letter, eager to find out what his father wanted, while Fishlegs started to rip open the package. His dad wrote him once in a while, updating him on how things were going at home, asking how he was doing and so on, but it wasn't that often.

Hiccup pulled out the note from the envelope and began scanning the words on the page.

He sighed to himself. This wasn't good. Apparently there had been more conflicts back home between Berk and its allies and the three tribes who did not approve of their peace with the dragons. Some of the dragon riders had interfered and freed some dragons that one of those tribes had caught to kill and sell their parts to the highest paying wizards. His lips were a thin line, as he kept reading the letter.

Everything else was good news…the Berkians had no problems preparing for a long harsh winter, Snotlout and the twins were doing fine…well, still getting in trouble contantly, but they were happy and safe…Stormfly and Meatlug were spending their time with the other dragons and they seemed content despite obviously missing their riders.

Well, at least that was something...

He was worried about the problems with the other tribes though…The barbaric archipelago was officially at peace, since Berk had peace treaties signed with all tribes except those three. And since none of the three hostile tribes had declared war on anyone, despite the rise in conflicts. He truly hoped it would remain that way.

Apparently Fishlegs and Rapunzel had noticed his inner turmoil. They observed him carefully with concerned expressions, as he put the letter down. Fishlegs had even stopped opening his package.

"What's wrong?" Fishlegs asked him.

"More problems with the hostile tribes…" he explained and Fishlegs immediately sighed.

"You're worried it's going to escalate?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yes…it's a possibility" he answered truthfully. "But I really hope it won't come to that…"

"You don't think it could turn into a war, do you?" Fishlegs asked, fidgeting nervously with the hem of his sleeve. Rapunzel raised her eyebrows at that thought and watched him anxiously.

"It could, but let's not get ahead of ourselves…after all…it's been a long time since the last war" he said.

"Yeah, that's true…" Fishlegs replied, sounding slightly less worried than a moment ago.

"Yeah…So let's not drive ourselves crazy over this…" he told his two friends and meant it, even though he wasn't sure if he could just let it go himself…He was definitely going to be thinking and worrying about this for a while.

Fishlegs and Rapunzel both nodded, and Fishlegs resumed opening the package.

Hiccup put a hand in one of the pockets in his robes and closed it around a familiar small object. Ever since he and Toothless had become important in the defense of their home, Hiccup needed a way for his dad to let him know if there were any urgent problems that they were needed for. He had enchanted the tiny box to open its lid and let out a very distinct loud noise, if his dad opened the matching one he had left back on Berk. He had made sure that his dad knew that it was only for dire emergencies, like if Berk was attacked by enemies.

"Ooh, great!" Fishlegs exclaimed as he took in the contents from the package. He pulled out several items…cheeses, dried and sweetened apple slices, some coarse loaves of rye bread and a couple of those delicious wheat flatbreads that Fishleg's mother was so good at making. Apparently his mum had decided to send them some Viking food, and Hiccup found himself grateful for that. The food was delicious at Hogwarts, but it was nice to get something fro home.

"That was nice of her" Hiccup said and Fishlegs nodded eagerly in response.

"Oooh" his friend said excitedly, as he pulled out the last items of the package, revealing two very familiar looking bottles.

"Hey, keep that down there" Hiccup quickly said, glancing around him.

Fishlegs immediately complied, slightly flustered.

Alcohol was definitely not permitted on Hogwart's grounds, and those bottles were filled with mead. He smiled to himself in amusement…only Viking parents would send their teenage kids alcohol. Not that he was complaining.

"That's not allowed here" Rapunzel interjected, looking back and forth from Fishlegs to him.

"Oh we know that" he smiled at her. That wasn't going to stop them though.

"…You're still totally going to keep that and drink it, aren't you?" Rapunzel deadpanned.

"Oh yes, definitely" Fishlegs replied and chuckled a little.

Hiccup hummed in agreement.

It wasn't like they were going to be drunk in class or receive alcohol on a regular basis, so he did not feel guilty at all about enjoying some mead with Fishlegs in the near future. He was actually really looking forward to it. Mead was very central to bonding and enjoying the company of others in Viking culture, and even though Vikings often had parties where they got drunk on the stuff, it wasn't all about that. Since he and Fishlegs were away from home most of the year, Hiccup found himself missing such familiar things, so it would be nice to taste that strong liquid again that he had come to like as he grew older.

* * *

As Astrid was making her way through the busy corridors filled with students on their way to classes, speaking excitedly and carrying books, bumping shoulders with other students, she walked in comfortable silence next to her close friend Katie.

She knew Katie had already noticed at breakfast that she was distracted and slightly moody this morning, so she let her have her space. Astrid was grateful for that. She found herself in a rather pensive mood.

As they navigated through the sea of students, she thought about her encounter yesterday with Jack.

She knew she had overreacted. Sure, she wanted to warn Jack not to mess with Hiccup, but even she had to admit that she had probably gone too far by slamming him into the wall. She'd just been so bloody annoyed yesterday, not just by Jack but by everyone, so she'd snapped. She had had enough.

Since the secret about the dragons was pulled into the light, it was difficult for her and for Hiccup to avoid people's curiosity and intrusions and it was becoming more and more irritating to deal with.

At first she'd been bombarded with questions from everyone who spotted her, regardless of whether they'd ever even talked to her before. Only her friends didn't ask. She had explained the situation to them, how they had needed to keep the secret due to the safety of the dragons and also in part the Vikings themselves. Luckily they'd been very understanding.

She glanced at Katie, who was still walking closely to her on their way to Divination. She was lucky that she had such understanding friends, who also knew how to keep a secret. Well…she hadn't told them anything in detail, as that really wasn't her place to share with others, but she had confirmed the story of how Hiccup saved them from the Red Death, how the Vikings had made peace with the dragons and why she had needed to keep it secret from them.  
She had refused anyone else who wanted to know anything remotely dragon-related, and she'd tried to be polite at first, but the more people who approached her, the more annoyed she became.

Yesterday had been a particularly bad day, as Julia, a fellow Gryffindor a year younger than her, had asked her if she could get her a date with Hiccup.

Seriously…they'd only ever spoken a few times and that was just polite smalltalk, and yet she thought it was appropriate to ask Astrid for a date with her friend. Besides that, she'd been approached by a small group of fourth years who wanted to question her on dragons and Hiccup, overheard two Hufflepuff guys talking horribly about Hiccup, making her throw some angry remarks their way which shut them up, and been subjected to an acquaintance who was acting like they'd been best friends forever, but in reality she just wanted to know about the dragons.

She'd been ready to explode at the end of the day, and her bad mood was topped off during dinner in the Great Hall when she noticed how the Ravenclaws were watching Hiccup intently. In that moment, they reminded her of vultures circling their prey. Not that Hiccup couldn't handle himself, she knew that he could. She just worried about him.

She was well aware that some people considered her a real bitch. She wasn't though, the people closest to her knew that. She could be temperamental and forward sometimes but she wasn't a jerk. When it came to the people she cared about, she was fiercely protective.

But of course Jack had been right, when he'd said that Hiccup was his own person. She really shouldn't meddle like she'd done last night, but she was just sick of dealing with all of this already, and she was irritated with how much it affected Hiccup as well.

She briefly considered apologizing to Jack for being so aggressive with him, when she could have warned him in a much more tactful manner, but she pushed the thought away. She wasn't sure that her pride would allow her to do something like that. She would need to do something though.

As the two of them reached the Divination classroom, they quickly took their seats and pulled out their heavy textbooks. Katie still didn't try to strike up conversation, which Astrid appreciated.

She found herself hoping that Jack was being honest, when he had said that nothing sinister was going on and that he just liked Hiccup's company. She had never really been quite sure what to think of him. He was obviously a nice person, and sure, his pranks were pretty funny sometimes. When they weren't directed at her. Mavis and Merida both spoke very fondly of him, but his carefree, reckless nature was worrying her right now. Jack often made a mess of things wherever he went, and he didn't really have any regard for rules or norms, and while that could be an admiring personality trait, at the moment it was making her brow furrow in concern. She actually wouldn't mind Jack and Hiccup being friends, if Jack's motives were innocent. Hiccup could use more good friends.

A slight tug of guilt made her chest ache a little and she sighed deeply to herself. Katie shot her a concerned look. She gave her friend a small smile in return to let her know that she was okay.

Astrid knew that her protectiveness of Hiccup was not just because of her obvious affection for him, but also because she was trying to purge herself of her remorse. She hadn't been very kind or understanding of Hiccup in the past. She'd gone along with the other Vikings in their assessment of him as weak, cowardly and useless. Everytime she thought back to that time, she couldn't believe how blind they'd all been.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed again.

She knew that her overprotectiveness had become worse in time. Hiccup was safe here at Hogwarts because it was protected by such powerful magic, but back home he had become a target in several ways.

He was the son of the chief of Berk, he was the person with the most knowledge on dragon behavior and training, he rode the only known example of the rarest (and one of the most dangerous) dragon species on earth who he had an unbreakable bond with and he was responsible for creating peace between the Vikings and the dragons. While most Viking tribes were content with the peace, three were openly unhappy with the development and had refused to sign the agreement that outlawed the killing and export of dragon parts in the whole archipelago. They definitely wouldn't mind hurting Hiccup and getting him out of the way. He and Toothless had become a symbol of peace and of the bond between dragons and Vikings, and everyone in the entire archipelago knew who they were.

She closed her eyes for a few seconds and then flipped open her textbook and glanced at the pages needed for today's lesson. She was well aware that her feelings towards Hiccup had somehow changed in the last two years, but he really didn't need more people trying to lay claim to his time and attention.

She would be there for him as a friend for as long as she could, until she'd either confess to him or these feelings would go away. Hopefully, they would either subside by themselves or Hiccup would find that he felt the same and initiate something. If he did, she'd be ready. For now though, she would be patient and supportive. That was what Hiccup needed.

* * *

When he, Merida and Flynn arrived at their Defense against the Dark Arts class, he was confused when he spotted a familiar head of blonde hair sitting next to Hiccup.

That was weird.

Astrid usually sat with her closest friends Katie and Megan in almost every class. He found himself frowning, while he and his friends approached Hiccup and Astrid, who seemed to be engulfed in a hushed conversation. They stopped talking when they spotted him and the others, but Jack had definitely heard the word "dragons" being mentioned quietly.

It somehow bothered him that Astrid knew so much about Hiccup and his secrets, while he didn't know anything at all. Despite how stupid and childish that was.

Hiccup smiled genuinely at them when Jack sat down on the other side of him.

"Good morning guys" Hiccup greeted them warmly.

"Mornin' Hic" he said with a bright smile. Merida and Flynn added their own "good morning"s.

Astrid seemed to be in a better mood today than yesterday. She gave them a polite smile and said "good morning".

"So Hiccup…are you going to show me some bows today?" Merida asked in impatient anticipation, a gleeful smile spreading across her face. Jack knew that she couldn't wait to practice her archery skills again.

"Yeah, sure" Hiccup replied and reached into his black satchel and rummaged around a little, before pulling out a sketchbook. It was another one than his usual worn one.

While they waited for professor Bunnymund to arrive, Hiccup and Merida became engaged in conversation. Hiccup flicked through the pages, showing her detailed drawings of different kinds of bows. The sketchbook was also filled with drawings of other kinds of weapons and inventions. It was fascinating to watch. There were different kinds of small catapults, bows, swords with weird functions, axes, saddles, armor and a lot of drawings of what appeared to be some sort of saddle connected with a lot of different straps, levers and metal rods. It looked very complex and Jack wondered what on earth Hiccup would need something like that for. He chose not to ask though, and his friends made the same decision.

Merida had ended up picking the same kind of bow that she had back home, only in a slightly different design. Hiccup called it a "recurve bow" and at Jack's and Flynn's confused expressions, Hiccup explained that recurve bows has tips that curve away from the archer when the bow is strung. That kind of bow was a good choice to use in forest terrain and on horseback, because it could be made smaller than other bows but still retain a high level of speed and force.

Well, that would definitely suit Merida then, Jack thought to himself. She'd told him how she sometimes rode away from home for the day on Angus and practiced shooting her bow in the forest, away from the prying eyes of her mother.

He had quickly glanced at Astrid, while Hiccup had explained the advantages of this particular kind of bow, and she seemed to know exactly what her friend was talking about. He found that a little annoying for reasons unknown to him. Maybe it was because he was still a little irritated with her after their encounter last night.

Hiccup had been sure to stress several times, that Merida needed to keep the bow and arrows hidden somewhere outside the castle. As Fishlegs and Hiccup had told them yesterday, Hogwarts did not allow any kind of weapons in the castle, and none of them wanted to risk getting expelled.

Merida agreed to that without any complaints. Hiccup told her he would begin working on it later today. Merida's face split into a huge grin and a whole series of "thank you"'s escaped her lips. It made Jack feel all fuzzy inside, watching his dear friend and Hiccup getting along so well.

"So…how did you get on with that Herbology assignment?" Hiccup turned to Astrid and asked, while Merida and Flynn became occupied by a discussion of their own.

"It was okay actually. Not nearly as difficult as I had imagined. What about you and your project for Magical Objects?" Astrid said and tucked a loose, blonde lock behind one ear.

"Yeah, it was fine. Turned out much better than I had expected actually" Hiccup said sounding genuinely happy about it.

Jack had no idea what project they were talking about, and his childish curiosity kicked in. He pushed it down though. He didn't want to interrupt their conversation. Things were already tense between him and Astrid. No need to make it escalate.

"Great…It's too bad I have Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, or we could work on some of the assignments together once in a while" Astrid replied sounding a little disappointed.

"Yeah, that would be great. You've always been better at Herbology than me anyway, but apparently the school decided that I need to enjoy the company of the Slytherins for Herbology…"

"But at least you don't have that many classes with them this year" Astrid replied knowingly with a smile.

"True. I actually only have Herbology with them. Professor Lunar wasn't kidding when he let us know that Ravenclaw and Slytherin would be spending less time together this year. Not that I'm complaining in any way. It's nice to avoid…certain people" Hiccup told Astrid and shrugged.

Okay, what was that all about? Jack thought to himself, while he continued to follow their conversation. Who did Hiccup want to avoid? Sure, there were some twats in Slytherin, but the statement sounded like he was talking about someone specific. Jack's curiosity was telling him to ask but his conscience knew he shouldn't. He felt a pang of annoyance in his chest…no one should be messing with Hiccup.

"Yeah, I know" Astrid replied softly and a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

It was strange to see her be this gentle, Jack thought to himself. It was a whole new side of her that he had never seen before. She was usually so strong and openly confident and outspoken, but right now there was a certain soft calmness about her, as she spoke with Hiccup. It was almost like his company made her relax and forget about her whole tough exterior..

"So Hic…are we meeting up later to work on our assignment?" he asked, when there was a pause in Hiccup's and Astrid's conversation.

"Yeah, sure" Hiccup said. "Uhh…I have Building, Managing and Repairing Magical Objects as my last class and it ends at three. How about you?"

"Care of Magical Creatures. Ends at two, but then I have Quidditch practice, so I'm probably done around four"

"Great, so let's just meet up at…what? Four thirty? Then we still have a little time to work before dinner" Hiccup suggested.

"Yup, that's fine" Jack agreed and found himself looking forward to spending some more time with him…although it would consist of studying.

"We'll probably need to meet up somewhere else than the lake though, 'cause it'll be dark around five"

"Oh right…Hmm, how about the library then?"

"Yeah, sure" Hiccup nodded eagerly.

"Great" he replied and gave Hiccup a bright grin. Hiccup smiled at him.

Their conversation was interrupted by the appearance of professor Bunnymund. The strict, Australian professor immediately made all chatter subside.

Class ended up being quite entertaining, as they were once again allowed to practice more non-verbal spells on each other. Today it was expelliarmus, the disarming spell. Astrid and Hiccup had quickly paired up, and Jack was a little annoyed by that, but he was fine with getting Merida as his partner, while Flynn and Jim paired up together.

Since they were only going to practice disarming spells today, there was no need for professor Bunnymund to pad the walls, like he did when they practiced more violent spells. The tables and chairs were once again moved however and stacked in one of the corners of the old classroom with a single flick of their Australian professor's wrist, so there would be enough room for the students to spread out.

The Ravenclaws and Gryffindors all placed themselves a little distance across from their partner and began practicing disarming each other. The sounds of spell casting, laughter and curses created a familiar, comfortable blanket of sound in the large old classroom.

Hiccup and Astrid stood in front of each other with an appropriate distance between them. Jack was standing to Hiccup's right.

"Ready _meinfretr*?" _Astrid asked Hiccup with challenging smile on her lips.

"Bring it on, _vitskertr_*" Hiccup replied and grinned warmly.

"_Baulufotr_*" Astrid shot back, the corners of her eyes crinkling.

"_Kerling_*" Hiccup immediately said.

Astrid laughed. She seemed so different when she was this open and let her guarded, tough demeanor fade away, Jack thought to himself.

Once again, Jack really wished he could understand Old Norse. Hiccup and Astrid communicated…affectionately and completely incomprehensibly to him. He quickly tried to push the faint irritation he felt away. It was probably a combination of his natural curiosity and his slightly tense relationship with Astrid that made him think these thoughts. After all, he wasn't irritated when Hiccup and Fishlegs spoke to each other like that.

"Frosty, are we going to get on with it or what?" Merida asked him teasingly.

He tore his eyes off Hiccup and Astrid. Merida stood with her hands on her hips, clearly waiting for them to get started.

"Sure thing, Simba" he replied cheekily and shot her a bright grin.

She immediately narrowed her eyes. "Oh, you'll regret that, Snow Queen"

"Well are you going to do something, or are you going to talk about it?" Jack said and tilted his head.

Merida lifted her arm, wand clutched firmly in her hand. With a swift movement of her wrist, Jack's wand flew out of his grasp and into the air. Merida reacted quickly and jumped up and grabbed it.

"Yes!" she exclaimed triumphantly and held both her hands in the air, a wand in each of them.

"Well done…for a Scot" Jack joked, and Merida stuck her tongue out.

"Sore loser" she replied with mirth lacing her voice, as she quickly covered the distance between them and held out Jack's wand to him. He instantly grabbed it and enjoyed feeling the familiar wand in his hand, even though he had only been without it briefly. A person's wand was like an extension of themself, and without it Jack felt naked and defenseless.

As Merida made sure to create some space between them once again, Jack lifted his wand and thought of the disarming spell. Merida's wand was slung into the air and he was quick to catch it in one hand.

"Look who has defeated the evil Scot!" he grinned and winked at her.

"No one defeats a Scot, Frosty!" Merida objected. "Prepare for war!"

For the rest of the class, he and Merida amused themselves by having a competition about who could disarm the other perfectly the most time. He won without much of a challenge, because despite Merida's confidence, she wasn't as good in Defense against the Dark Arts as he was.

When class ended, Merida headed towards her Earth Magic class, and Astrid apparently had Astronomy, which suited Jack just fine, as he found it pretty awkward and tense to be around her at the moment.

When he, Flynn and Hiccup walked down one of the massive stone passageways of the castle to get to their Transfiguration class, he casually slung his arm around Hiccup's shoulder. He had already gotten used to doing that once in a while, and he relished the already familiar warmth.

It was weird how quickly he'd gotten used to being around Hiccup and apparently the feeling was mutual. Hiccup seemed to have already grown accustomed to his friendly touches. He didn't flinch or seem confused by it any longer.

Jack smiled to himself. Well, that was definitely progress.

* * *

While he continued to head towards the Transfiguration classroom through the corridors alongside Jack and Flynn, he found himself reflecting on how on earth he had become used to Jack invading his personal bubble in such a short time.

It was strange, but somehow he didn't mind it. Sure, the first few times had been really awkward for him and he had been unsure of how to react, but now it was slowly becoming familiar. He had no doubt that Jack was used to being all touchy and familiar with people, but he certainly wasn't. Hiccup liked his personal space but in some weird way it didn't seem to matter that much with Jack. His initial awkwardness had quickly disappeared and now he just felt a familiar, friendly warmth, whenever Jack slung his arm around his shoulder or ruffled his hair. It had actually become nice and comforting instead of tense and awkward.

When they entered the old classroom with the many cages filled with animals, there weren't many students there yet. Hiccup instantly spotted Rapunzel sitting by one of the tables with her nose in a book.

"Hi guys" she said with happiness in her eyes and put down the book. They all greeted her cheerfully in return.

Hiccup sat down in a chair next to Rapunzel, while Jack placed himself on his other side, and Flynn slumped down next to Jack.

"So how was class?" Hiccup asked her with genuine interest, as he pulled out his textbook from his black satchel and placed it on the table, alongside some parchment and a quill.

"Umm…it was okay, but I was a bit distracted" Rapunzel admitted hesitantly and shrugged.

"Oh? Why is that?" he replied with a furrowed forehead. Rapunzel was rarely distracted in class. She was incredibly good at focusing on the task at hand, so something had obviously been out of the ordinary.

"Well, I was just sort of thinking about what to tell Booker" she told him.

Ah…he should probably have figured that out actually.

"Okay…Well, it's probably best to just put it as simply as possible. Just keep it short and polite but with no room for discussion" he replied, trying to give some sound advice that could get Booker to comply, without creating any hostility between them.

"Yeah, I know…It's just always so…unpleasant and awkward doing something like that" Rapunzel said, her eyes conveying the insecurity she felt about the situation.

"Yeah it is…but it needs to be done"

"What are you guys talking about?" Jack suddenly asked, interrupting their conversation.

That was another thing Hiccup had discovered about Jack…he was incredibly curious. It was another trait that made Jack seem so child-like but it was also quite entertaining and even sweet sometimes. He didn't mind when Jack would ask all kinds of questions. As long as he didn't ask about dragons. Which he hadn't done so far, even though Hiccup knew that he was probably brimming with curiosity.

"Well…Rapunzel has been paired up with Neal Booker for a Care of Magical Creatures assignment and he's too lazy to do his part of the work" Hiccup explained calmly despite the irritation inside him.

Jack rolled his eyes. "He's always been such a slacker" he said with annoyance in his tone.

"Definitely…it's not the first time he's done something like that" Flynn added and shook his head.

"Yeah well…he needs to realize that he has to pull his own weight" he said firmly.

"Definitely. Ugh…It's so annoying when people think they can just get others to do their work for them" Jack agreed in a frustrated tone of voice that Hiccup wasn't used to hearing from him.

"Yeah, it is" he nodded slowly.

"I hope he get's his act together" Jack said and observed Rapunzel with genuine concern. Hiccup found himself appreciating Jack even more now.

"He better…or I'll definitely have a talk with him" he crossed his arms.

Rapunzel groaned. "Hiccuuuuup….I told you I'm going to talk with professor Lucero if Booker doesn't listen to me, there's no need for you to do anything"

"I know that, but you don't have that much time to do the assignment, so the sooner he pulls himself together the better" he argued. It was true and they both knew it, so Rapunzel didn't have long to get Booker to focus.

"Wow Hic, am I sensing some overprotectiveness there?" Jack said with a smile gracing his lips, nudging his shoulder playfully.

Rapunzel snorted. " Some …try a whole lot"

"You're exaggerating now" Hiccup insisted and rolled his eyes in defiance…and perhaps a little amusement. Just a little.

"Oh no, I'm not" she retorted. "I would never set you on anyone, unless I had a serious problem"

Hiccup heard Jack and Flynn chuckle.

"You make him sound like some kind of deadly weapon" Jack joked.

"He definitely is in his own way…you try getting on the bad side of someone's overprotective Viking big brother and see what happens" Rapunzel laughed.

"Huh…overprotective Viking big brother…that does sound a little intimidating" Jack grinned. "Especially now that dear Hic here has had that crazy growth spurt"

"That's right Frosty, so you better make sure I'm happy. I can't be held responsible for the devastation of unleashing my uncontainable Viking wrath" Hiccup said, making sure to shake one of his fists in a threatening manner.

Jack, Flynn and Rapunzel all grinned at his comment.

"Right" Jack smiled. "So how do you keep an awkward, brainy Viking happy, exactly?"

"Oh, that's easy…" Rapunzel started. "Keep him supplied with books, paper and pencils, give him some fish to eat, some weapons training once in a while and shield him from any kind of social interaction that could potentially trigger a massive fit of pure awkwardness"

"Oh, ha ha" Hiccup rolled his eyes.

Of course Rapunzel was spot on…except for deliberately avoiding mentioning Toothless, since that wasn't something Jack or Flynn should know. At that moment, he spotted Astrid enter the classroom with her two friends Katie and Megan. He gave her a small wave, before turning back to the conversation.

"Well, those things I can definitely do" Jack grinned brightly. "Well…except for the weapons training…thing".

"Then what good are you, Snowcone? I need to practice how to control that destructive force within" Hiccup puffed out his chest a little for emphasis.

"Well, you could always use Jackie as a practice dummy" Flynn interjected, shooting Jack a teasing grin.

"Heey! Someone this beautiful and amazing shouldn't go to waste being a damn practice dummy" Jack objected and nudged Flynn's shoulder.

Hiccup felt an amused smile grace his lips.

"At least you'd have some kind of practical purpose then" Flynn said and nudged Jack's shoulder back.

"Oh, I have a purpose all right…spreading cheer and awesomeness everywhere I go"

"Wauw Jack, aren't you the humble one?" Hiccup interjected unable to hold back a smile.

"Well, I don't need to be…you're plenty humble for the both of us, Hic"

"Hey, don't use me as some kind of compensation for your inflated ego. Get your own humbleness" Hiccup joked. He wrinkled his forehead, pretending to disapprove.

"Don't be such a humbleness hog, Hic. You need to learn how to share. What's yours is obviously mine" Jack beamed at him in amusement and somehow it made him feel delighted. A happy grin spread across his face, before he once again put his face in neutral folds.

"Do you have like… any sense of boundaries?" he deadpanned.

Flynn scoffed. "No…that doesn't exist…it's like Merida's manners…or your confidence"

"Heey!" he objected, while Jack and Rapunzel both snickered at Flynn's comment.

Transfiguration ended up being very entertaining. The four of them attempted to transfigure rats into badgers and Hiccup felt one of those rare pangs of faint pride, when he managed to do a full transfiguration as the first person in class.

Rapunzel wasn't that far behind though, and after about half an hour Jack and Flynn had both managed to do it as well, unlike several other students in the room.

Some of the first attempts by all of them had been hilarious though. At Hiccup's first try the rat had become as big as a badger and the same coloration but besides that…it was still just a large, mutant rat. At Jack's first attempt, the back end of the rat had turned into a badger, while the front end remained as it was, causing the four of them to break into a laughter fit.

* * *

He and Merida had both been excited to start Quidditch practice again, having been away from the sport for the whole summer. They definitely shared an intense love of flying. Somehow it just felt like freedom…the wind on your skin, the speed that could sometimes cause great surges of adrenaline, the view…everything about it. After Care of Magical Creatures, Jack had met up with Merida in the common room. After the two of them had gone to their dormitories and donned the usual red and yellow Quidditch uniforms, they had walked together towards the Quidditch pitch, their broomsticks in hand, discussing the newest Quidditch broom model. There was a slight crisp chill in the air, and it was raining softly, delicate sprinkles of drops flowing from the grey, cloudy skies, leaving its faint chilly touches on Jack's skin. It wasn't the best weather for Quidditch practice, but they never cancelled it unless there was a serious storm or something like that. Jack didn't really mind though. He kind of liked the rain.

As they reached the Quidditch pitch, Jack spotted Astrid among the other members of their team, standing in the middle of them explaining something. He felt slightly irritated at the sight of her. Sure, he had seen her in several classes today and she had even said good morning to him during Defense against the Dark Arts, but now they actually had to interact after their tense little encounter in the hallways. Well, this was going to be…interesting.  
When the two of them approached their fellow teammates and Astrid spotted them, she gave him a nod and a small, strained smile. He chose to ignore her, even though he knew it was childish. Right now he just didn't feel like pretending. He was still pretty irritated with her and she should know that. He and Merida both waved and greeted the rest of the team, who were all smiling warmly at them.

Jack and Merida had been the last ones to arrive, and Astrid didn't waste time in getting them all started. She informed them of the drills they were going to be practicing today, and they all listened attentively as she spoke. Jack had to admit that Astrid definitely possessed a natural air of authority that made people pay attention to her. He sighed to himself and felt a little relaxed at the feel of droplets sliding down the soft skin on his face. Even though it was only raining a little, he noticed how his clothes were already feeling slightly clingy from the invading dampness of the raindrops.

As it turned out, Quidditch practice wasn't such an awkward, tense experience as Jack had thought it would be. Yes, he had been looking forward to being in the air on his broom again, doing intricate maneuvers, working on developing his skills, teasing Merida by yelling cheeky things to her that riled her up, but he had worried a little about being around Astrid. When they began practicing though, his hesitations melted away and he simply enjoyed the fun in flying and being around his teammates. When he had thrown a particularly sarcastic, teasing remark in Merida's face as he flew past her in his search for the snitch, she had made use of her beater's bat and smacked him on the back with it, grinning evilly afterwards.

Jack was surprised to find that Astrid was actually less of a pain in the ass than usual. She had been less of a slavedriver and more patient, instructive and calm. She had even complimented Jack a few times, when he'd done a particularly swift or complicated maneuver. It was strange. It wasn't unusual that she complimented him or the others when they had done well somehow, but after yesterdays encounter Jack definitely hadn't expected her to do that. He found himself thinking that it almost seemed like Astrid felt guilty about being so aggressive towards him. He pushed the thought away though. He couldn't possibly know anything about that, so it was no use thinking about it.  
When practice was over, he and Merida were both drenched from being out in the rain for so long. His clothes felt heavy on his body and they clinged to his skin in a sticky, unpleasant way. His white locks were drooping from the water, abandoning their usual spiky quality, and even though he didn't feel cold at all (as usual), the tips of his fingers had taken on a faint pink colour. As he looked at Merida, he could instantly see that she was definitely freezing now. She was hugging herself in an attempt to get warm and her teeth were clattering a little. He smiled warmly at her and felt a tug of empathy, as they began walking away from the pitch in amiable silence. They both really wanted to get back to the dormitories to get a shower and a change of clothes. Right now the thought of dry, clean clothes was heavenly.

"Jack" he heard a familiar voice say, but the use of his first name caught him off guard. Astrid never called him Jack. He turned around to see her standing behind him, watching him intently with those piercing eyes.

"Just go on, Mer" He told Merida, who eyed Astrid with curiosity but then nodded and began walking away from the two of them. She didn't need much convincing, as she was probably really looking forward to taking a hot shower and chase away the cold.

"Yes?" He asked Astrid cooly. He wasn't sure what she wanted, but he was still a little annoyed with her.

"Look…I know I shouldn't have done what I did yesterday" Astrid began, her brow furrowed a little. Okay, this was definitely interesting. He hadn't been expecting that.

"No…you shouldn't" he agreed with her and crossed his arms.

"I know that. I snapped because everyone had been constantly trying to get information out of me about Hiccup and the dragons. Like I said…I shouldn't have done it. I still mean every word I said, but I shouldn't have been so aggressive and I definitely shouldn't have pushed you" she explained honestly, and continued to watch him with those sky blue eyes that now seemed very tired all of the sudden. It sounded like the whole dragon thing hadn't been too easy for Astrid either, even if Hiccup got the worst of it.

"Well, we agree on that" Jack simply said and shrugged before letting his arms drop to his sides. He knew that this was as close as he was ever going to get to receiving an actual apology from Astrid. She was stubborn and proud, so even saying these things to him right now was probably very difficult for her. "Look…like I said yesterday…I get that you're trying to protect Hiccup, but I'm not going to do anything to him" Jack tried to reassure her.

Astrid nodded a few times slowly and continued observing him with her analyzing blue eyes. There was no hostility or anger in them though.

"Okay, Jack…I hope you mean that" she said genuinely and Jack actually saw a glimpse of that soft demeanor that she had around Hiccup, which surprised him. It was a tiny flicker of a whole other side of Astrid that Jack wasn't familiar with at all.

"I mean it" he replied honestly and gave her a small smile. The fact that she had regretted being so aggressive with him had made him less annoyed with her. She was still too overprotective and he didn't appreciate her trying to warn him, but somehow he also understood her need to shield Hiccup.

Astrid nodded once again. "Good…" she said softly. "I'll see you around Jack" she finished, before a tiny smile tugged the corners of her lips upwards, and she turned around and walked away briskly, leaving him in the light, gentle rain.

* * *

It had been such a great feeling to take a shower and wash away the sweat, dirt and rainwater from the intense training. His overworked muscles had instantly relaxed as the hot water trickled down his pale skin, soothing the aches in his body with its warm touch, and it had been such a pleasant clean sensation to wash his snow-white hair, rinsing out any impurities that stuck to it. As he put on some clean, dry clothes, relishing the soft and warm feeling, he briefly thought about Astrid. She was truly a confusing person…at least to him. It was quite fascinating how she could change moods so quickly. She obviously cared a lot about Hiccup though, and they were clearly good friends despite being so different. Somehow, Jack's thoughts turned to whether they were more than friends. For some reason he found himself hoping they weren't. Hiccup should be with someone a little more…easy going than Astrid. Someone that Jack could get along with.

As he was walking down the old stone corridors on his way to the library, he savored that clean, crisp and slightly cool feeling that occurred, when his movements caused air to brush through his damp white hair. It was a pleasant, refreshing sensation that tingled the skin on his head and he found himself feeling revitalized.

When he spotted Hiccup waiting for him outside the library, he smiled to himself. He'd really been looking forward to meeting up with him, even though they would be studying. There would probably be some time for friendly conversation though, which was what Jack really wanted to do. As Hiccup spotted him approaching, a small smile curved his lips and he gave Jack a friendly wave.

"Hi Hic!" Jack said happily.

"Hey Jack" Hiccup replied with friendliness.

"Let's find a place to sit, shall we?" he said and motioned towards the entrance to the library with his head.

They entered the library and looked around their surroundings to find somewhere fairly private and quiet to sit. Hiccup motioned for Jack to follow him and he did, as they made their way past bookshelf after bookshelf of the huge old library, until they reached one of the farthest corners from the entrance. A small square table and four chairs were placed in the corner with bookshelves all around it, except for a small opening. This made the corner pretty isolated from the rest of the library.

"Is this where you usually sit, or?" Jack asked curiously.

"Yup. I like my privacy"

"No kidding. I hadn't even noticed that" Jack said sarcastically.

"How could you? I'm practically a ray of social sunshine" Hiccup retorted dryly. Jack chuckled. That was so not what Hiccup was.

Hiccup had plopped down into one of the chairs and placed his black satchel on the table, quickly rummaging through it and pulling out his textbook, some parchment and his quill. Jack sat down on a seat across from Hiccup and felt his legs and back relax instantly. It was really nice to sit down after almost two hours of Quidditch practice. His entire body was pretty tired and sore, so some physical rest was definitely appreciated.

They quickly picked up where they'd left off the last time, eagerly discussing the various strategies for defending yourself against the basilisk, and briefly taking a slight detour from the assignment, when they began talking about how there had once been a basilisk at Hogwarts in the chamber of secrets.

After having worked for about an hour, shooting sarcastic remarks at each other in between discussing, reading and Hiccup eagerly writing, they had agreed to take a break. Rightly so, in Jack's opinion. They'd been working pretty hard and both been very focused, so they deserved to relax a little.

They joked around with each other and enjoyed some casual conversation that was centered on some very different topics. They had begun discussing movies, in which they found out that they had quite similar tastes. Jack had learned about Hiccup's, Fishlegs' and Rapunzel's movie marathon nights at Rapunzel's house, and he told Hiccup about how confused Mavis had been in their first couple of years about anything muggle related, such as the movie quotes he and Flynn would sometimes throw out into the middle of a conversation. Hiccup definitely seemed to relate to that, as he and Fishlegs had been completely oblivious about such things at first too until Rapunzel took it upon herself to educate them on these matters. Hiccup had also told him that he had begun working on Merida's bow, and that he was really hoping she'd like it. Jack's eyes softened at that. He still couldn't believe that Hiccup had actually offered to make a bow for her. As the conversation carried on, Hiccup was telling Jack more about Viking culture, explaining some of the competitive sports and games they dabbled in on Berk, most of which sounded completely awesome, such as mountain climbing, fistfighting and oar jumping.

"What the hell is oar jumping?" He asked curiously. It sounded dangerous, but he would definitely need an explanation.

Hiccup smiled. "Well…it's a competitive sport, where you jump from oar to oar on the outside of a ship's railings as its being rowed, so it requires immense balance and agility."

Jack was silent for a few moments. Hiccup was kidding, right? No one would actually do something like that?

"That's…you're not serious?"

Hiccup's face split into a huge grin. "I'm very serious, Jack"

"What? How does someone come up with that?"

"I have no idea. It's a very ancient sport" Hiccup shrugged.

"Have you ever done it?" Jack found himself asking.

"Oh gods no…Even if I wanted to, I doubt that I could do it with my prosthetic" Hiccup quickly replied. Well that made sense…even though Hiccup didn't seem too bothered with his fake limb on a daily basis, extreme sports was another matter entirely.

"Oh right…Man, I wish I could see someone do some oar jumping"

"It's pretty amusing to watch…although it often ends in injuries, as most Viking sports do"

"No kidding" Jack grinned. It sounded like Vikings really enjoyed risky, dangerous pastimes. "What about games, do you have a lot of those too?"

"Oh yes…We have a lot of different boardgames and dicegames….not to mention drinking games" Hiccup explained and Jack flashed him a bright grin at that last example. "What the boardgames and dicegames usually have in common is that you can only win by thinking strategically"

"Huh…That sounds interesting. Why do they have that in common?"

"Being able to solve strategic problems is something that Vikings value a lot. The reason we're good warriors is not just because of strength, battle training and familiarity with pain, but also because we train our ability to think strategically, so we can plan out our moves and be able to stay two steps ahead of any enemies…It's too bad that a lot of people seem to think that Vikings are kind of stupid. If we were actually unintelligent, we wouldn't be able to be great warriors at all" Hiccup explained while gesturing eagerly with his hands. That definitely made sense to Jack.

"Well, you're right about that. It doesn't really matter how strong you are, if you are too stupid to predict your enemies' moves and use their weaknesses against them" he replied and leaned back in his chair.

"Very true" Hiccup agreed and a small smile curved his lips.

"What about the drinking games?" he found himself asking.

"Well…Vikings drink…a lot" Hiccup chuckled.

"Yeah, I can imagine. That's definitely one thing that's wellknown about you guys" Jack replied and grinned.

"It really is. Anyway, there are lots of different kinds, but they usually stretch on for looong periods of time"

"Why?"

"Because most Vikings have a seriously high tolerance of alcohol, so it takes a lot to get them really drunk"

Jack laughed at that, as he imagined Vikings sitting through the entire night with a table full of empty mugs, trying desperately to get the other one to cave in first. "Well except for you" he said teasingly, as Hiccup definitely didn't seem like the type who could handle a lot of alcohol.

"That used to be true but not anymore" Hiccup retorted and smiled in self-satisfaction. Jack tilted his head in curiosity.

"Really? You're able to hold your liquor now?"

"Definitely" Hiccup said. "In the last couple of years I've had a lot more practice back home, since I'm almost considered an adult now"

"Those wild Viking parties sound like so much fun" Jack said excitedly. He really wished that he could come to one of those parties…it would probably be the night of his life. He briefly imagined himself being all tipsy with a huge mug of mead in his hand, dancing some old-timey rhythmic dance on the large wooden tables with a bunch of huge drunk Vikings with mead in their beards. Damn that would be awesome.

Hiccup laughed at that, and Jack once again found himself thinking that the guy should laugh more. His whole face lit up and his laugh was definitely a pleasant sound.

"They really are" he agreed and nodded. "No one can party like Vikings"

As the conversation carried on and moved towards other topics, Jack ended up telling Hiccup a lot more about his family, like how close he and Emma was, what happened when he and his family found out that he was a wizard and how his family had become quite attached to his Hogwarts friends over the years, basically seeing them as family members now. Hiccup listened patiently and asked some clarifying questions once in a while, seeming genuinely interested to know more about his background, which Jack felt quite happy about. After all…if they were going to be friends, they needed to know more about each other.

"So…you guys actually spend time at all of your houses every holiday? That sounds pretty time consuming" Hiccup asked with sincere curiosity, as he twirled his quill in his hand.

"It is, but we only spend a few days each place, so it's not too bad. And then we spend the rest of the holidays in our own homes. But it's really nice to have them around, and we've come to know each others parents and siblings really well too, so I always look forward to visiting all of them" Jack explained, gesturing with his hands to underline his words. He seemed to be doing that more than usual…maybe that was Hiccup's doing.

"That sounds nice. I really like visiting Rapunzel's family too…so…there are no strict parents or annoying siblings at all?" Hiccup asked with an amused smile on his lips.

"Well…Merida has three younger brothers who are identical triplets and they get into all sorts of trouble constantly. They are definitely the menace of the whole neighborhood. Personally I think it's hilarious, but Merida's parents don't always agree. Don't tell anyone, but I actually help them with their pranks once in a while" he revealed to Hiccup watching him from across the table.

Hiccup chuckled. "Of course you do"

"Hey, someone needs to pass the torch and teach them the ancient, sacred art of pranking" Jack grinned and held up his hands in a surrendering gesture.

"Ahh, yes…the ancient sacred art of pranking…" Hiccup said sarcastically and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, that's what it is!...anyway…there's also Mavis' dad. He used to be really paranoid that me and Flynn were trying to date her behind his back, so he watched us constantly like a hawk, whenever we visited her. He even made us sleep in a room in the other end of their huge manor, because he was so worried that her virtue was in danger. And we weren't allowed to do anything remotely fun. He made us play bingo and do water aerobics for crying out loud!" Jack chuckled. Her dad really had been way too suspicious, but luckily he had managed to relax during the years. Now it was actually a pleasant experience to visit Mavis' house.

Hiccup's face lit up in a huge grin. "Seriously?"

When Jack nodded, Hiccup laughed…a lot. His sides were practically splitting. Jack found himself beaming Hiccup, who had trouble breathing now.

"Well, I'm glad you're amused" Jack said sarcastically, although he really meant it. It was nice when Hiccup loosened up.

Hiccup got his breathing under control again and chuckled. "It's just…the image of Jack Frost and Flynn Rider doing water aerobics is now burned into my brain forever"

"Oh, ha ha ha" Jack said sarcastically, but was unable to hide his own amused grin. "Haven't you ever been forced to do something like that?"

"Gods no" Hiccup said, his eyes widening for a few seconds, as if that idea was truly horrifying.

"Well you are lucky then…Better hope you never meet Mavis' dad" he grinned.

"Definitely. Paranoid overprotective parent, no thank you" Hiccup replied and crossed his arms.

"Yeah, we definitely agree on that one…When we met him the first time, somehow the sentence "Dad, these are my friends Jack and Flynn" got all scrambled in his brain to mean "Dad, this is Jack and Flynn, even though they're only 12 years old, they won't hesitate to jump anything with a pulse" Jack grinned, vividly recalling the first time he met his friend's overprotective dad.

Hiccup chuckled at that. "Wow, he saw right through you two, didn't he?"

"Oh, laugh it up, Viking boy" Jack said and shot Hiccup an evil glare. Then he added: "What about your dad…is he like that?"

"No, not in any way. It's pretty rare to find an overprotective Viking parent, they want their children to learn how to be independent and be able to survive and that means getting hurt once in a while…Sure, my dad worries about me sometimes and he wants me to be safe, but he's not suspicious of the people I spend time with and he doesn't treat me like a child" Hiccup explained.

"Well that's nice. North and Anna are like that too actually…they know that I can handle myself and they've always welcomed any friends of mine with open arms"

Hiccup nodded. "They sound great"

"They really are" Jack replied and flashed him a warm smile.

As the two of them carried on their conversation, Jack had quickly found out, that Hiccup didn't like talking about his own past back home. He didn't mind telling Jack trivia about Vikings and their culture, the archipelago and such, but whenever they brushed the subject of how Hiccup's childhood had been, his green eyes would darken a little and become slightly unfocused for a tiny flicker of a moment, clearly recalling some unpleasant memories, and then he would subtly steer the conversation in another direction. Jack didn't know what had happened to him in the past, but it was obviously still painful for him to think about.

He really didn't like that look on Hiccup's face. It spoke of someone who had experienced too much too young, and although he was damn curious about what had happened, he knew that they didn't know each other well enough for that. Maybe one day Hiccup would trust him enough to share those troublesome fragments of his past.

After getting back to work for a while, Jack found his thoughts wandering once again. As he had told Hiccup about his family, a thought had occurred to him. It must be very strange for Hiccup to be so far away from home. Sure, everyone here at Hogwarts were away from home, but almost everyone was at least from Britain, which Hiccup wasn't. This had led him to a brief reflection.

"Hey, Hic?" he asked hesitantly, not wanting to disturb the guy, as he was still writing down the last thing they had agreed to add to their assignment.

"Yeah?" Hiccup replied, not pausing from scribbling down letters on the parchment.

"I've been thinking…"

"Be careful with that, you might hurt yourself" Hiccup deadpanned, still observing the paper in his lap and continuing to trace steady fluid movements across it with his quill.

"Oh, ha ha, you lowly Viking…but seriously…I was thinking…Why aren't you, Fishlegs and Astrid at Durmstrang? That's in Scandinavia, right?" Jack found himself asking with genuine interest. It would definitely seem like the obvious choice for three Vikings. So how had they ended up here? Not that Jack minded of course…the more he got to know Hiccup the more he appreciated him and the more he realized just how interesting a person he really was.

"Yup, it is. There's a very simple reason though" Hiccup replied, still slightly absent-minded as he continued to write.

"Oh?"

"They don't accept Muggleborns…So we're really not welcome there" Hiccup explained without much emotion in his voice, his green eyes still focused on the paper in front of him.

"You're serious?" Jack found himself asking in disbelief. He had no idea that things were still like that at the Scandinavian magic school. He honestly thought that muggleborns were now welcome at all magical schools, since Voldemort was no longer a threat.

"Very" Hiccup answered shortly.

"That's just…pathetic. I mean…since Voldemort was defeated like 10 years ago, you'd think that those thoughts would have slowly been eradicated" Jack found himself saying. How could anyone still seriously believe in that sort of thing? Jack was muggleborn himself and he definitely didn't feel inferior to pure bloods or halfbloods, why should he? They all had equal rights to study magic.

"They won't ever be eradicated, Jack. They've become less common…luckily…and they might continue to subside, but they'll always be there lurking somewhere in the background" Hiccup said, mumbling slightly with his green eyes still trained on the paper and his quill. It was actually a little impressive that he managed to have this conversation, while thinking about the assignment and writing things down simultaneously. Jack wasn't much of a multi-tasker himself. He got way too distracted and just ended up writing down whatever he was talking with that person about, instead of what he was supposed to write.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked curiously, tilting his head of white hair slightly. He found that he really liked hearing Hiccup's thoughts on deeper subjects, like when he had responded to Jack's surprise of how well he handled pain, by explaining how it was natural to make assumptions based on shallow observations and somehow form an entire opinion of someone, but that underneath the surface everyone had traits, secrets, values, that could change people's entire view of them in a heartbeat.

Hiccup stopped writing and lowered his quill, focusing his intense, analyzing green eyes on Jack instead of the paper. He remained silent of a few moments, seemingly contemplating something.

"Well…there's no easier way to form a bond between people than to create a common enemy that unites them. Mugglehating purebloods all see muggleborns as identical…we are all low, filthy creatures without any individuality, and that's what makes it so easy for them to hate us…It's difficult to hate someone the more you know about them, because that makes them more human in your mind...so they all label us as the same from the beginning. They can see us as the enemy, and creating an enemy strengthens the bonds between them and their sense of identity and belonging, because they can all agree on what they are not…they are not the filthy lowly mudbloods, they can agree that they are much better than that" Hiccup explained calmly.

Jack found himself being silent for a few moments, as he took in Hiccups words, while Hiccup trained his eyes on one of the bookshelves and seemed to be thinking. Hiccup seemed to have a pretty good understanding of how people think and their motivations behind their actions, and Jack found himself thinking that it must have something to do with Hiccup's own troubled past.

"You seem like you have experience with this kind of thing" Jack said thoughtfully and watched Hiccup intently. But his face didn't give anything away.

Hiccup shrugged and his green eyes met Jack's blue ones once again. "Not mugglehating purebloods, but…I've seen other examples of it…here…at home…out in the world. It happens everywhere and all the time. It's human nature".

"It is" Jack agreed. "We want to find out who we are, and we think we know that when we believe we've found out what makes us different from others…but… we just haven't. I could easily watch a Slytherin and think "oh, you're just so bloody manipulative and untrustworthy, and that's what makes you different from me", but first of all it might not be true at all about that particular Slytherin even if I was sure that it applies to all of them and second of all…if I got to know him…or her…I might find that we have all kinds of other things in common…maybe that Slytherin has a little sister that they love more than anything too…maybe they really enjoy snowball fights…maybe they also hate Arithmancy…It's just…quite unbelievable how dense we are sometimes when it comes to our own minds and how we usually don't question how we see others at all but just accept the first, shallow thoughts we form which then becomes the truth for us" Jack explained and hoped that Hiccup would understand what he meant. It wasn't often he found himself in almost philosophical discussions like this, but he found that he actually enjoyed it.

Hiccup's eyes softened and a ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips, as he observed him for a few silent moments with that piercing gaze. Jack felt like he had passed some kind of test, and he was genuinely happy that Hiccup seemed to approve of his opinions on the subject. Hiccup was obviously very intelligent, Jack had always known this, but these conversations they'd had lately just confirmed that his intelligence wasn't limited to school-related topics. He seemed to be one of those people, who could figure out what made people tick simply through observation, and that was a rare gift in Jack's opinion.

"Well said" Hiccup said warmly and nodded slowly a few times. "And that's why I don't think those kinds of thoughts will ever disappear completely".

"That makes sense…since they come from people's search for identity" Jack finished and thought about that for a few moments. It was sort of depressing, really…

"You can be quite philosophical when you want to be, Jack" Hiccup said, his green eyes conveying a genuinely friendly warmth, as he gave him a crooked smile. Somehow a warm and slightly tickling sensation spread inside Jack's stomach, as if he had achieved something special.

"Thanks, I know I'm awesome" he replied with that air of superiority in place.

Hiccup shook his head. "Sure you are…anyway, break time is over".

Jack couldn't hold back the whine that escaped his lips then.

* * *

As he held his quill firmly in his hand, forming neat, orderly letters to add the latest thing he and Jack had agreed should be in this assignment, he thought about how much he enjoyed spending time with him. He had been worrying several times during the day, since he read the troublesome news from his dad, but being around Jack who was so carefree and entertaining managed to quell his concerns for a while. Even though they hadn't known each other for long, Hiccup somehow found himself thinking that they could actually be friends, when they got to know each other better. They definitely had a lot of fun together, as their friendly banter was seriously entertaining and somehow came naturally to them. He also enjoyed learning more about Jack and his background. It was too bad though, that he wasn't in any way ready to share things about his own childhood. He knew that Jack meant well and just wanted to get to know him better, but his past as an outcast and a disappointment had left some emotional scars that he preferred to keep to himself and his closest friends. He was well aware that Jack had picked up on his discomfort and his discreet ways of changing the direction of the conversation, whenever it turned towards his childhood, but he was nice enough not to mention it, which Hiccup was grateful for.

When he had finished writing the page, he began rummaging through his satchel looking for more parchment. He suddenly furrowed his brow in confusion as he spotted a folded note inside the bag and took it out. Then he sighed to himself. He didn't have to read it to know what it was. He placed it back into the satchel without unfolding it, not wanting anything to do with it, and found the parchment he was looking for.

"Fangirl mail, Hic?" Jack asked with a grin on his face. Great. Jack really seemed to enjoy teasing him about his new popularity with the girls at the castle and how awkward it made him feel. Somehow it amused him and slightly frustrated him at the same time. He knew that Jack's teasing was entirely friendly, but sometimes he wished that he wasn't so easy to embarrass.

"Seems like it" he replied and shrugged casually. He would give the note to Rapunzel and Fishlegs later and let them read it. After all…if it wasn't a flirty note but maybe a death threat or something else important, he'd want to know about it. If it was some girl who had never given him the time of day before though, he wasn't interested and didn't want to waste time and energy becoming all flustered and embarrassed by reading a strange girl's flirty words.

"Still not going to read it?" Jack asked and tilted his head a little. Jack seemed to do that a lot, he'd noticed. It suited him well though, as it was a slightly child-like move.

"Nope". There was no way he would ever do that. His current system worked just fine and he intended to keep it that way.

"They just want you to give them a smooch, you know" Jack grinned widely, his blue eyes sparkling with obvious entertainment, as he was leaning back in his chair casually.

_Damn that snow-loving idiot_. Jack was clearly loving this.

"Well…not going to happen" he replied dryly and turned his gaze towards the opening of the bookcases surrounding their little corner. He could see some young Hufflepuffs joking around with each other, laughing and talking excitedly in the distance.

"Too scared to get your first kiss?" he heard Jack say teasingly. Hiccup wasn't sure if Jack actually believed he was completely inexperienced, or if he was just joking around with him.

Hiccup scoffed. "I've kissed girls before, Jack"…And a boy once…but he'd never told anyone that. Not even Rapunzel, Fishlegs or Astrid knew, so he wasn't about to share that little secret with Jack. He was still not looking at him, but continued to observe the Hufflepuffs, who were now apparently saying goodbye to each other before splitting up in two groups and walking their separate ways.

"Really?" he heard Jack's voice say and it sounded like he had once again surprised the prankster It was strange how people always seemed to assume that he was hopeless when it came to romance. Sure, he'd never had an actual relationship, but he wasn't a totally inexperienced mess either. People's assumptions probably had something to do with his past as a short, scrawny nerd, he concluded. Apparently no one had seemed to think that anyone would kiss him or let him kiss them.

He tore his eyes away from the retreating forms of the Hufflepuffs, turned his head and focused on Jack, who was watching him with genuine interest in his blue eyes and something else that Hiccup couldn't figure out.

"Uh, yeah? I'm not completely inexperienced, you know" he replied and shrugged.

"Interesting….So…who was it? Spill!" Jack sounded way too excited right now and Hiccup didn't like where this was going. Why did he tell Jack that he had kissed someone, again? It would probably have been a smarter move to just say that he was as innocent as a fanatic nun, handle the teasing comments that would follow and then leave it at that. Now Jack was definitely going to try and get him to tell him all about it. Well…shit.

"How about "no?" he deadpanned in an attempt to get Jack to drop it. Somehow though, he already knew that it would be a futile effort.

"Come on, Hic. Was it someone here at Hogwarts?" Jack asked eagerly and leaned forward in his chair a little in anticipation.

Hiccup remained silent, but immediately realized his mistake. By then it was too late though, as Jack's face split into a huge grin. Great. He had read him like an open book.

"Oh, it totally was!...Who?" Jack's face had practically lit up in curiosity, and Hiccup found himself thinking that it was actually sort of sweet how excited he got about seemingly small, trivial things like this.

"I'm not telling you anything, Snowflake" he said defiantly and crossed his arms. He wasn't giving up without a fight, Hiccup thought to himself in amusement.

"Come on Hic, don't be such a grump. I'll tell you about my first kiss?"

"Jack, seriously…."

"Was it that bad, huh? Did she slap you? Or did you find out that you were actually related? Or was it interrupted by a crashing blimp that left her injured?" Jack said quickly with wide amused eyes and continued to list strange scenarios.

Oh gods, was Jack just going to continue like that until he caved?

"Did she transform into a unicorn? Did you pee your pants?"

Yes. He was in fact going to do just that.

"Were you struck by lightning? Did you find out that she was actually a guy?" Jack continued. Hiccup snorted mentally at the last suggestion.

"Did an angry midget interrupt you? Did you accidentally burp in her mouth?"

This was some kind of weird torture. That bloody prankster was actually going to bug him to death, wasn't he? Hiccup was seriously going to die by being bombarded with surreal, embarrassing scenarios until he lost the will to live. By Thor, that would be lame un-Vikingly death…Well, someone was definitely going to be seriously haunted by a ghost that keeps signing him up for water aerobics classes every day for the rest of his life.

"Did you suddenly get explosive diarrhea and it somehow spread to her so that-"

Okay, well this definitely needed to end.

"Here at the castle: Astrid and Rapunzel" Hiccup finally replied to get Jack to shut up. Now. Somehow the word "diarrhea" instantly made up his mind.

Jack's eyes widened in surprise and he became quiet, seemingly at a loss for words.

Well, that had apparently shut him up. Served him right. It was amusing to watch Jack become speechless, and he felt a little satisfied by it.

" Rapunzel ?" Jack repeated in a high-pitched voice. " Astrid?! " he then finished, clearly in utter disbelief, as if Hiccup was trying to mess with him. Something briefly flickered in those blue eyes, but Hiccup couldn't decipher what it was.

Hiccup smiled smugly in reply, crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, waiting for Jack to accept the reality of his answer.

Jack picked up on his casual behavior and shook his head a few times. "Wha-…you're actually serious?"

"Yes" he replied shortly and continued to be amused by Jack's struggle to comprehend this. Of course he knew that it was a surprising thing to learn, but it was still a lot of fun to observe Jack, as his brain was clearly very confused right now, trying to fit the puzzle pieces together. A few moments of silence passed.

"Oh, now you have to spill it" Jack then said eagerly and rubbed his hands together slowly in anticipation.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Hiccup deadpanned and gave Jack a skeptical look, raising one of his eyebrows.

"Hell no, this sounds way too interesting" Jack insisted.

Hiccup sighed. He might as well get this over with. If there was one thing he already knew about Jack, it was that the guy did not give up when he wanted something.

"It's definitely not as interesting as it sounds. Astrid kissed me one time back on Berk about two years ago, after we survived the encounter with the dragon queen" He explained, and at the mention of the dragon, Jack seemed to perk up even more than before. He hadn't been sure whether to mention the dragon queen or not, but he decided that since the secret was out anyway, it didn't really matter. It wasn't like he was going to tell Jack anything else about it. Jack nodded in response, encouraging him to continue but not asking him anything about dragons, which was a good sign in Hiccup's opinion. Before continuing, he briefly thought of the moment where Astrid has kissed him. What he hadn't told Jack, was that she had done it after he had woken up from a coma. He had been completely baffled by it, his mind going blank as she pressed her lips on his. They had never really spoken of it since, and Hiccup just assumed that the kiss had happened because Astrid had been so relieved that he was alive and had woken up.

"With Rapunzel…It was after one of the few Ravenclaw parties that we'd actually gone to, a few years ago. Someone had snuck in some alcohol, so we got a bit drunk. At the end of the night we were talking about crushes and first kisses and such and she told me that she was so nervous about her first kiss. She was sure it was going to be horrible, because she would be so anxious about it. Somehow we ended up agreeing that I should kiss her, so her first kiss would be with someone she was comfortable with and trusted. I was drunk enough to think it was a good idea, so I did it." He explained softly, gesturing with his hands.

"That's…really heartwarming, actually" Jack responded and his blue eyes seemed to soften a little.

"Thanks…or whatever you might say to something like that".

"It sounds like something that'd be awkward in the morning though" Jack chuckled.

Hiccup shrugged. "Not really…We were both fine with it, but we agreed that it should never happen again". Which was true. Sure, he had kissed Rapunzel and it hadn't been horrible or anything, but they would never think of each other in that way. It had just been a friendly gesture, nothing more than that.

"Probably a good idea…not great messing up a friendship over something like that" Jack stated, looking slightly thoughtful. Maybe he had been in a similar situation, Hiccup wondered.

"Exactly. So…your turn. You said you'd tell me about your first kiss?"

"Well…I was 12 and back home for the summer after my first year here. One of North's old friends was visiting and brought her daughter, who was about my age. She was really pretty with blonde pigtails and brown eyes. Basically, I invited her into my treehouse, and after a lot of cups of imaginary tea, I manned up and gave her a peck on the lips" Jack explained.

"That's cute" Hiccup replied and found himself smiling genuinely, as he imagined a young Jack being all nervous in front of a girl, as he tried to find the courage to kiss her.

"It's bloody adorable" Jack beamed. Apparently he was more than comfortable relaying his past romantic experiences. "Who else then?" Jack added and tilted his head slightly to one side in that way of his that had already become very familiar to Hiccup.

"I'm not going to tell you that, Jack" Hiccup started again. He already knew that it was hopeless, because Jack would somehow manage to get it out of him, but he wasn't going down without a fight. He would at least pretend to resist a little.

"Come ooooon, Hic." Jack pouted and Hiccup chuckled a little. Jack was seriously amusing to watch sometimes, especially when his child-like nature took over.

"Fine" Hiccup started, defeated. That childish pouting and whining was like a secret weapon. "There was a girl back home from another tribe, who had come to visit Berk along with some representatives from her tribe. We were both 14 and I was given the job of keeping her occupied while her father participated in some official matters" Hiccup explained, gesturing with his hands to underline certain words, as had become a habit to him.

"And you did…keep her occupied" Jack's face split into a huge grin and he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Hiccup instantly groaned. "Could you not say stuff like that?" he asked in equal amounts of awkwardness and amusement. He felt that particularly annoying warmth creep into his cheeks.

"Ahh, two young Vikings sharing a kiss…c'est l'amour*!" Jack said, throwing his hands in the air, mimicking a thick, French accent on the last two words. Hiccup rolled his eyes in response.

"Not really. More like some kissing and then never seeing each other again" he replied as he thought back to that time. They'd both been very nervous and inexperienced, but they'd ended up having quite the makeout session in the end. It had become a very fond memory, as that was the first time he was really properly kissed, not just a quick, awkward kiss.

And then…there was also that boy from the Meathead tribe, who Hiccup had met when he was brought along with his father to a diplomatic meeting and then had to occupy himself afterwards, when his father and Gobber got into a drinking game with the leader of the tribe and his son. They had both been 12 and after they had talked a little and played around with wooden swords in the forest, the boy had kissed him…it had been strange, but to his surprise, Hiccup had discovered that he didn't mind. There was no way he was going to tell Jack about that though, as that would definitely be a source of endless entertainment for Jack. He hadn't kissed a boy since then, but somehow that fairly innocent experience had left a major impression on him. As he got older he had realized that he didn't care much about genders, but more about the person within. That didn't mean that he was fully comfortable with this realization though. He usually pushed any thoughts of it down, as it made his future even more complicated than it already was.

"Wow, that almost sounds like some kind of business transaction" Jack said jokingly and smiled a little in that smart-ass way of his.

"Call it what you want" Hiccup replied casually and shrugged in response.

"That's pretty cold, Hic. You probably broke the girl's heart"

"I seriously doubt that". Which he did. He was fairly certain that there were no feelings whatsoever involved in their little….kissing session.

"Come on, don't sell yourself short. She probably spent forever just pining for you and looking out at the ocean, remembering your kiss with longing" Jack said dramatically and clutched his chest in a mock pained gesture.

"Aww, come on" Hiccup immediately groaned. "Don't say that". Comments like that made him feel awkward, and he had the feeling that Jack was well aware of this. That sneaky snow-loving Gryffindor…

"Have you considered getting cured of your awkwardness, Hic?" Jack chuckled.

"Awkwardness is not some kind of condition, Jack" he replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, you say that…" Jack responded cheekily and a grin spread across his face.

"Social awkwardness is my superpower. Don't ever try to change that, the world would be missing out on all of this" Hiccup said and gestured to himself.

"Right…I can imagine you now in a nerdy superhero outfit, standing awkwardly on a rooftop, trying to avoid human contact at all costs"

Hiccup chuckled. "I'm not that bad, Jack. I actually like being social, but only with a few people…If I have to be around a lot of people for a long time I get a social hangover"

Jack raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner. "A social hangover?"

"Feeling exhausted and getting a severe headache" he explained. There were plenty of people that he liked in one way or another, but he needed his space and his time alone.

Jack chuckled at that. "I'll never understand that…"

"Well, you're used to being popular and around a lot of people" Hiccup replied and shrugged. Jack seemed like he wanted to be with people constantly. In that aspect, they probably couldn't be more different.

"You'd be surprised…" Jack started and seemed to be contemplating something for a few moments, his blue eyes a little unfocused. Huh. That was interesting. Where was he going with that? Hiccup found his curiosity increasing. He had always found it fascinating to discover new hidden, unexpected sides of people and this was no exception.

"How so?" he found himself asking, wanting to genuinely know more about it.

"Well…before I came to Hogwarts I only had two friends in my entire life: my best friend Jamie and my sister. The rest of the kids at school ignored me completely. It was like I didn't even exist. I never found out why they disliked me so much, but to them I was pretty much invisible…they never included me in anything, they always gave me the cold shoulder and pretended they didn't hear me when I asked them something …yeah…I was just invisible to all of them…"

"Really?" Hiccup asked in slight disbelief. That seemed like such a huge contrast to how Jack's life was now. He briefly wondered if that experience of social exclusion had somehow made Jack this happy to be around people all the time now.  
"Yeah…not the best time in my life friend-wise" Jack said softly and it seemed quite out of character for him. Apparently those kids had really wounded him...which was understandable. Hiccup found himself considering whether Jack's love of being the center of attention was related to how he had practically been invisible to other's his age…It was definitely possible.

"I can imagine…that sounds horrible" he said with a sad smile.

"It was…surprised?" Jack asked.

"Definitely…I hadn't seen that one coming" he admitted while rubbing the back of his head.

"There's always more" Jack said softly, a warm smile tugging at his lips.

Hiccup found himself feeling a strange fluttering in his stomach, as he heard Jack say that. It was somehow…nice that Jack had actually remembered his words and apparently found them interesting enough to reflect upon. And of course he was right…Hiccup hadn't been expecting a popular, social butterfly like Jack to have experienced a fairly friendless early childhood, but it just goes to show how complex people really are…Even the popular, carefree, mischievous prankster in front of him had experienced the pain of being left out by others.

"There's always more" Hiccup said softly in a confirming manner, a small but genuine smile gracing his lips, and Jack's smile widened in response.

"What happened to Jamie?" Hiccup added, wondering if he and Jack were still friends. Sometimes people grew apart after all.

"He moved away…We still talk sometimes over the phone when I'm back home, but it's not really the same anymore" Jack sounded slightly sad about that, but that was to be expected.

"Sorry…" he found himself saying and meaning it. Losing that special bond you had with someone couldn't be easy. Not that he knew too much about that. Not having any friends at all until the age of 11, and then not having lost any of the one's he'd made since then, he didn't have any experience with it. He could imagine though.

"No worries. It happens" Jack shrugged.

"Yeah…I guess people sometimes grow apart or other circumstances get in the way"

"True…" Jack said and seemed thoughtful for a few moments. "By the way, why don't you and Astrid hang out more? You seem like really close friends, but I rarely see you spend time together?"

Well, that was a surprising question. Hiccup had definitely picked up on the tension between Astrid and Jack, so he hadn't really been expecting him to ask anything about her.

"Well…I guess it's just because we have completely different lives in many ways. She has a lot of friends and acquaintances that I don't really know and she spends a lot of time with them and on Quidditch and other activities besides classes, while I tend to stick with Fishlegs and Rapunzel and have a few hobbies that I love, but that aren't as timeconsuming as what Astrid's constantly doing….We do spend a lot of time together back home though"

"Huh. Well that makes sense I guess"

"You and Astrid really don't like each other, do you?"

Jack seemed surprised by his question, as he furrowed his brow for a few seconds. "Eh…I wouldn't exactly say that" he replied and shrugged.

"Jack…come on. I have eyes, you know" Hiccup replied. He had definitely noticed the tense air between Astrid and Jack in Defense against the Dark Arts, despite the fact that they had both tried to hide it.

"Well, it's not like I actually dislike her as such, it's just…she can be really bossy and serious" Jack said, his blue eyes looking thoughtful, as if he was recalling some particular memories.

Hiccup chuckled. "Yeah, she definitely can, but…she's a good person"

"Yeah, I guess. I just think our personalities clash a bit too much sometimes"

"Definitely…she's complained about you a few times over the years when you've pissed her off"

"Really?" Jack said, raising an eyebrow, an amused smile gracing his lips.

"Oh yes…" Hiccup replied and a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips, as he remembered some of the things Astrid had complained about.

"Well, I have to say that I'm a bit surprised we haven't killed each other yet, after she was made captain of the Quidditch team" Jack replied with obvious amusement lacing his voice.

"I hope she's not too much of an evil dictator" Hiccup grinned. Astrid could be somewhat of a slavedriver, he remembered that from the classes where she had decided what they should do for dragon training, much to the hopelessness of the other teens.

"Oh, she definitely is…although she seemed to have lightened up a little for today's practice"

Well that was something…He knew that many people thought Astrid was a little bitchy, but she really wasn't. You just had to get to know her properly, as her tough, outspoken exterior could sometimes give people the wrong impression.

"That's good…She's actually not that uptight a person you know…She just have no tolerance for any kind of bullshit" Hiccup laughed.

"Hey, it takes two people to form a…strangely-tense-but-somehow-civil-although-not-friendly acquaintanceship." Jack said and then chuckled at his own description.

"True" Hiccup replied and smiled. "I know she's not always the easiest person to deal with, but she means a lot to me" he finished and felt a familiar tug of affection. He really did appreciate Astrid a lot. She was important to him and he knew that he could always rely on her no matter what.

"I know" Jack simply said and smiled. What? How exactly did he know that?

"How?" he found himself asking.

"It was sort of obvious from the way you interact with each other that you're pretty close friends"

"Ah, I see…Well, that makes sense…" he replied. It was probably kind of obvious that he and Astrid were very comfortable around each other. After all…friends had very different ways of behaving around each other than mere acquaintances did.

"By the way….I was sort of wondering...if it's not too personal. How do you feel about the norse gods?" Jack asked with obvious curiosity shining in his blue eyes. Well, that was a strange question to throw out there. It needed some clarification.

"What do you mean by that?" Hiccup asked. He wasn't entirely sure where Jack was going with this.

"I mean…do you believe in them?"

Huh…Interesting.

"Well…it's kind of complicated…In a way I don't really believe in any gods, but on the other hand it's very deeply ingrained in Viking culture, and it's what I've grown up with and been told my entire life, so it's become a part of me. A significant part. So I guess you could say that my sense of logic kind of prevents me from fully believing, but I don't want to let the gods go completely either. It's sort of comforting and familiar to have them as a part of my culture" he explained and hoped that Jack would understand what he meant. It really was an abstract matter, being placed somewhere inbetween believing and not believing.

Jack nodded eagerly and seemed to be perfectly satisfied with that answer.

"What about you?" Hiccup found himself asking. He really enjoyed discussing complicated topics and discovering other people's thoughts on the big questions in life.

"Well I don't believe in the norse gods" Jack said cheekily and stuck his tongue out.

"No shit, Sherlock. You know what I meant"

Jack grinned at him, before his features turned into a look of thoughtfulness for a few moments.

"Well…I'm not sure actually…how much do you know about the different religions?"

"I know quite a bit about the major ones. We've got books on a lot of different subjects back home that we've gotten from traders."

Jack nodded in understanding. "I guess I'm not certain what I believe, except that I don't think humans can ever know for sure…so even if there is a god…or gods…we can't ever be certain of it. It's too big for us to understand, so we won't find the definitive answers"

"So you're pretty much an agnostic" Hiccup concluded.

"If that's what it's called" Jack replied and shrugged.

"It is…I'm one too. I don't think we'll ever be able to find out if the gods actually exist or if they are just our own creation…they might be real, they might not be, we won't ever know" he explained and gave Jack a sincere smile.

The two of them in silence for a few moments, before Hiccup decided that they should get on with the assignment again. He focused his attention on the parchment in his lap. "We should get back to this" he told Jack, who seemed very disappointed by that, but Hiccup had expected him to react that way. After all, it was Jack. He'd much rather talk and joke around than work on assigments. Not that Hiccup didn't agree with that, he totally did, but he also wanted to make sure that they got their assignment done on time. He trained his green eyes on the pages in his textbook and began reading more about the Basilisk's venom.

"Awww, come on, Hic" Jack immediately interrupted him.

"No Jack, seriously…."

"Hiccuuuuuuuup" Jack pouted, and Hiccup felt a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, as he kept his eyes focused on the book. It was actually a little difficult resisting that childish whining right now.

"Jack, no talking right now"

"Fine…then I'll sing!" Jack said excitedly.

_What the…?_

Hiccup lifted his head and Jack instantly broke into song.

"Tell everybody I'm on my way, new friends and new places to see" Jack began singing with a huge grin on his face, his pale fingers tapping eagerly on the table in the rhythm of the song. He didn't sing too loudly though, as they were still in the library.

Was that…? Yes it was…

He definitely recognized that song. Jack really was a child at heart he thought to himself.

"With blue skies ahead, yes I'm on my way, and there's nowhere else that I'd rather beeeee" What the hell did he think he was doing? Hiccup felt a grin spread across his face. Jack really was one of those people who just did whatever they felt like, without worrying about what others might think.

"Tell everybody I'm on my way, and I'm lovin' every step I take" Jack continued to sing with joy evident on his face, fingers continuing to drum on the wooden surface.

Hiccup had a thought then and when Jack continued the next sentence of the song, he joined in.

"With the sun beating down, yes I'm on my way, and I can't keep this smile off my face" they sang together, and Jack's eyes immediately widened in amusement and surprise. Sure, neither of them was a musical genius, but they did okay anyway in Hiccup's opinion. At least it was pretty funny.

"So tell them all I'm on my way, new friends and new places to see, and to sleep under the stars, who could ask for more, with the moon keeping watch over me?" they finished, and Jack instantly burst out laughing, causing Hiccup's lips to form into a bright grin. Jack's laughter and smiles were really infectious.

"I can't believe that just happened" he choked out, sounding breathless from the laughing fit. "I actually just had a Disney duet with a Viking" he chuckled.

"I know, right? Cherish it for the rest of your life, Snowball" Hiccup replied in amusement.

"How do you even know that song?" Jack asked in disbelief, unable to remove the grin from his face.

"I've seen plenty of Disney films with Rapunzel" He answered and smiled. Rapunzel absolutely adored Disney films, and Hiccup and Fishlegs found them quite amusing too, so they sometimes watched one or two when they spent time at Rapunzel's house.

"Well, it's good to know that she's been educating you and Fishlegs' properly…you must have seen that one a lot though to know the lyrics"

"Not really. I just have a very good memory" Hiccup replied and shrugged.

"You must have to remember something like that…although it is a good song"

"It is" Hiccup agreed and smiled.

He managed to convince Jack to get back to working on their assignment for the 30 minutes that were left before dinner, and they actually succeeded in working efficiently without goofing off even more, which was somewhat of a triumph. After all, they really enjoyed talking with each other and joking around, so it was easier to just do that than focus on homework. Right now though, it was necessary for the both of them to concentrate on this.

When it was time for dinner, they quickly packed their stuff and headed towards the Great Hall, shooting sarcastic remarks at each other and nudging each other's shoulders playfully.  
As they reached the massive entrance to the familiar Hall, they both stopped and looked at each other with genuine smiles tugging their lips upwards.

"Well, see ya tomorrow Hic" Jack said cheerfully and his face lit up in a bright grin, flashing those incredibly white, straight teeth.

"I know…I'll never get rid of you, Snær Flekkr*" he replied teasingly and then quickly added "See you" and instantly turned around, walking towards the Ravenclaw table, before Jack could manage to throw some clever retort back at him.

As he spotted Fishlegs and Rapunzel sitting by their House table, Rapunzel in the middle of a laughter fit, the corner of her eyes crinkling and a hand over her mouth, while Fishlegs was watching her with amusement evident on his features, he felt that familiar tug of affection in his heart. When he approached his two friends, they both looked at him with warm smiles on their faces, as he sat down next to Fishlegs, who seemed to have just poured a lot of food on to his plate.

"Hi guys" he said happily and smiled.

"Hey Hiccup" Fishlegs greeted him, and Rapunzel threw him a warm "Hi"

"How did it go with Booker in Care of Magical Creatures?" Hiccup asked Rapunzel straight away, eager to know what had happened, while reaching out and grabbing a pitcher of water.

"Uhm…" Rapunzel started. Well, that wasn't good, he already knew, as he poured water into his cup and then put the pitcher down on the wooden surface.

"Well…I sort of told him that he needs to do more work for this assignment, but he wasn't too receptive…" She explained and waved a hand a little in a dismissive gesture.

"I'll talk to him then" Hiccup said, even though he knew Rapunzel would not like that. Well…he was not looking forward to it either, but it obviously had to be done now.

"Actually, you don't have to…Jack has kind of already taken care of it" she replied hesitantly and observed him with those green eyes of hers.

"What?" Well, now he was genuinely confused. Jack had talked to Booker?

"Well…today at class he pulled Booker aside and had a word with him. He thought I didn't see it but I did. I have no idea what he said to him, but afterwards Booker apologized to me and promised to do his part of the work" Rapunzel explained with a small smile curving her lips.

"Okay…that's interesting" He managed to say. He wondered what Jack had told Booker, and why he had chosen to interfere. Sure, Hiccup and Rapunzel had told him about her problems with the lazy guy, but why had Jack thought that somehow concerned him? Not that Hiccup minded…it was kind of sweet that Jack had chosen to put Booker in his place to make things easier for Rapunzel. It was just a bit strange at the same time.

Hiccup cast a glance at the Gryffindor table, where Jack was obviously entertaining his close friends with some kind of funny story. Jack's eyes were wide in amusement and he gestured eagerly with his hands, while his friends smiled and chuckled at him. Hiccup felt a smile grace his lips as he continued to observe Jack for a few moments. He found himself thinking that he couldn't wait to spend more time with the guy.

There was definitely something about Jack that was drawing him in.

* * *

Jack had enjoyed dinner as usual among his friends, and now that things were less tense between him and Astrid, he even shot the her a small smile when he suddenly met her eyes from down the table. She gave him a small smile in return, before continuing her conversation with her friend Katie. It sort of seemed like they had reached a kind of understanding now. They both cared about Hiccup. Sure, Astrid had a history with him and knew him way better than Jack did, but still…Even though he hadn't known Hiccup for long he definitely cared about him.

He reached out towards a tray and stabbed a piece of roast chicken with his fork, before bringing it to his plate. He took a small bite of it, while listening with one ear to the conversation currently taking place between Mavis and Flynn about how that brunette girl Flynn was after was seemingly immune to his charms. He smiled in amusement to himself.

As he took a sip of his pumpkin juice, he thought about Hiccup and how they had parted a little while ago. Hiccup had quickly walked away, so he hadn't seen the huge smile that had spread across Jack's face. Hiccup had given him an old norse nickname. Granted, he had no idea what it meant, but that didn't matter. It was a sign that Hiccup had opened up to him even more and that was important progress. The nickname could mean "infected pile of dragon dung" for all he cared. It was another step towards a genuine friendship forming, and he suddenly felt that inexplicable surge of warmth spread inside him and make him feel oddly content.

He had really enjoyed their study time together, and he had found out even more about Hiccup. It was sort of like collecting a lot of small puzzle pieces, and Jack was hoping that in time he would get to at least put most of the puzzle together. He was surprised that Hiccup had agreed to tell him about some of his previous romantic experiences. Sure, Jack didn't make it easy on the poor guy, as he was teasing him incessantly, trying to get him to spill it, but still…he could have refused if he really wanted to. Jack hadn't actually been sure what to expect from Hiccup when it came to romance…a part of him had kind of expected him to be quite inexperienced and another part had told him that Hiccup was full of surprises, so he should never make assumptions. He had definitely been beyond shocked that he had kissed both Astrid and Rapunzel, and what was even weirder was his initial reaction to it – a mix of annoyance, amusement and confusion. Somehow, he had wanted to tease Hiccup about it, wanted to ask him more about it and wanted to avoid talking about it and ignore it completely all at the same time. It was really confusing having contradictory feelings like that and Jack had no idea what it meant, so he decided to push it down…at least for now. It could just be his protective instinct messing with him again.

After dinner, Jack had quickly gone to the owlery to send a letter to Emma and one to Anna and North as well. He had made sure to ask Emma why she had detention and to his own surprise, he had decided to tell her that he had made a new friend. In his letter to Anna and North he quickly updated them on the basics, like how he liked his classes and how his friends were doing. He also made sure to let them know that he missed them.  
When he was back in the Gryffindor common room, he slumped down onto the comfortable, red couch in front of the fireplace. He leaned against the back of it, enjoying the relaxed feel of his back and shoulders immediately becoming less tense.

Merida and Mavis had not stayed up long to talk, as they were both exhausted and had chosen to go to bed early. Jack and Flynn had decided to stay up. They'd been joined by Liam and Jim, and Jack was more than happy to catch up with them on how everything was going. Apparently Jim and Hayley had worked out their differences and were back together, which made Jack smile as his friend was practically beaming with happiness. As the hours went by, the four boys' conversation had somehow turned to the topic of Care of Magical Creatures, and the Gryffindor common room was almost deserted except for a few other students lounging about.  
They were joined by Brandon and Alan, two fellow Gryffindors a year younger than them. They didn't know them that well, but they seemed like nice guys in general. After a few minutes of casual smalltalk, Brandon threw an unexpected question at Jack.

"So Jack...What are you doing with Haddock all of the sudden?" he asked, tilting his head a little to one side.

"What do you mean?" Jack replied in genuine confusion. He had a bad feeling about this.

"I mean, what's the point of it?" Brandon asked, and Jack immediately felt annoyed by this. Brandon clearly disliked Hiccup for some reason. He cast a quick glance as Flynn who was frowning now.

"Uuh…the point is that Hiccup is a great guy and he's fun to hang out with?" Jack replied and shrugged as if it was obvious…which it was to him. Flynn hummed in agreement next to him.

"What? You're not trying to get him to spill something about dragons?" Brandon asked, seeming genuinely confused, his brow furrowed.

"What? No!" Jack instantly said. "I like hanging out with him, that's all". Why did everyone seemed to think that he had some kind of ulterior motive for spending time with Hiccup? Was that really all that people cared about..getting information about the dragons, and then it didn't matter that Hiccup might be bothered or hurt by it? Jack frowned. He could understand Hiccup's paranoia more and more...

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, why?" Jack replied and furrowed his own brow. He really didn't like the guy's tone of voice and his expression right now. He didn't like Hiccup. That much was obvious. Why though, Jack had no idea.

"He's just annoying, that's all" Brandon said casually and shrugged as if it was no big deal. 'You're annoying' Jack thought to himself in irritation.

"No, he isn't" Jack said defiantly and crossed his arms defensively.

"Well, I think he is" Brandon shot back, not bothering to hide the slight irritation that was now lacing his voice.

"Why?" Flynn asked calmly. Jack cast a quick glance at Liam and Jim who had both remained silent, but observed the tension between Jack, Flynn and Brandon with obvious discontent. Jack was pretty sure that they were a little annoyed with Brandon right now too.

Brandon seemed to contemplate his answer for a few moments. Jack really wasn't looking forward to this, as he just knew that he was going to be even more irritated.

"He's just such a damn know-it-all…and that sarcasm shit he always pulls…as if he's so funny".

Yup. He was definitely more annoyed now.

"Well, keep shit like that to yourself. I like Hiccup" Jack's snapped and narrowed his eyes a little.

"Me too" Flynn said in agreement.

"Whatever" Brandon said dismissively and shrugged. Then he got up and walked towards the dormitories, apparently finished with this conversation, which Jack didn't mind at all.

"What was his problem?" Flynn said to the others.

Alan shrugged. "I don't know…apparently he just doesn't like Haddock"

"Well, we do" Flynn said and Jack quickly nodded.

"Hey, I don't mind him" Alan said slightly defensively and raised his hands in a surrendering gesture.

Jack and Flynn both instantly smiled.

"Sorry, Alan. We're just pretty protective of our friends" Jack explained calmly. Flynn nodded next to him.

Alan gave them a genuine smile in response. "That's all right, I feel the same way…and me and Brandon aren't really friends, he's a bit of a git to be honest"

"He sure is…" Jack eagerly agreed. He was hoping he would not be hearing things like that from Brandon again. He liked Hiccup…a lot…and that also meant feeling protective of him. He wouldn't stand for anyone talking badly about the guy, who was quickly becoming very dear to him.

**Author's note:**

Explanations and translations:

Meinfretr: Means "stinkfart" in old norse

Vitskertr: Means "halfwit" in old norse.

Baulufotr: Means "cow foot" in old norse.

(These might not be accurate. I don't speak Old Norse).


	7. Protective instinct

**Author's note:**

Hi everyone! :) This is the newest chapter.

Hiccup and Fishlegs have fighting skills in my story. They obviously aren't some kind of super warriors, but they know how to use weapons and how to handle themselves in a fight. Despite Hiccup being scrawny and clumsy in the first HTTYD movie, he clearly grew out of that in the second one, and that's how he is in this story :) I don't like fics where Hiccup is portrayed as completely weak and cowardly, always needing someone to save him while he cries in a corner. That's not the Hiccup I see in the movies. Despite his lack of physical strength in the first movie he still risks his life several times, the last time to save the people he cares about. That's not the actions of a weak coward. People should give him more credit. Also, he is the kind of person who would want to be able to defend himself, if he should somehow lose his wand or have it taken from him in a fight, not only to protect himself but also those he cares about (Sorry that was a bit of a rant) :D

* * *

_It was cold. It was dark. And he was scared.  
_

_The icy water had invaded his skin, excruciating arctic fire burning, seeping into every pore, making his whole being constrict in agony and shock. Nothing existed but darkness and cold.  
_

_An unknown force pushed him, shoved him away from the dark depths. The brightness of the light hurt his eyes, the sharp aches stabbed through his limbs. His lungs gasped for air, instantly hurting.  
_

_The sound of ice cracking, budging, had never been so terrifying. It was the sound of death. The screams of his parents sliced through the silence of the crisp air, as they were flailing around in the freezing, deadly water, desperately trying to escape its fatal grip. Their eyes wide with fear of the approaching darkness.  
_

_His sister's brown eyes brimmed with horror and unshed tears.  
_

_Ripples in the traitorous water. Remnants of his parents.  
_

_Then nothing but cold. Comforting, drowsy, shielding cold that made all terror disappear, replacing it with the urge to sleep, to lay down his weary head and give up. To end everything. Darkness had never been so comforting.  
_

Jack woke up with a start and instantly felt his covers and his clothes clinging to his sticky skin. He was bathed in cold sweat, leaving him in some strange mix between wanting to kick off the covers and take off his clothes and wanting to crawl further underneath them, looking for that familiar safe warmth. It had been a long time since he had had this nightmare…at least five months now. As the years went by, they became less and less frequent.

He ran a hand through his sweat drenched hair and dried off his hand in his pajama pants to get rid of that clammy feeling on his palm. The nightmares always seemed so real. It was like reliving it all over again and it made that horrible, familiar swirling of guilt and grief appear in his gut, turning it to knots. He turned on his side and reached out his hand to grab the small familiar object laying on his nightstand. As his hand closed around it, he inspected it for a few moments, considering if he should do this or not. Right now he didn't feel like it, but he also knew that he had to keep his promise, if he expected her to keep hers. Which he did. He pressed the button and then put it down on the nightstand once again, before quickly taking the clean, dry T-shirt on the chair next to his bed. He pulled off his sweat-drenched shirt and relished the relief of that unpleasant stickiness being lessened. Then he put on the dry, clean T-shirt and enjoyed the replacement.

Whenever he had one of these dreams about his parents' death, he would feel emotionally drained and fragile afterwards and now was no exception. He was already mentally exhausted.

He exited the dormitory and walked down the creaking old staircase towards the common room. As he entered the warm, cosy room, he instantly spotted that head of familiar black hair that belonged to his friend, who was sitting on one of the couches. Mavis' gave him a genuine but slightly worried smile, as he approached her. She was still wearing her sleeping clothes, black and red striped pajama bottoms and an oversize black T-shirt, as she sat on the couch with her legs crossed.

"Hey" she said soothingly, the corners of her lips tugged upwards, and her warm blue eyes watching him intently.

"Hey" he replied and slumped down on the soft, red couch. He pulled up his legs on the piece of furniture and crossed his legs, sitting in the same way Mavis' was.

"It's been a while". Mavis' voice was gentle and soft. She tucked a lock of black hair behind one ear.

"Yeah…like…five months now" Jack said.

"That's something…at least more and more time passes between them"

"Yeah…what about you?"

"Come on, Jack…you know when the last time was. I keep my promises" Mavis replied, shooting him a look that told him that he should know better.

He smiled softly. "Yeah, I know…that was a stupid question"

"So…tell me about it" she inquired, tilting her head a little and resting her elbows on her knees.

As Jack once again told Mavis about one of his nightmare, she listened attentively, her eyes conveying the sympathy and concern within. She remained quiet as Jack spoke, nodding slowly once in a while or humming to let him know that she understood. Jack had told her about this particular nightmare so many times during the years, that she knew it all too well, but his friend still insisted that he talked about it in depth, whenever he had had that awful dream. He didn't like talking about it, but he had to admit that he always felt a little better afterwards, so he did it every time anyway. He knew that Mavis understood. Her mother had died in a fire when she was six years old, and she still had nightmares about that once in a while. When they had found out that they were both plagued by the past at night, they had made an agreement. They would wake the other every time it happened and meet up in the common room to talk about it and find some peace of mind again. It definitely helped having someone support him, someone who knew what it was like, who also leaned on him in return for support sometimes, and Jack knew that Mavis felt the same way.

When they finished their long talk on horrors of the past and the uncomfortable feelings that followed, Mavis pulled him into a tight hug. She rested her head of black hair on his shoulder. Jack leaned his face on the side of Mavis' head and smelled the familiar scent of her coconut shampoo. He did find some comfort in the familiar warmth of his friend, but unfortunately her affection didn't quell the grief and guilt within him. Once again though, like so many times before, he found himself appreciating Mavis' friendship and her kind nature immensely.

"You know I love you, right?" he heard her gentle voice whisper.

"I know…I love me too" he replied, not having lost his sense of humor despite the solemn mood. Mavis hit him on the arm but didn't break the hug.

"Sorry. I love you too, Mav. You know I do" he said and smiled to himself. He squeezed her tighter for a few seconds before letting go.

As they had gone back to their separate dormitories and Jack was once again lying in his bed, he was disappointed that he didn't have any more Dreamless Sleep lying around. He made a mental note to get some extra vials as soon as possible. It was a good thing to have in his nightstand after a nightmare.

Jack tossed and turned in his bed for a while, his mind occupied with thoughts of his parents, of Emma, and of North and Anna, despite feeling better after having spoken to Mavis. When he finally managed to fall into a deep slumber, he had pleasant dreams of deep green pine forests.

* * *

Breakfast was not a very pleasant experience this particular morning. It had started out great, as he had actually gotten more sleep than usual between his nightly flight and his morning flight with Toothless and also because he was going to have Building, Managing and Repairing Magical Objects today, where he would be able to finish working on the bow for Merida. He was really excited about it and was a bit nervous about what she would think of it. He had gotten to know her a bit better during the past couple of weeks, as he and his friends had hung out with Jack and his friends more, often spending time together during- and after classes. He found that Merida reminded him a lot of Astrid…strong, confident, fiercely loyal and protective of those she cared about. All good qualities in a friend. He was hoping that the bow would live up to her expectations. Hiccup was also feeling quite excited about the Quidditch match later today, where Jack, Merida, Astrid and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team had to go up against the Slytherins.

As breakfast continued in the Great Hall though, his mood had changed. He was used to Jack and his friends being here later than him, Fishlegs and Rapunzel. Jack would always wave at him and grin brightly, before he and the others took their seats among the other Gryffindors, so it confused him when he spotted Mavis, Merida and Flynn entering the hall and making their way towards their table without Jack anywhere in sight.

Hiccup currently found himself pushing eggs and toast around on his plate with his fork without eating much, having sort of lost his appetite. He glared almost resentfully at his food, as if it was somehow to blame for his current predicament and he tuned out the loud sounds of clinking cutlery, plates scraping across table surfaces, and excited chatter. He was worried. Jack being absent from breakfast was very unusual in itself. He loved those damn pancakes too much despite his obvious disdain for getting up in the morning. Hiccup found himself reflecting on how strange it was that he had gotten so used to him and Jack exchanging smiles and waves at every meal that it now just seemed weird that Jack suddenly wasn't here.

Hiccup lifted his mug and took a sip of his juice, enjoying the fresh, tangy taste of fruit despite his loss of appetite, while listening with one ear to Fishlegs' and Rapunzel's discussion on the items in the package she had received this morning from her parents. Apparently there was a very interesting book on magical creatures among the items that Fishlegs was eager to borrow once Rapunzel had read it. He remained silent through most of the meal, only throwing in an occasional comment or joke when he felt like it.

"Hiccup, what's wrong?" Fishlegs asked with concern.

"I'm just a little worried" he replied truthfully, putting his toast back on his plate, not wanting to take another bite of it.

"Why?" Rapunzel interjected, tilting her head.

"Well…Jack isn't here…and he's always at breakfast" Hiccup explained uncertainly, very aware that it might sound strange that his mood was so affected by this.

Fishlegs and Rapunzel both turned their heads and shot a quick glance at the Gryffindor table, where Jack's three best friends were eating and engaging in friendly conversation. They seemed less cheerful this morning than usual, but Hiccup had no idea if it was because something had happened to Jack, or if it was just because Jack was so good at spreading joy all around him that his absence would always cause a little drop in the mood.

Rapunzel's lips twitched in a small but warm smile. "I'm sure he's fine, Hiccup" she said reassuringly and reached out her arm across the table to give his hand a squeeze.

"Yeah, it's probably nothing" Fishlegs added and shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right. I just worry too much…you know…thinking that something might have happened" Hiccup replied quietly, knowing that his friends already knew this.

"We know" Fishlegs said affectionately with a smile, confirming Hiccup's thoughts. Rapunzel nodded.

"You're going to see him in class in a little while" Rapunzel told him, before taking a sip of her tea and her bright green eyes conveyed that optimism of hers that always seemed to make him feel better. Of course she was right…and then he could see Jack for himself and confirm that nothing was wrong…that he was just being too paranoid and serious as usual, whenever something happened that was out of the ordinary.

"Yeah…" Hiccup said and nodded in response. "You're right, I should just relax"

"You definitely should" Fishlegs replied with mirth in his blue eyes.

"Hey, I can't help it that I'm such a good friend that I worry about all of you" Hiccup shot back with a tiny smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"No, but you should take it easy sometimes, Hiccup. When something unusual happens, it doesn't have to be because someone's been kidnapped or they've just discovered they have six months to live" Rapunzel retorted with a fond smile tugging her lips upwards. Fishlegs chuckled next to her.

"I know that" Hiccup replied insistently, but couldn't help but smile a little too. "But point taken".

His friends' reassuring words had eased Hiccup's mind a little and he found himself enjoying the rest of breakfast more than before he had shared his thoughts with them. They were usually always able to make him feel better when he was in a bad mood. They quickly became engulfed in discussion and friendly banter and when Rapunzel made Hiccup spit out a little fruit juice because of a witty comment that caused him a laughter fit, he found himself feeling a lot more relaxed and less worried.

* * *

As Hiccup had taken his seat by one of the tables in the classroom, he placed his black satchel on the wooden surface and rummaged around in it, before pulling out his textbook, some parchment and a quill. He flipped the book open to the pages needed for today's lesson and quickly scanned the words on the pages with his green eyes to refresh what he had already read yesterday. He liked being prepared and when your mind was a little tired in the morning, it certainly didn't hurt to revisit your homework before class. It also didn't hurt to keep his mind occupied until Jack got here.

As the minutes ticked by, students slowly began filling the classroom, and Hiccup waved and smiled at Astrid, who flashed him a bright smile in response as she appeared alongside Megan and Katie, before taking her seat by a table a few rows back. He turned his attention back to the large black textbook, but he was only able to read for a few minutes more, before his focus was pulled towards someone who sat down next to him.

He met Jack's familiar eyes and Jack gave him a small, strained smile and said "Mornin' Hic" as usual. But Hiccup noticed the difference from all the other mornings. Jack's eyes were dull, a huge contrast to the usual spark and mirth they held, his white hair was disheveled as if he had just woken up, and he had dark circles under his eyes, marring his usually flawless skin. Hiccup didn't need to ask him what was wrong. He recognized the signs of nightmares right away.

"Good morning Jack" he replied warmly despite his inner worry.

Jack nodded briefly before breaking eye contact. He rubbed his eyes with the sleeves of his robe and then let out a long yawn, before rubbing his entire face quickly with his palms in a gesture that seemed both frustrated and impatient. Then Jack let his hands drop to his sides and sighed deeply, as he glared at the table in front of him. Hiccup frowned. Based on Jack's behavior, he was guessing that his nightmares were recurring ones…ones that popped up once in a while, reminding him of something horrible that Jack couldn't do squat about…that would explain the current aggravation. Hiccup had recurring nightmares himself, so he could definitely relate. This really wasn't what Jack needed today of all days…he had a Quidditch match later.

Hiccup glanced at Merida and Flynn, who were having a discussion with each other and Jim, but also shooting quick looks at their friend, obviously keeping an eye on him.

"Hey…" Hiccup said soothingly, lowering his voice to a whisper and watching Jack in concern. "Are you okay?"

Jack met his eyes again and a tiny flicker of a smile settled on his lips. "Yeah…I'll be okay" Jack said softly.

Hiccup nodded. "If you want to talk about it some time, I'm here…I know what it's like to have nightmares…even recurring ones" he told him.

Surprise flashed in Jack's eyes, confirming Hiccup's guess. Jack watched him intently for a few moments in silence, probably trying to figure out how Hiccup knew what had kept him up.

"Thanks, Hic…" Jack then replied quietly. "How did you know?"

"I can just tell…you know…by the way you look, the way you're acting…" Hiccup explained, not sure if that sounded strange.

Jack shook his head slowly to himself, while a small smile graced his lips. He was clearly a little amused by Hiccup's answer and that pleased him. He wanted to cheer Jack up after all.

"You're too observant for your own good, Hic"

Hiccup smiled at Jack's comment. "Well, one of us has to be" he replied teasingly.

Jack scoffed. "I'm observant"

"Sure you are Snow-White" Hiccup said condescendingly, trying to push Jack's buttons to distract him from his current problems.

"Hey, don't be like that just because you're envious of my youth and beauty" Jack shot back and a little amusement was now evident in his tired blue eyes.

"Right…Nothing gets past you, Eagle Eye" Hiccup deadpanned.

As professor Bunnymund entered the classroom and made his way towards the desk, Jack, Hiccup and the rest of the students quickly became quiet, ceasing all talking.  
The muscular Australian professor with the characteristic dark blue hair watched the students for a few moments in silence, before sitting down on top of his desk instead of the chair behind it.

"Today we're going to focus on the Levicorpus spell. I'll be giving a lecture on the history and the practical uses for this particular spell and then you'll be pairing up and practicing it on each other. And as usual….no other spells besides this one or it's three weeks detention" the professor explained sternly with his usual air of authority.

As professor Bunnymund began his lecture on the Levicorpus spell, Hiccup expertly used his skills of multitasking, as he eagerly scribbled down notes on his parchment, took in all the information their professor told them and kept an eye on Jack all at the same time. He was actually a little proud of his abilities in this area. It had often proven very useful to him to be able to do several things at once.

Jack didn't seem to be paying much attention to the lecture, which was to be expected. He regularly rubbed his eyes and covered his mouth with a hand and yawned. Hiccup really wished that he could help Jack.

When their Australian professor finished his lecture, he told them to pair up with someone and begin practicing the spell on each other. As they had gotten used to doing over the past weeks, Hiccup and Jack quickly paired up together.

As they got to their feet, the noise of students suddenly talking and chairs scraping across the stone floor echoing all around them, Hiccup shot Jack a worried look.  
"Jack, are you sure you're up for this?" he asked his friend. Jack shouldn't strain himself right now.

"Yeah yeah, it's fine Hic" Jack replied dismissively and gave him a small but genuine smile to reassure him.

The two of them took their places in one of the corners of the large classroom, not too far away from Merida and Flynn, who were already eying each other in obvious challenge, competing as always to see who could get the upper hand.

"Okay, well…you want to start?" Hiccup asked Jack uncertainly, as he pulled out his own wand from a pocket in his robes. Jack quickly did the same. He still wasn't sure if Jack should be practicing magic right now. He was not only exhausted but also distracted and that could sometimes cause unexpected results when it came to magic…after all, the ancient power could be temperamental.

"Yeah, sure" Jack replied without much emotion and raised his wand towards Hiccup.

"Levicorpus" Jack spoke confidently despite his exhaustion and Hiccup instantly felt himself being lifted up by his feet and suddenly he was hanging upside down in the air, facing away from Jack.

He could hear Jack chuckle and he found that comforting.

"That's a good look on you, Hic"

"Really? I've never actually considered adopting the whole upside down look…being a little impractical as it is, you know" Hiccup deadpanned.

"Well, you should think about it. This way no girls can see your face. That should be a definite plus for you" Jack said teasingly and Hiccup was kind of relieved that he was apparently already in a better mood.

"Right now I can't really see your face either, so I guess there _are_ certain advantages to this"

Jack scoffed. "Like you wouldn't miss my face like crazy"

"Hmm…I guess you're right. After all, it's nice to be reminded that someone's worse looking than yourself" Hiccup shot back, trying to rile Jack up.

"What?!" Jack said indignantly, but then couldn't suppress a chuckle.

"Hey Frost, looks like you've caught a Viking?" Merida interjected, watching Jack and Hiccup in amusement.

"Yeah, I'm thinking about keeping him actually. Maybe he can be trained?"

"I'm definitely _not_ trainable, Snowcone" Hiccup insisted, now beginning to feel a little nauseous from hanging upside down for a while. The blood was rushing to his head, making dizziness tug at the corners of his mind.

"Did you hear something, Mer?" Jack asked her innocently.

"No, I don't think so, Frosty…it was probably just the wind" Merida said, sounding just as innocent.

"Heeey!" Hiccup exclaimed in protest, making Jack and Merida laugh heartily. Apparently Flynn was joining in now too. Hiccup recognized his laughter by now, even though he couldn't see him.

Suddenly Hiccup was flung through the air and into one of the stone walls of the classroom, before he could even comprehend what was happening. He felt an instant jolt of pain zap violently through his back, as he was slammed against the hard surface, before slumping down on the floor. His body ached from the impact and he couldn't contain a pained groan, but he quickly regained his composure and rolled onto his side, so he wouldn't be laying face down, not able to see anything.

"Hiccup, are you okay?" he heard Astrid's familiar voice say in concern, and he lifted his head to meet her sky blue eyes, that seemed to be looking him over for injuries.  
"Yeah…" he said hesitantly, still very confused about what had happened. Astrid closed her hand around his arm and pulled him up. He appreciated that, since he was a bit dizzy.

When he was on his feet again, although unsure because of the dizziness, he noticed Jack, Merida and Flynn standing in front of him, all looking very shocked and concerned.

"Hic, I'm so sorry!" Jack blurted out, his blue eyes wide in mortification. Ah, okay…Jack had accidentally done something to send him flying through the air. That made sense, considering Jack's current state.

"It's okay Jack…" Hiccup replied calmly, now beginning to feel a headache approaching. He felt Astrid's hand squeeze his shoulder a little in a comforting gesture and let her hand rest there. "But what happened?" he asked, even though he already knew the basics.

"I'm not sure" Jack replied honestly. "We were just kidding around and apparently I did something with my wand that caused this" Jack finished quietly, breaking eye contact.

Hiccup felt Astrid's grip on his shoulder tighten a little and he didn't have to ask her to know what she was thinking. She was clearly conflicted, as she was annoyed with Jack for hurting him, but at the same time she was a logical person despite her overprotectiveness…she knew it had been an accident, so she couldn't actually be angry with Jack. Hiccup briefly met her eyes and a small smile graced his lips to reassure her that he was fine. She returned it warmly and her grip loosened once again.

"Don't worry about it" he told Jack and rubbed his forehead with one hand. His head was now throbbing, an incessant ache pulsing through every vessel of his brain, and his back was feeling very sore. He decided to push it down though. He didn't want to make Jack feel even worse.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Astrid asked him, not sounding completely convinced, as she removed her hand from his shoulder. "Maybe you should go to the hospital wing to get checked out, just in case"

"I'm fine, Astrid." Hiccup replied and waved a hand dismissively. He did not want to go to the hospital wing for something as minor as this.

"Hic, maybe you should-" Jack began uncertainly.

"Jack, no. I'm fine, okay? Don't worry" he replied firmly.

"Okay…" Jack seemed very hesitant and his blue eyes were still watching him intently with worry evident in them. Merida and Flynn did the same thing, although trying to be more discreet about it.

"Anyway…let's just get back to practicing" Hiccup said, not wanting to spend more time dealing with this.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked him.

"Yes, I'm very sure"

As they returned to where they had been standing before all of this happened, Hiccup and Jack took turns lifting each other up using the Levicorpus spell. Luckily the rest of the class went by without any more accidents, which Hiccup was grateful for. His headache slowly subsided and now there was only a faint, dull ache left, reminding him of what had happened. He and Jack shot sarcastic comments at each other as usual, but with a little less eagerness, as Jack was still exhausted and now also feeling guilty and Hiccup was dealing with the aches in his head and his back.

When professor Bunnymund dismissed the class, they all quickly packed their stuff into their bags and made their way out of the classroom. Jack sighed next to him, as he and the others walked comfortably next to each other on their way to their next classes. Hiccup had Building, Managing and Repairing Magical Objects next which he was really looking forward to, despite his current state after being slammed into a wall. Jack and Flynn had Care of Magical Creatures while Merida apparently had Astronomy next. Hiccup, Jack and Flynn however were heading in the same direction for a little while.

Jack sighed deeply as he ran a hand through his hair and continued to walk next to Hiccup. Flynn gave Jack's shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"You can get a copy of my notes by the way" Hiccup told Jack, trying to cheer him up. He had noticed that Jack hadn't written anything in class, so he would probably need some notes for later.

"Well thanks Hic, but in case you didn't know, I can't read runes"

"I know that, Jack…which is why I wrote them in plain letters this time" he replied and nudged Jack's shoulder playfully. As soon as he noticed in class that Jack wasn't able to pay attention, he decided to help him out, abandoning writing in runes as usual.

"Thanks, Hic" Jack replied genuinely and a small smile curved his lips upwards.

"No problem, Frostbite"

"Frostbite, huh?" Jack asked with an eyebrow raised in amusement. Hiccup heard Flynn chuckle.

"Yeah, you know…because you're a bit of pain to be around" Hiccup explained, gesturing with his hands as if it was obvious.

"Is that so?" Jack asked curiously, a faint smile gracing his lips.

"Oh yes…"

"You know…you could have fooled me, Hic. You seem quite fond of me actually"

"Yeah, well…I needed to gain your trust in order to lure you into a trap, you know" Hiccup replied and smiled evilly, rubbing his hands together slowly in a menacing gesture.

"So you're actually just trying to rob the world of all of this?" Jack asked and gestured to himself.

"Yes. I was paid handsomely by one of your enemies to get rid of you"

"…It was Merida, wasn't it?"

"Oh yes. She's finally had enough of your smug attitude" Hiccup retorted.

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted that crumb spitting Scot" Jack said and threw his hands up in mock frustration, causing Flynn to chuckle and Hiccup to feel a grin spread across his face.

As they continued on their way through the old passageways of the castle, several students threw greetings at the three of them, which surprised Hiccup. Sure, people were approaching him a lot these days, but he wasn't used to being greeted this much while he was just on his way to classes. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was with Jack and Flynn now, and that the other students must have noticed how much time he was spending with them?

As Jack and Flynn needed to head outside for Care of Magical Creatures they split up by one of the exits to a courtyard. They agreed to meet up after classes by the lake and spend some time together before the Quidditch match later today. Because of the match they only had a few classes today, but Jack explained that he and Merida definitely still needed to relax a little, before having to deal with the Slytherins on the Quidditch pitch.

As Hiccup made his way towards Building, Managing and Repairing Magical Objects, he was lost in his own thoughts. He adjusted his satchel on his shoulder to let it hang more comfortably, while thinking that his back was still quite sore from the impact with the stone wall. Jack really shouldn't have participated in the class, but on the other hand…no one could have known what would happen and it wasn't like Hiccup was seriously injured or anything. He was pretty sure that he had some ugly bruises though.

He was pulled out of his thoughts, as he overheard some giggling girls walking in front of him, two Gryffindors and two Hufflepuffs from the looks of their uniforms. They were a few years younger than him, so he didn't really know any of them. Usually, he didn't really focus very much on other students' conversations in the hallways, but these girls' exchange of words caught his attention.

"- so cute that it's almost unbearable" a light girly voice pouted.

"Yeah…and that snow-white hair…it's beautiful" another girl's voice sighed in adoration.

Hiccup chuckled discreetly. He obviously knew that Jack had fangirls, but it was still amusing listening to giggling schoolgirls talking about his friend, as if he was the only person that existed in the world.

"One time he actually talked to me…" one of the Hufflepuff girls told the others. "And I felt butterflies in my stomach" she finished.

Hiccup shook his head slowly to himself in amusement, as he continued to walk behind the group of girls, their long hair flowing down their backs as they moved forwards. Gods, he hoped he would never overhear a conversation like that about himself. He wasn't at all sure he could handle that amount of awkwardness and embarrassment all at once.

"I think if he ever talked to me, my ovaries would explode" a red-haired Hufflepuff girl said, making the other girls to giggle loudly.

Hiccup burst into an uncontrollable coughing fit right then and there and stopped in his tracks. The four girls instantly froze and looked over their shoulders and the red-head who had made that particular comment was clearly in shock, her eyes wide in silent mortification. They all turned towards Hiccup, as they continued to stare at him, the red-head in particular. She probably knew that Jack and Hiccup hung out now…since everyone seemed to have noticed that…and was worried that she would end up being completely embarrassed and humiliated in front of her crush, he quickly mused, while he got his coughing under control. Well…this was awkward.

His thoughts were confirmed a few seconds later, as the red-head's cheeks flushed in a deep pink color. "Oh god…" she said regretfully. "Please don't tell him" she practically begged him and he immediately felt sorry for her. She was obviously very uncomfortable, and he didn't like making people feel anxious like that.

A small, genuine smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Don't worry about it. I won't tell him" he told the girl reassuringly, and she instantly visibly relaxed.

"Thank you Hiccup" she said honestly, using his first name despite them being strangers and giving him a warm smile in return. He still had a little trouble getting used to everyone knowing his name now.

"No problem" he replied in what he hoped was a friendly and casual tone, before continuing towards his destination, brushing past the group of girls who still hadn't moved. Despite his amusement, he could definitely understand how she felt. He would be beyond embarrassed if he had talked about a crush, and one of their friends had overheard it, so he wanted to ease the girl's troubles. He wasn't going to tell Jack about it, despite knowing that Jack would never do anything to humiliate someone who liked him.

When Hiccup had walked through several deserted corridors to get to the workshop, where Building, Managing and Repairing Magical Objects was taught, he entered the large room, and the familiar scents of sawdust, wood and paint filled his nostrils. He found the smells soothing, as he linked them to the joy of building and mending things, and it wasn't unusual that he got a few flashbacks to Gobber's workshop that he actually missed a lot when he was away from home.

The Hogwarts workshop was a large oval room with a high dome ceiling. It had several large square workstations scattered throughout the room in no particular order or pattern, where a vast array of tools were placed. Along the grey stone walls of the room, shelves and large dark cupboards were placed, filled with different containers and stacks of various materials like wood, leather, fabrics and paint. In the back of the room a lot of more unusual tools hung on the wall, only needed for special projects.

There were only two other students present when Hiccup walked through the doors. Liana Hayes was sitting at a workstation with her nose in a book, eagerly scanning the pages with her observant blue eyes. She was a skinny girl with long ash brown hair that flowed down her back in gentle waves and with a slight sprinkle of freckles on her nose and cheeks. The Hufflepuff had a quiet, shy demeanor and usually kept to herself in classes, and for that reason Hiccup had always felt a certain sympathy towards her. In some ways she reminded him of himself. They had spoken a few times, but it was not a regular occurrence. Stephen Lock was busy at another workstation scribbling down notes eagerly on some parchment and flicking through the pages of his textbook. Hiccup didn't really have anything to do with him, and only knew that the blonde Slytherin was quite talented at building things.

The large classroom also had a blackboard and a big mahogany desk for their professor. Despite being a very "hands on" class, where students spent most of their time working on the different objects, they also had lectures once in a while, where they learned different approaches to recognizing, building and repairing these objects of magic.

He quickly covered the distance to the workstation he preferred to work by, a table placed in the back of the class with as much distance as possible to the other students. Hiccup liked his privacy, when he worked on a project, as his concentration would be easily be broken if he found people observing him or somehow invading his personal bubble. He put his black satchel on the workstation and sat down on one of the stools around it. He pulled out his sketchbook from the black bag and began working on that sketch of Rapunzel and Fishlegs studying in one of the courtyards that he had sort of neglected working on lately. As he worked on the shadowing of Fishlegs' face, several other students entered the classroom and took their places at the workstations. Another thing Hiccup really liked about this class was the fact that they were only eight students in it. It was kind of nice to be so few, it gave the professor plenty of time to focus on every student and it also made the class a quiet, concentrated one.

After a few minutes that Hiccup spent sketching, Professor Cooke entered the classroom and took a seat by his desk. He was a kind, patient man in his 40's with dark brown, slightly curly hair and wise blue eyes that seemed to convey knowledge beyond his years. Hiccup liked the professor. He was never too busy to help a student out with something and he was a good teacher as well, able to explain even abstract concepts in ways everyone could understand.

Today's class was a lecture without any practical application, which was a shame in Hiccup's opinion, but on the other hand…theoretical sessions were necessary too. He regularly raised his hand and participated as professor Cooke relayed examples of several magical items, enchanted with different properties, and asked the students to identify the risks and traps of repairing these particular objects. After all…magic could be very temperamental, so repairing a magical item was not without risk, especially if you weren't sure what you were dealing with.

After class, Hiccup had asked professor Cooke if he could stay a while in the workshop and work on a project, and the professor had agreed without any hesitation. After all, it wasn't the first time Hiccup did that and professor Cooke seemed to approve of his eagerness and love of building things.

All students in this class had their own locked cupboard, where they could keep their projects between classes, and Hiccup headed towards his. He turned the key in the lock and gentle opened the cupboard, taking in the objects lying inside. He reached out his hand and closed it around the thing he was looking for and pulled out, closing the door to the cupboard with his other hand. He let his palm glide across the bow, enjoying the smooth feel of the reddish brown wood. He was almost done with Merida's bow and he was more than happy with how it had turned out. The bow was constructed in red oak wood with tips of darker cherry wood and it had engravings of Celtic symbol patterns in a slightly lighter nuance along the limbs. Merida hadn't actually told him about any specific design that she wanted, just that she would like a recurve bow, but he had decided to make it a bit more personalized. He knew that Merida was very proud of her ancient Scottish heritage, so he'd decided to do some research on ancient Celtic symbols and had designed a pattern out of some of the more well-known Celtic knot symbols. It had taken a long time to carefully carve them into the bow, but he was really pleased with the result. He had also fashioned some arrows out of the same red oak wood. Now all he needed was to fit the leather grip on the bow, so it would be nice and comfortable to hold with a tight grip, increasing the accuracy.

As he brought the bow to his workstation, he found himself hoping that Merida would like it. It was always kind of exciting to present a gift for someone that you'd made yourself. When he was about to exit the large workshop, satisfied with his finished work on Merida's bow, he spotted two items out of the corner of his eye. He stopped in his tracks and trained his green eyes on the objects. They were almost hidden under a piece of cloth, but he'd spotted them nonetheless. He'd seen them lying there several times, but he hadn't given it enough attention to actually see what it was before now. A playful smile spread across his lips, as he had an idea. When he left the classroom, he clutched the two objects in his other hand and grinned to himself.

* * *

Jack and his friends were sitting by the lake and just taking time to enjoy each other's company. He and Merida really needed to unwind a little before their Quidditch game against the Slytherins, and they expected their Ravenclaw friends to arrive as well any minute now. Jack enjoyed the gentle, crisp autumn breeze as it ruffled his white hair and left cooling touches on his pale skin.

Mavis was showing some of her newest sketches to Merida, who was observing the sketchbook with genuine interest, while chewing bubblegum. Jack and Flynn were relaxing, leaning against a massive oak tree and discussing Emma's latest letter, in which she had told Jack that she had once again gotten detention at school. This time though, it was because she had stuck up for someone who was being bullied and had apparently kicked the bully hard on the shin. As Jack relayed the events to Flynn, he couldn't keep the pride out of his voice. Sure, it wasn't a good thing that Emma got detention, but she had defended someone who needed it and that made him very proud of his sister.

Their attention was drawn towards the sound of feet running through the grass. They snapped their heads towards the sound, and two familiar guys came running past them at full speed all in a blur, their laughter echoing through the air. Jack saw the backs of Hiccup and Fishlegs as they ran towards the lake.

They all stared in confusion. Rapunzel appeared shortly after with Pascal on her shoulder. She had a fond smile on her face.

"What's going on?" Jack asked, truly confused as to what was happening.

Rapunzel sighed with laughter in her eyes. "They're fighting with wooden swords" she said. "They've been chasing each other around the grounds for 20 minutes now".

They all chuckled at that.

He certainly wasn't expecting that. As he turned his attention to Hiccup and Fishlegs again, they were running back towards them, Fishlegs still chasing Hiccup. Jack could now actually see them holding the wooden swords in their hands.

"Where did they get those?" Merida asked curiously, sounding like she wanted to join them. She probably did. Anything that entailed some kind of weapon, even a wooden one, was attractive to Merida.

"Hiccup stole them from the workshop. He said he and Fishlegs hadn't had a good swordfight in a while and he wanted to change that" Rapunzel explained with her brow furrowed in a disapproving gesture, but unable to keep the hint of amusement out of her voice. She petted Pascal for a brief moment.

"What? He stole them?" Jack asked in disbelief, as he stared at Hiccup and Fishlegs who were still running around.

Hiccup had just taken them? That sounded like something he himself would do. Maybe he was having a mischievous influence on Hiccup.

"Well, he said that technically he "borrowed" them…But he can actually be a real troublemaker when he wants to, Jack" Rapunzel replied with fondness and crossed her arms. Jack briefly wondered what else Hiccup had done over the years.

Jack and the others continued to watch Hiccup and Fishlegs chase each other back and forth across the ground by the shimmering lake. They were moving without difficulty, jumping over logs, dodging larger rocks and in general making good use of the terrain around them. It was truly heartwarming to see the playful, childish smile on Hiccup's face and hear his laughter echo through the air, as he continued to run away from Fishlegs, who was beginning to get a bit out of breath, his steps seeming more and more heavy and strained. Hiccup was definitely faster and in better shape.

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs yelled suddenly as he had stopped running and Hiccup froze in his tracks, a fair distance ahead of Fishlegs, and turned around slowly with a grin on his face.

"No more running. I challenge you!" Fishlegs shouted. His brow furrowed and he held out the wooden sword in Hiccup's direction, before he yelled something with mock aggression. Jack really wished that he understood old norse right now. Well, to be honest, he'd wished that several times since he started hanging out with Hiccup and his friends.

Hiccup's face split into a huge grin, before he managed to put it in serious folds. Hiccup's smile left Jack smiling too. Hiccup held out his own wooden sword, pointed straight towards Fishlegs. He narrowed his green eyes and shouted something in an authoritative, threatening voice that was deeply out of character for him.

It sounded strange to hear Hiccup speak so much old norse, but not in a bad way. It was impressive how easily the ancient, complicated language flowed from the his lips, as if it didn't require any effort at all.

Fishlegs couldn't contain the huge grin on his face. Laughter immediately escaped him. Jack wondered what Hiccup had said that was so funny. He'd have to ask, when they were done fighting. He didn't want to interrupt their playfulness right now, since they were clearly enjoying themselves, and it was pretty amusing to watch. Hiccup was showing a completely new side of himself. He was playful during their banter but Jack hadn't seen this child-like side of him before, and he was really enjoying it.

"Seriously, how do you come up with that shit?" Fishlegs asked Hiccup in a rare use of swears, breathless from laughter. Jack couldn't keep the bright grin off his face. Hiccup's and Fishlegs' laughter and smiles were infectious.

"I'm just that awesome. Now…come on, you _bacraut_!" Hiccup shouted in a challenge, and Fishlegs instantly charged towards him and lunged an attack on him. Hiccup managed to block with his own sword and a loud noise of wood clashing against wood filled the air. They began fighting each other now, eagerly stepping around their surroundings to dodge each other's attacks and thrusting their weapons forward in forceful strikes, trying to take down their opponent.

"Do you understand any of those words?" Flynn asked Rapunzel in curiosity.

"I only know some words…the ones they use the most. Bacraut is an asshole" she explained and said the swearword as if she was a tad uncomfortable with it. Which she probably was. He chuckled at the explanation of the word and filed the information away in his brain for later use. He definitely had to use it against Hiccup at some point.

He trained his eyes on Hiccup and Fishlegs again. Their wooden swords smashed together in loud "thlacks" echoing all around them. Their fighting almost resembled a dance, as they sidestepped and dodged each other's attacks and lunged at each other with lightning speed, making good use of their surroundings as they moved around swiftly and effortlessly on the wet grass. It quickly became clear to Jack, that even though this was just a playful fight, both Hiccup and Fishlegs were skilled fighters. You could easily tell by their intricate maneuvers and the ease in which their movements flowed that they knew what they were doing as a result of thorough experience. Jack briefly wondered if any of them had actually fought someone for real.

As Jack continued to observe their movements, while Fishlegs dodged one of Hiccup's attacks by quickly stepping sideways, he noticed that there were definitely massive differences in their fighting styles. Where Fishlegs relied on his strength and his bigger size to mainly deliver brutal direct attacks, Hiccup used his quick reflexes, speed and creativity to not only dodge Fishlegs' attacks in smooth and unpredictable movements but also put in some rather powerful strikes of his own. Hiccup obviously knew how to use his leaner frame to his advantage. Where Fishlegs was strength, Hiccup was grace, and Jack found it strange how Hiccup could move so swiftly with his prosthetic.

He couldn't take his eyes off him, as he stepped effortlessly around the terrain, his movements confident and swift as if this was somehow second nature to him.

Fishlegs stuck his sword straight ahead with full force. Hiccup quickly ducked and rolled to the side to avoid getting smacked hard in the face.

Jack heard Rapunzel gasp, and Merida laughed heartily, obviously enjoying watching this fight. They could actually get some serious bruises out of this, if one of them got hit. Oh well…They were Vikings, they were used to getting injured in one way or another.

"Good move, Hiccup!" Merida yelled encouragingly, but it didn't seem like he heard her.

They all watched as Hiccup got to his feet in seconds, before Fishlegs could launch more attacks. Hiccup spun around to face his opponent, Fishlegs moved at a fast pace towards him. Their wooden swords clashed against each other once again, as Hiccup initiated a strike at Fishlegs. While they were in such close proximity to each other, Fishlegs kicked Hiccup in the stomach. Hiccup groaned and fell backwards, landing in the wet grass. Fishlegs pointed his sword at his chest. Jack winced as the kick had landed on Hiccup. That looked like it hurt, and now it seemed like Hiccup had lost. Good thing this wasn't a real fight.

"Do you surrender, Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked in obvious triumph, his blue eyes gleaming with the joy of winning.

"Nice going Fishlegs!" Merida yelled and Flynn whistled loudly.

A small, crooked smile settled on Hiccup's lips. Jack knew that he had a plan. He smiled to himself. This should be interesting.

Hiccup had apparently grabbed some dirt in his hand, without anyone noticing, as he suddenly lifted his hand in one quick move and threw the dirt in Fishlegs' face. Fishlegs got distracted, his vision was blinded and irritated. Hiccup used these seconds to his advantage and swung out his leg in a single forceful move and kicked the legs out from under Fishlegs, who tumbled down and landed on his back, just as Hiccup quickly jumped up, covered the few feet between them and pointed his wooden sword directly at Fishlegs' neck.

"Do _you_?" Hiccup asked in amusement, a bright grin lighting up his entire face. He quickly grabbed Fishlegs' sword that had been dropped, when he tumbled down on the ground. Hiccup threw the sword a few feet away and smiled in one of those rare cases of self-satisfaction that Jack loved to see on his face. It was so pleasant to watch Hiccup actually being confident and a little proud of himself.

"Fine, you win this round, _burlufotr_" Fishlegs said in surrender and held his hands up, while his lips twitched in amusement.

Jack couldn't stop a bright grin flashing across his features, as he recognized the old norse word as Fishlegs' nickname for Hiccup: "Clumsy foot". It was very fitting…now apart from the obvious exception of fighting.

Hiccup reached out his hand to Fishlegs, and when Fishlegs took it, he helped him up.

"Yeah, Hiccup!" Flynn cheered and Jack quickly joined in with a few "whoos" and whistles, while Merida and Mavis clapped with huge smiles on their faces.

Hiccup and Fishlegs slumped down next to each other, across from Flynn and himself. Fishlegs was panting slightly and sweating, tiny droplets gleaming on his forehead. He rubbed his eyes a little with one of his sleeves, and Jack assumed that they were probably still at little irritated by the dirt Hiccup had thrown in them. Hiccup seemed less affected by the physical activity, but he was still out of breath.

"That was great! You guys are really skilled" Merida said appreciatively, her blue eyes wide with excitement.

"Yeah, it was awesome!" Jack quickly agreed.

"Well, that's one of the things you learn, when you live on Berk" Fishlegs said happily and wiped the sweat off his forehead with a sleeve. Hiccup nodded slowly.

When Fishlegs once again rubbed his eyes with a sleeve, Hiccup watched him intently.

"Hey Fish, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, fine fine. It just itches a little" Fishlegs responded, dropping his arm again.

"Sorry" Hiccup said sheepishly.

"Come on, Hiccup. You know all tricks are fair game. I kicked you, after all" Fishlegs replied with amusement twitching his lips.

"True" Hiccup agreed and smiled fondly.

"What were those words you were yelling at each other?" Jack asked curiously.

Hiccup and Fishlegs both beamed with amusement.

"Well…" Fishlegs started. "Vikings like to throw some pretty heavy insults at their enemies in the heat of battle. I told Hiccup: "I am Fishlegs and you are a heap of shit" he explained, making them all smile.

"But he sort of put me in my place by yelling "Gaze upon your destiny: with this sword I will cleave your lying maggot mouth from your swine head" Fishlegs said happily, and began chuckling at the words. This explanation sent Flynn and Jack roaring with laughter, while Mavis and Merida snickered. Rapunzel just smiled fondly. She was obviously very used to this kind of thing.

"That was like the best insult ever" Flynn said breathless from laughing so hard.

"Thanks. I have my moments" Hiccup said dryly but his eyes twinkled.

"I heard from a reliable source that you stole those swords" Jack grinned.

"Borrowed" Hiccup said and rolled his eyes. "What don't you understand by the word "borrowed"?" he asked Rapunzel in amusement. She merely shook her head.

"I didn't know you were such a troublemaker, Hic" Jack said cheekily and leaned back against the massive oak tree he and Flynn were sitting by.

"Oh yes, I'm a true rebel" Hiccup replied sarcastically, making the others giggle.

"Apparently" Jack started. "After all, not everyone just grabs weapons from the workshop and challenges another Viking to a fight"

"Borrowed" Hiccup once again said, slowly and deliberately, as if Jack was a child. "But point taken…Oh, that reminds me, I just need to grab something" Hiccup then said and got up and walked away briskly, leaving the others confused. Even Fishlegs and Rapunzel obviously had no idea what Hiccup was doing, as they were staring in confusion at his retreating form until he disappeared from view.

While Hiccup was gone, Merida and Flynn became engulfed in a discussion about the Slytherin Quidditch team and what sort of weaknesses they had, that she, Jack and the other members of the Gryffindor team could take advantage of in the game later today. Fishlegs informed them that Terry Keaton seemed to have trouble writing in Magical History and that his strained movements seemed to indicate a damaged wrist. He would have trouble with his grip on the broom, making him easier to push in another direction. Jack was impressed with Fishlegs' sharp observation. He wasn't sure if he would have noticed something like that.

Somehow, the conversation ended up with him and Flynn teasing Merida relentlessly, trying to push her buttons by implying that she shouldn't be on the Quidditch team, much to Jack's amusement.

"Look Red, I'm just saying that a delicate flower like you needs to be protected. We can't just have you flying around beating bludgers and potentially getting hurt" Flynn said with his face in grave folds, even though he was clearly loving this.

Merida's eyes narrowed, and her voice was dangerously low. "Don't go there, Rider. I don't need to be protected by anyone."

"Jack?" Flynn asked for support and raised his eyebrows.

"Hmm…I don't know, Mer. I mean…Quidditch is really a guy sport, I'm not sure if a woman has any place there" he said jokingly, trying to say all the right things that would annoy Merida to no end.

"It's for your own good, Curly. We're just shielding you from the pain of the outside world" Flynn added, closing his eyes for a few seconds as if he seemed pained by this necessity.

"Oh please…I don't need protection, and least of all from a Snow Queen and a guy who thinks he has a magical dating move"

Jack then grabbed Merida's Gryffindor scarf in one swift movement and held it over his head.

"Give it back, Frosty" Merida said with hostility, although her blue eyes conveyed that she was just kidding around.

"No, I don't think so, Mer. You need to acknowledge that we're obviously superior to you" he shot back and grinned at Flynn, who was chuckling and clearly approving of this.

"Never!" Merida refused and scowled at him.

"Well, then you can't get this back" he replied and winked at her.

"Then I'll just get yours" Merida said and reached out to grab Jack's scarf, before Flynn held her back.

"Oh no you don't" Flynn said in amusement.

"You've both just made a powerful enemy" Merida narrowed her eyes even more in that threatening manner of hers.

"Oh I doubt that. After all, you're just-"

Jack's teasing was instantly interrupted by a loud "whoosh" and then a thud, as the scarf was ripped out of his hand. Silence occurred between them as they all took a few moments to understand what just happened. Jack looked behind him and an arrow was imbedded in the massive oak tree, pinning Merida's scarf to the tree trunk.

_What the…?_

Jack looked around him and quickly spotted Hiccup a little in the distance with a huge grin on his face, holding a bow. As Jack processed the fact that he had just shot a bloody arrow towards him, Hiccup approached them.

"Hi again" Hiccup said happily, obviously proud of his achievement.

"Did you just shoot an arrow at me?" Jack said, still in slight disbelief, causing Merida and Flynn to both laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

Hiccup chuckled. "Yeah? Well…not at _you_, but at the scarf you were holding"

"You could have hit me, you crazy Viking" Jack objected and crossed his arms, but couldn't keep the grin off his face at that surreal moment.

"Don't be silly, Jack. I had everything under control" Hiccup replied calmly and smiled at him.

"That's not really reassuring"

"Hiccup knows what he's doing" Fishlegs interjected. "He's really good with the bow"

At Jack's raised eyebrow, Hiccup replied: "Come on, you know I would never actually hurt you" and crossed his arms in protest.

"Fine" Jack pouted. "You're still crazy though" he added and stuck his tongue out.

"I'm comfortable with that" Hiccup grinned.

"Is that…?" Merida then spoke, her eyes fixed on the weapon in Hiccup's hands.

"Yeah, this is for you" Hiccup said happily, his green eyes clearly excited, as he handed the bow to Merida, who eagerly accepted it and began running her hands over it and examining the carvings on it.

Hiccup covered the distance between him and the tree, pulled the arrow out, took the scarf and quickly mended it with his wand before tossing it in Merida's lap, while she was still busy looking at her new bow.

"This is…amazing" Merida said fascinated and Jack had to agree with her. Granted, he didn't really know anything about weapons, unlike Hiccup and Fishlegs…and partly Merida as well, but the bow looked amazing as its smooth, reddish wood gleamed in the sunlight and the lighter carvings trailed along it, standing out with their beautiful patterns. "You did these carvings?" Merida asked in slight awe.

"Yeah" Hiccup said a little sheepishly, as he sat back down.

"It must have taken ages" Mavis said.

"It took a long time, but I had fun doing it" Hiccup replied and shrugged with a small smile on his lips. Sometimes Jack's and Hiccup's definitions of fun were definitely very different. Who had fun doing wood carving? Jack mused. Well, obviously Hiccup, but geez…he really was a dork sometimes Jack thought affectionately…A dork that not only knew how to _make_ weapons but also how to _use_ them…and apparently very well. That was a strange combination if Jack ever heard of one…He briefly thought about how shocked the other students in the castle would be, if they found out that, in a one-on-one fight without magic, Hiccup could probably take most of them down...especially considering that witches and wizards tend to not care about practicing other kinds of self-defense besides magic...The fact that Hiccup was good at fighting seemed to strongly contradict the whole quiet bookworm appearance that Hiccup liked to keep up. And it was kind of the same thing with Fishlegs too...the guy seemed so shy and afraid of conflict and yet a moment ago he was fighting Hiccup as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"This is just…thank you so much, Hiccup" Merida spoke softly and her eyes shone with gratitude.

"You're welcome...You can start training now" Hiccup replied excitedly. "I could even give you some tips if you want sometime"

"Yeah, I'd like that" Merida replied genuinely. Jack's eyes softened as he took in the interaction between Hiccup and Merida.

As the seven of them remained outdoors, enjoying each other's company and the mild autumn sun and crisp chill in the air, they joked around, laughed together and told each other stories. Jack briefly thought about how well they all got along, and how it was quickly becoming a habit that Hiccup, Rapunzel and Fishlegs hung out with him and his friends. It was like their two groups were slowly merging and Jack was very pleased with that. Not only did he consider Hiccup his friend now, but Fishlegs and Rapunzel were slowly getting there as well.

After a few hours of amusing banter and discussions, the time for the Quidditch match was drawing nearer. Merida cast a quick Tempus spell to check the time, and told them that they had 45 minutes before the match began.

"Well, we should probably get going. Astrid won't be happy if we aren't there at least 15 minutes early" Merida told them.

"True" Jack replied and nodded in response. Astrid always insisted that everyone should be there early to avoid someone being late and ruining their chances against the other team. "But Hiccup could always calm her down for us" he then added.

"No, Jack. No. Just because we're friends now doesn't mean you get to use my friendship with Astrid to your own advantage" Hiccup said and smiled while he pointed a finger at him.

"Aww, I would never do that, Hic"

"You totally would" Merida said and nudged his shoulder playfully.

As they made their way back towards the castle, Jack and Merida needing to change into their Quidditch uniforms and everyone else wanting to change out of their school robes and also grab some flags and other stuff to show their support of Gryffindor in today's game, Jack turned to Hiccup.

"So are you going to be all red and yellow like Flynn and Mavis to show us how brilliant we are?" Jack joked.

"Not really, I don't have anything red or yellow in my wardrobe. Not really colours I usually wear" Hiccup replied and shrugged.

"No kidding, almost all your clothes are either green or black or brown"

"I like those colours" Hiccup merely said and smiled a little. Jack had noticed that Hiccup especially liked to wear green, and if he had to guess, he would say that that was his favourite colour. But it definitely wouldn't do that Hiccup didn't have anything red and yellow to show his support of their brilliant team.

Jack had a thought and then quickly took off his house scarf. As he and the others kept walking towards the castle, he reached out and wrapped the red and yellow striped scarf around Hiccup's neck in a few quick movements.

"There. Now you look like a true Gryffindor" Jack said and beamed at Hiccup, who was eying him skeptically.

"Except that I'm a Ravenclaw?" Hiccup replied with amusement and raised his eyebrows.

"Minor detail" Jack shrugged. "Just for today's game you're a Gryffindor" he then insisted and grinned at Hiccup.

"Fine, I'll betray my house just for today. Thanks Jack" Hiccup replied and shot him a smile.

"No problem, Hic. You need to show those Slytherins that you're on our side"

"I don't think they care too much"

"Well, they would if they knew that you and Fishlegs are actually dangerous, brilliant Vikings and that we've now recruited you" Jack replied and a bright smile spread across his face.

Hiccup shook his head in amusement. "Maybe"

"Definitely….by the way, why haven't you tried out for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team? You'd be really good with those quick reflexes?" Jack asked. It would be a lot of fun to go up against Hiccup in a Quidditch match.

"Well…I have other things to spend my time on" Hiccup replied cryptically.

"Better things to do than swoop through the air, doing awesome maneuvers and getting surges of adrenaline?" Jack asked him and threw his arms up in an excited gesture, trying to encourage Hiccup to consider how much fun Quidditch actually was.

Hiccup just smiled knowingly to himself but didn't reply, which intrigued Jack. Once again there was something that Hiccup was keeping to himself and right now Jack wished that he was a less curious person, but he just couldn't help it. He wanted to figure Hiccup out…wanted to find out what the hell was hidden underneath those knowing smiles and guarded eyes. That would take time though.

* * *

The Quidditch game was a real nail-biter. Currently the score was 60-70 in Gryffindors favor. Hiccup, Rapunzel and Fishlegs were with Flynn and Mavis in the stands, eagerly cheering for Jack, Merida and Astrid. They held up a red and yellow banner that Rapunzel and himself had made during art class yesterday. It featured a detailed Gryffindor lion as well as Jack's, Merida's and Astrid's names. Fishlegs and Rapunzel also had a few streaks of red and yellow facepaint on their cheeks, while Hiccup still had Jack's Gryffindor scarf around his neck. Flynn and Mavis had gone all out and were wearing red shirts and yellow pants under their cloaks, facepaint, and holding yellow and red striped flags, waving them eagerly in the air to show their support.

As Astrid swooped by in a blur past the stands where they were standing, holding the Quaffle under one arm while gripping the broomstick tightly with the other, her red and yellow Quidditch uniform flapping violently in the wind, they all yelled and cheered as loudly as they could.

When Astrid approached the Slytherin's keeper by the goal posts, she was maneuvering around a few Slytherin chasers who attempted to get the Quaffle from her. She was too swift though, and with a few evasive maneuvers, she made them fly straight into each other instead of her. As she continued to move closer to the goal posts, Merida sprang into action nearby, using her beater's bat to hit a bludger and cause it to fly in another direction than towards Astrid. When Astrid was close to the keeper, she threw the Quaffle speedily through the air with all her strength and it made it into the goal without difficulty. That keeper really didn't stand a chance, Hiccup thought to himself.

He and the others instantly cheered and yelled eagerly, waving the red and yellow flags and holding up the banner with enthusiasm, and the rest of the students supporting Gryffindor erupted, roaring with joy and clapping excitedly, drowning Hiccup's ears with noise. Astrid flew past them in the stands once again, this time slower and closer to them, and Hiccup waved at her while flashing her a huge grin.

"Yeah Astrid!" He yelled as loudly as he could, and Astrid beamed at him in response and eagerly waved back, before taking off again quickly, trying to obtain the Quaffle once more. Hiccup really was happy to be here and support Astrid as well as Jack and Merida. He had been to all of Astrid's Quidditch games since they became friends about two years ago, and she really was talented. It was no wonder that she had been made team captain. After all…she had skills and she was a natural leader. Now though, it was even more fun watching the games since he also cheered for Jack and Merida.

Rapunzel tugged on his sleeve and he turned his head to look at her. She smiled and pointed towards something, so he followed the direction with his eyes and found Jack, who had apparently spotted the snitch, as he was quickly and attentively flying towards something. Hiccup smiled at Rapunzel, before telling Mavis and Flynn that Jack seemed to be on his way to the snitch. They beamed at him and quickly focused their attention from Astrid to Jack, following his every move.

As Jack continued to rush speedily through the air, changing directions rapidly and climbing up and down in the sky, eager to obtain that elusive golden snitch that none of the other students could see from where they were standing, a bludger suddenly flew past Jack at lightning speed, and he only just managed to avoid getting hit by the violent ball. Hiccup felt his stomach drop, and he heard Mavis gasp next to him and felt Rapunzel's slim hand grip his shoulder tightly in obvious worry, but he kept his eyes trained on Jack. That was a close call, but luckily Jack was a very talented flyer.

Hiccup thought that was the end of it, but out of nowhere the bludger returned, shooting through the air like a bullet towards Jack once more, and Jack wasted no time in immediately changing direction and flying away as quickly as he could. It became obvious though, that whenever Jack changed direction the bludger followed, and continued to chase him around the Quidditch pitch. Hiccup cursed to himself and he felt the eyes of the others on him, looking for answers.

"It's jinxed" he told them and Mavis' and Flynn's eyes widened as they immediately turned their attention back to Jack, watching him intently with worry on their features. He could feel Rapunzel's hand digging into his shoulder.

Gasps and hushed conversation erupted in the stands, as every student was observing Jack now, having figured out that something was very wrong. Hiccup was growing concerned, a knot of anxiety forming in his stomach as he kept his eyes trained on Jack, who was still being followed by that violent bludger. Luckily Jack was fast and agile on his broom, and he managed to avoid getting hit by the rogue bludger quite a few times, dodging it with creative evasive maneuvers, like suddenly diving straight down, changing directions at random and out of nowhere, and swinging down from his broom, so he was hanging upside down from it. As Jack quickly rushed around one of the large wooden Quidditch towers, the uncontrollable ball smashed straight through it, sending splinters and large chunks of wood flying through the air towards the ground.

Hiccup began darting his eyes back and forth all around them to see if he could spot the culprit who had jinxed the bludger. He needed to try and stop this. He needed to help Jack. A sea of different faces, different expressions, different demeanors flashed through his vision as his eyes glided over the crowds, and he could hear his heart pounding in his head. Everyone was completely focused on Jack and his struggle to evade the dangerous bludger. Hiccup briefly glanced at the professors, who were speaking to each other frantically, trying to find a solution, but he knew that they couldn't interfere, as they might accidentally hit Jack instead of the bludger. Mavis and Flynn were speaking in utter panic next to him, trying to brainstorm how they could help Jack, but they were coming up empty. They had no way of doing anything without endangering Jack as well.

Hiccup quickly looked for Jack again. He was still being chased by the bludger, changing directions rapidly to throw it off course for as long as he could. Hiccup's mind was desperately trying to come up with some kind of solution. He once again let his gaze scan the crowd for any kind of behavior that stood out somehow. Someone here was responsible for this and all he could do for Jack was try to find out who it was.

As he took in all the faces around him once again, trying to decipher their expressions and what they meant, he was instantly pulled out of his train of thought by something in his peripheral vision.

There. Hiccup recognized him. The shoulder-length black hair, the blue eyes, the angled face…the familiar guy was mumbling words to himself, while having his eyes trained intently on the scene unfolding before him. Hiccup couldn't see if he had his wand out because of the many students blocking his view, but he was certain that this was the guy. He instantly felt the anger rise within him, and without a word to the others, he began making his way towards Hufflepuff, bumping shoulders with several students and pushing past them in a hurry, when the sound of Mavis' panicked voice reached his ears and he instantly froze in his tracks.

"Jack!" she screamed and Hiccup immediately spun around, training his eyes on the Quidditch pitch trying to locate Jack.

His green eyes found that familiar head of white hair and watched as Jack fell from his broom, his unconscious form dropping through the air at massive speed towards the ground, and he felt his stomach drop instantly. His chest constricted and he couldn't breathe, as Jack hit the ground and rolled onto his back, still unconscious.

"Jack!" he shouted in panic and took off like a bullet through the sea of students in the stands, trying desperately to reach Jack and find out if he was okay. He heard Flynn, Mavis, Rapunzel and Fishlegs following him, also wanting to get to Jack as quickly as possible.

As he reached the end of the stands, after pushing several students out of the way and almost tripping in his hurry to get to Jack, he ran out into the Quidditch pitch, and saw Merida in the distance, already kneeling next to Jack and several professors standing around him. As the jinxed bludger made its way towards the ground, apparently eager to get to Jack again, professor Lunar raised his wand and destroyed it with a single flick of his wrist.

Hiccup heard the soft sounds of running feet behind him from the others, and his heartbeat was pounding loudly in his head while the adrenaline surged through his veins, as he forced his legs to carry him faster towards his friend.

When he finally reached him and quickly looked him over, the worry within him intensified. Jack was still unconscious, lying completely motionless with closed eyes, but that wasn't what was making Hiccup's stomach twist and turn violently in concern. Jack had sustained a headwound from the bludger hitting him and even though he couldn't see the wound, it was bleeding quite a lot, staining the green grass around his head with a horrifying crimson colour.

Hiccup felt the presence of the others behind him, as they had caught up with him now, but he didn't look at them. He couldn't take his eyes off Jack and the precious red liquid that was seeping out of him. This was bad…

"Jack…" Mavis said in horror from somewhere behind him and her voice sounded strained, as if it was about to break.

Professor Lunar knelt by Jack's side next to Merida, and gently asked her to hold Jack's head up carefully. She lifted Jack's head with a flat palm on each side of it, to avoid accidentally touching the wound and making things worse. Her blue eyes were brimming with worry and mute panic, mirroring Hiccup's own feelings. The headmaster pointed his wand towards the back of Jack's head and swirls of blue and white emerged from the tip drifting towards the headwound. Hiccup couldn't see exactly what was happening, but he knew that their headmaster was closing Jack's wound and he let out a sigh of relief. Jack wasn't out of the woods yet, but the most important thing had been to stop the bleeding as soon as possible.

The gently light of blue and white subsided and professor Lunar nodded to Merida to tell her, that she could lower Jack's head again. She did so, slowly and carefully, but kept kneeling next to him.

"Professor Bunnymund, can you please take Mr. Overland to the hospital wing?" Professor Lunar asked the tall, big Australian professor, who instantly gave him one nod in response and began moving towards Jack with determination. Hiccup watched as the Defense against the Dark Arts professor carefully lifted Jack into his strong arms, one arm under his knees and one under his upper back. Professor Bunnymund wasted no time and instantly began walking away from the Quidditch pitch with brisk steps, obviously wanting to get Jack to the hospital wing as quickly as possible. Hiccup and the others followed him closely behind, not wanting to be separated from Jack for even a minute.

As they followed the Australian professor towards the hospital wing, they all walked with fast, determined steps and in complete silence. No one wanted to speak right now, and Hiccup suspected that they were all playing 'worst case scenarios' in their heads, freaking themselves out even more. He knew that he was doing just that…imagining different ways that this might play out, most of them being terrifying.

He walked quickly next to Rapunzel, who slipped her hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze before releasing it. He appreciated the gesture. She wanted to comfort him, but unfortunately her affection didn't quell the worry pulsing through his veins.

Despite only having taken about five to ten minutes to reach the hospital wing, it seemed like an eternity, and Hiccup was growing more and more nervous, as they continued to follow their professor. He let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding, as they spotted the familiar entrance to the hospital wing. When they entered, madam Whitley left her her desk and approached them with a furrowed brow, as she took in Jack in the professor's arms

"Please put him there, professor Bunnymund" madam Whitley said and pointing towards one of the hospital beds, before she quickly turned around and headed towards a cabinet, which she flung open and took out several different vials with potions in them.

The blue-haired professor nodded silently and gently lowered Jack down onto the bed and stepped back. Hiccup and the others kept their distance, as they all knew that the medi-witch would need space to help their friend. It wasn't easy though…Hiccup wanted to be by Jack's side.

Madam Whitley nodded once to professor Bunnymund, who turned around and then exited the hospital wing, having fulfilled his task. The medi-witch pulled a screen in front of the hospitalbed, obscuring Hiccup's and the other's views of Jack. Hiccup really didn't like not being able to keep an eye on his friend, but he also knew that he had no say in the matter. Madam Whitley had to do whatever she needed in order to fix Jack.

A heavy silence descended upon them, as they waited for the medi-witch's verdict. Flynn was staring blankly into space, clearly shocked and worried, while hugging Mavis tightly, her face buried in his chest. Merida had slumped down on the stone floor and was leaning against the wall, while having pulled her knees to her chest and hugging them with her arms, as she rested her head on them. Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears, but she angrily rubbed them with the red sleeve of her Quidditch uniform, making dirt from it to stain her cheeks.

Hiccup began pacing back and forth, not knowing what to do with himself. He couldn't bear standing still right now, he needed to do something, even if it was something as stupid and useless as pacing. He shot a quick glance at Fishlegs and Rapunzel, who were both standing next to each other, watching him as he continued to walk around between the same two walls. Fishlegs had one comforting arm around Rapunzel.

Hiccup tore his eyes off his friends and focused on the simple act of walking back and forth. Somehow, the simplicity of that gave him the tiniest comfort. It was easy. It was familiar. Not like the situation he was finding himself in, his friend being seriously injured…He tugged a little on Jack's scarf that was still wrapped around his neck. Jack was going to be okay…he had to be.

Hiccup clenched his fists as he turned around and walked towards the other wall. He had a word to exchange with a certain Hufflepuff, when this was over…

The time was passing excruciatingly slowly, and none of them said a word to each other. Hiccup was lost in his own thoughts as he continued to walk back and forth and back and forth over and over again, almost obsessively. He thought about how he'd like to see that stupid, challenging smile or that huge bright grin on Jack's face right now or hear his bubbly laughter. How he'd like to see that one raised eyebrow when Jack was teasing him or that slight headtilt he did when he was curious about something. He felt his stomach clench and the nausea intensify, as he continued to worry himself more and more, thinking stupid, horrifying thoughts that made him feel even worse than he already did.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as madam Whitley approached them from behind that annoying screen that separated them from Jack. Merida immediately jumped up from her position on the floor, and Mavis and Flynn pulled apart and closed the short distance between them and the medi-witch. Hiccup, Rapunzel and Fishlegs instantly did the same, eager to get any news about Jack's condition.

"Mr. Overland is going to be okay" madam Whitley told them with a kind smile on her lips. They all breathed sighs of relief, and Hiccup felt the nausea and worry inside him subside right away. "He is still unconscious, but I have managed to heal his injuries. When he wakes up, he will most likely still experience a little pain, but it should be gone by the end of the day" Madam Whitley explained and they all eagerly nodded in response. "You can stay with him if you want, but try not to wake him up. He needs his rest" she added before turning and walking away from them towards her desk, probably to resume the work they had interrupted when Jack was brought here.

Hiccup sighed deeply once again in relief at the news, and Fishlegs gave him a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder. Rapunzel pulled him into a tight hug, and he enjoyed the familiar warmth covering him like a soft blanket. As he rested his head on Rapunzel's shoulder, he watched Mavis, Flynn and Merida all hug each other with huge smiles on their faces. Mavis' had a few tears of relief trailing down her cheek and Flynn quickly and gently wiped them away.

As he and Rapunzel pulled apart, Hiccup turned towards Flynn, Merida and Mavis.

"Thank the gods he's okay" he said honestly, letting his obvious relief seep into his voice and gave them a genuine smile. Jack was going to be fine...Hiccup would see that stupid playful smile and amused blue eyes of Jack's again soon and that was a major comfort to him.

"Yeah, I was so worried he might have been seriously hurt…" Merida said quietly and then let out a sigh and hugged herself.

"Or worse" Mavis said, her blue eyes conveying the horror of that realization.

"But he's not. He's going to be fine" Flynn softly spoke reassuringly and wrapped an arm around Mavis' shoulder for friendly comfort.

"I want to be there when he wakes up" Mavis said determined.

"Yeah, me too…We'll wait by his side, Mav" Merida agreed and covered the few feet of distance between her and Mavis to give her a quick hug.  
Hiccup waited for a few seconds, before saying what was on his mind.

"Would it be okay, if we stayed too?" he asked. He didn't know Jack as well as they did and he wasn't sure if he was intruding on something private.

"Of course you can stay, Hiccup" Flynn said. "You're Jack's friend too and I could tell that you were all really worried about him"

"We were…I'm so glad he's going to be okay" Hiccup said and sighed. He met Mavis' blue eyes and she smiled warmly at him. He found himself feeling closer to Jack's friends in this moment.

"Yeah…us too" Merida said quietly and a tiny smile tugged her lips upwards for a brief moment.

They gathered around the hospitalbed, where Jack was laying completely still, eyes closed and with a peaceful expression on his face. They had all taken a chair from somewhere in the room over to the bed.

They remained in those positions for about two hours, and tried to keep themselves occupied with friendly discussions and even a little banter, now that they were all certain that Jack was going to be okay. They all kept an eye on Jack through out, wanting to be sure that he wasn't in pain or some other kind of distress and wishing to know immediately when he woke up.

At one point Jim stopped by and told them that everyone was really worried about Jack, but professor Lunar had told them all to stay away from the hospital wing to give madam Whitley peace and quiet to work on him. Their headmaster had allowed Jim to find out what had happened to Jack and then inform the other Gryffindors. He was relieved when he found out that Jack was going to be okay. He told them that the match had been cancelled due to Jack's injury, so there had to be a rematch at some point. Merida seemed very pleased about that, as she definitely didn't want to lose to the Slytherins. Jim stayed for a little while before telling them to tell Jack he said hi and was here. Then he left the hospital wing to go back to the Gryffindor common room and let everyone know that Jack was okay.

As they became occupied by a discussion on which Quidditch team was the worst, Jack's brow suddenly furrowed and he began mumbling something. All six of them became quiet and leaned forward in their chairs to observe him attentively.

"What's he saying?" Merida asked and glanced at the others.

"I don't know" Flynn replied honestly and shrugged.

Jack continued to mumble something that none of them could understand. In Hiccup's opinion it didn't even seem like words as such, but just strange sounds.

Then Jack's eyes slowly opened and he squinted a little, obviously getting used to the light. He blinked a few times to focus his vision. Hiccup once again felt relief wash over him, as Jack seemed to be okay.

"Jack…how are you feeling?" Mavis immediately asked and leaned in to squeeze Jack's hand.

"I have a serious headache" Jack replied and a flicker of a smile tugged at his lips.

"Well, that's to be expected" Flynn said with affection in his brown eyes.

"What happened?" Jack then asked, his brow furrowing in confusion, as if he was trying to remember.

"You were hit in the head by a bludger…someone jinxed it" Hiccup told him calmly, but tugged a bit on one of his braids.

"Oh right…" Jack said, obviously remembering his attempts to dodge it.

"But…who would do something like that?" Rapunzel asked rhetorically, not knowing that Hiccup actually knew the answer. He remained silent though, as that was all he could do right now. He would take care of it later.

"I don't know" Flynn replied and Mavis and Merida both seemed to be contemplating whether they knew someone who had it out for Jack.

"You haven't pissed anyone off recently have you?" Merida asked.

"Just you" Jack replied with amusement in his voice. Hiccup found himself thinking how amazing it was that Jack always seemed to be able to lighten the mood, regardless of the situation.

"Yeah, you're always pissing me off, Snowflake" Merida shot back but with a fond smile gracing her lips. She reached out and squeezed Jack's hand in a rare display of affection. Hiccup smiled warmly.

"When can I leave here?" Jack then asked.

"Whenever you're ready" Mavis said gently.

Jack nodded in response. "Maybe in a little while…who won the game?"

"It was cancelled, so there's going to be a rematch sometime" Merida explained and this caused Jack to smile.

"Good…so I didn't blow it by falling victim to a diabolic bludger"

"You know, you really had us worried there, Jack…" Hiccup told him, wanting Jack to know how relieved they all were that he was okay.

"Well…you're not getting rid of me that easily" Jack replied with that familiar smile on his face that Hiccup had longed to see, while he was unsure of whether Jack was going to make it or not. He sensed a warmth spread in his chest and a tug of affection.

"Oh, I know that" Hiccup shot back with a smile of his own. "We're stuck with you"

"Definitely" Jack replied and grinned at him, causing Hiccup's smile to transform into a bright grin of his own. As he glanced at the others, he saw warm smiles on all of their faces.  
"Well, thank god for that" Flynn interjected. "What would we do without you, Jackie?"

"Lose all sense of purpose in life" Jack replied jokingly, causing Merida and Flynn to chuckle.

"Ever the humble one, Snowcone" Hiccup said as he watched Jack with fondness in his green eyes.

"Of course. You know me, Hic. I'm practically the essence of humbleness"

"You're the essence of many things. Humbleness is not one of them"

"Aww, come on Hic…I'm injured, you should be extra nice to me"

"I should, but…where's the fun in that?" Hiccup said with a crooked smile.

Jack grinned at this, flashing those straight white teeth. "Now, you're finally getting it"

The seven of them remained in the hospital wing for a few hours, talking and laughing together, before they all agreed that Jack could go back to Gryffindor Tower to sleep for a little while before it was time for dinner. After all, madam Whitley had told them that he needed his rest, and Jack didn't object to that as he was quite exhausted after this whole ordeal.

While Mavis, Flynn and Merida all followed Jack back to their common room, Hiccup, Rapunzel and Fishlegs split up for the time being. Hiccup needed some peace of mind after this whole stressful affair and he also needed to calm himself down for what he was going to do later, so while his two friends went to the library, he went outside and down to the lake after having picked up his sketchbook and some charcoal pencils from the dormitory.

* * *

Hiccup was walking briskly down one of the old corridors with determination in his steps. He had a pretty good idea of where he could find the person he was looking for and the closer he got to his destination, the more the frustration was roiling inside him, leaving its aggressive ripples through his entire being. Sitting by the lake, taking in the peaceful surroundings and focusing on sketching had calmed him down but only temporarily. He clenched his fists and hoped that he could contain his anger enough to not punch the guy, when he saw him.

After a few minutes of walking along the hallway, he spotted that familiar head of shoulder-length black hair, and the swirling of annoyance and hostility in his gut grew instantly. Luckily Wallace was alone, so he didn't need to wait or find some kind of excuse to get him by himself. The black-haired Hufflepuff was walking down one of the rarely used corridors with a couple of books under one arm, and the privacy of this area of the castle was the exact reason why Hiccup had chosen to seek him out here, away from prying eyes. He knew that Wallace was often here, because he'd seen him in these parts of the castle a lot a few years ago, when Hiccup would often go here himself to find that particularly quiet study room that most students didn't even know existed.

He followed Wallace at a fast pace, quickly beginning to cover the distance between them. He made sure to move silently despite his quick steps, and the Hufflepuff obviously hadn't heard him approach, as Wallace continued to stroll casually down the passageway, clearly lost in thought. When Hiccup was close enough to touch the guy's back, he grabbed his shoulders and spun him around.

When Wallace's eyes met his, the Hufflepuff took a few seconds to collect himself, as he was obviously very confused about the sudden contact.

"What the hell are you doing, Haddock"? Wallace asked with obvious annoyance lacing his voice, his blue eyes narrowed. Not that Hiccup cared how inconvenient this might be for the Hufflepuff. He was angry and Wallace needed to know that he should never mess with his friends.

"Shut up and listen, Wallace" Hiccup said and glared daggers at him. He kept his firm grip on the guy's shoulders to keep him in place. "I know what you did. I saw you jinx that bludger"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about" Wallace spat and rolled his blue eyes.

"_Don't_…even try that whole innocent act with me. I saw you. I know" Hiccup snapped.

"Whatever, Haddock" Wallace said defensively and his nose wrinkled a little while his brow furrowed, clearly conveying the irritation within him. Well, denying the whole thing was definitely only going to piss Hiccup off more.

"No, not whatever. You hurt Jack" Hiccup spat and dug his fingers into Wallace's shoulders, feeling the soft fabric of the Hufflepuff's robes against his fingertips.

"Oh boo hoo…so Jack Frost got a little injured, big fuckin' deal" Wallace replied annoyed and scoffed afterwards. Hiccup took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to slam a fist in the guy's face. Even though he was fiercely protective of everyone he cared about, he was also _very_ familiar and _very_ good at restraint. He knew how to hold himself back, not escalating situations with violence unless it was somehow necessary. This situation was definitely going to require that particular skill of his.

"It _is_ a big deal" Hiccup replied and he had lowered his voice to a dangerously low, hostile tone. He wanted to get his point across and it seemed to work as Wallace hesitated for a few moments before answering him, doubt evident in his blue eyes as he continued to watch Hiccup.

"Just mind your own business, Haddock"

"This is my business. Jack is my friend…why were you trying to hurt him?" Hiccup asked, still keeping his face close to Wallace's. He needed answers. Now. He was growing impatient with playing games.

"I don't have to tell you anything" Wallace said defiantly and scowled at Hiccup. Oh yes, you do, he thought to himself. He was not going to let Wallace go, until he told him the truth. He needed to know why this guy was so intent on hurting Jack, so he could also figure out how to avoid something like that happening again in the future.

He quickly let go of one of the guy's shoulders, pulled out his wand from a pocket in his robes in one swift move and dug it into the soft skin right under the Hufflepuff's chin. Wallace flinched instantly.

"Oh really? You're sure you want to test me right now?" Hiccup hissed. If Wallace thought that he could injure Jack and then just walk away, pretending nothing had happened, he was seriously mistaken.

He watched Wallace's eyes widen for a few seconds in obvious anxiety, but he remained silent. Hiccup dug the wand a little more into Wallace's skin and he winced a little. Of course he wasn't actually going to seriously hurt him (even though he kind of wanted to and would do if he ever hurt Jack again) since that would be stupid…He was not a violent person, and furthermore he was not going to get expelled because of that jerk. The Hufflepuff didn't need to know that though. Hiccup wanted the truth from him, and if Wallace had to believe that he would harm him to get it, then so be it.

"Fine" the Hufflepuff spat in a combination of irritation and anxiety, like an animal that was cornered without an escape route…which was sort of the case here, as Wallace couldn't just take off. "I'm just sick of Jack fuckin' Frost, okay? Everyone adores him, everyone thinks he's so great and funny. The girls talk about him all the time, just like everyone else, and I'm sick of it".

Hiccup sighed, lowered his wand and took a few moments to consider that. There was definitely more behind that statement. No one would hurt Jack like that just out of general annoyance. It didn't make sense. There had to be something specific that had happened. Something that made it a personal matter to Wallace…and if Hiccup had to guess…he would say that there was a girl Wallace really liked, maybe even loved, who had feelings for Jack and somehow Wallace blamed him for it. That would definitely be the kind of the thing that could be turned upside down in someone's head and used as some kind of excuse for hurting someone else. Hiccup felt his temper flare, as he thought about what kind of consequences this little stunt of Wallace's could have had.

"You could have killed him, you _idiot_" he said in frustration. It was pure luck that Jack wasn't seriously injured or dead and that thought seriously pissed him off. Wallace was upset with Jack and because of that, Jack could have actually been killed.

Wallace's blue eyes immediately widened in horror and his whole demeanor seemed to instantly shift from annoyed to panicked. Before he even opened his mouth, Hiccup had already figured out what was happening and he felt himself getting very tired in those few brief seconds before Wallace spoke once again.

"W-what?! Kill him? I wasn't trying to kill him!" Wallace blurted out, his eyes still filled with shock. "I just…wanted him to get hurt a little…like break an arm or something" he explained, now apparently eager to share his motivations, so Hiccup wouldn't think that he was some kind of psychopath.

Hiccup's thoughts had been confirmed and he sighed deeply to try and calm himself down a little, as the anger was rising within him, crashing its destructive waves in his gut. Apparently he was not just dealing with a huge jerk who had hurt his friend but a freakin' _moron_ as well.

"Are you seriously _that_ stupid?" he hissed, his grip around Wallace's shoulders tightening to mirror his angry emotions. "Did you honestly think that you could jinx a bludger and then control it perfectly, hitting a fast moving target just in the place you intended!?"

Wallace's silence and breaking of eye contact was all the confirmation Hiccup needed. By _Yggdrasil_*, he needed to calm himself down before he broke the guy's nose or something. Yes, due to his Viking background he'd had a lot of actual experience with how difficult it is to hit a moving target, but even so…anyone with a brain should be able to at least _think_ that thought.

"You…idiot. If that bludger had hit Jack just a little differently, he could have been killed instantly"

Wallace visibly squirmed under Hiccup's intense gaze. Hiccup once again took a deep breath to try and quell those raging waves of anger and frustration inside him just a little. He needed to restrain himself.

"If you're going to tell on me, just do it, Haddock…" Wallace said carefully, suddenly sounding very tired and now his demeanor had shifted to a certain acceptance of the situation. He was clearly intimidated by Hiccup and wanted this unpleasant conversation to be over as soon as possible. Well, that wasn't going to happen just yet. Hiccup was calling the shots right now and he didn't care just how uncomfortable Wallace was.

"Oh, I'm not going to 'tell on you'. You know why?" he asked in annoyance, as he continued to hold Wallace in place by digging his fingers into his shoulders.

The Hufflepuff remained silent, but his blue eyes conveyed the uncertainty within him. He was clearly confused about why Hiccup wouldn't involve the professors and had an inner debate on whether it was in his best interest to reply or stay quiet.

"Because there's no proof so it would be word against word, and I know that professor Hyde* would never punish you anyway, seeing as he plays favorites constantly and he's always liked you. So…it wouldn't make any difference, except be a huge bother for me…But _don't_ think that gets you off the hook for a second. I promise you this…if you ever try to hurt Jack again…you'll be dealing with _me_…and I won't hesitate to shove your wand down your throat" Hiccup said icily and meant every word. In this moment he was particularly grateful that he had had such a growth spurt, as he was now a good deal taller than Wallace and also stronger. He probably wouldn't have been able to warn him just as effectively, if he'd still been short and scrawny.

His threat definitely seemed to work, as Wallace nodded mutely, appearing quite shocked and speechless at Hiccup's warning. That was good. Hiccup really didn't like doing this, but Wallace needed to take this seriously. No one hurt Hiccup's friends, and even though he and Jack hadn't known each other for long, he had already become quite important to him. Because of Wallace's lack of ability to actually use his brain, Jack could have died.

"And if you somehow get the stupid idea to try again anyway, it won't just be me you'll be dealing with…Jack has a lot of friends at this castle, and every single one of them would want to get their hands on you, if they found out that you hurt him. Keep that in mind"

Wallace gulped, much to Hiccup's satisfaction.

"Now…get out of here, and remember what I said…you don't hurt Jack _ever_" he said, wanting to burn the words into the Hufflepuff's memory. Then he released Wallace from his tight grip, and Wallace stared at him for a few seconds before quickly walking away down the corridor, shooting nervous glances at him over his shoulder.

As Hiccup made his way towards the Great Hall to meet up with Rapunzel and Fishlegs and have some dinner, he actually didn't feel much like eating anything. Gods, how he hated having to deal with people's stupidity and violent nature. It brought out a side of him that he didn't like at all, despite its necessity. He couldn't just let Wallace go free, the guy needed to know that his actions had consequences and that Jack wasn't someone he could hurt, just because he was obviously envious of him. Hiccup really didn't like doing that though…he didn't like the fuming anger, the violent thoughts, the need to smash something…all those feelings that bubbled incessantly inside him, whenever someone bothered or hurt a friend of his. He was usually a calm and collected person, who tried to avoid conflicts…it was one of his personality traits that he was quite fond of.

He sighed to himself and fidgeted a little with one of his small braids, as he continued on his way to the Great Hall. He felt quite guilty for not telling Jack's friends that he knew who did it, but first of all he didn't have any proof, just like he'd told Wallace. All he had was Wallace's confession coupled with the fact that he had seen him mumbling words, focusing intently on Jack, but he couldn't prove any of that, so it just wouldn't accomplish anything. Second of all, he knew that Jack's friends were fiercely protective of each other, and he didn't know if Merida and her temper could be contained or if she would beat Wallace to a bloody pulp and get herself expelled for it. Flynn was sort of a wildcard in that area. He hadn't seen Flynn angry before, but he also knew that he sort of considered himself Jack's big brother and that kind of relation always came with a lot of protectiveness. He recognized that from his friendship with Rapunzel. For these reasons he had chosen to keep it to himself and take care of Wallace, so the Hufflepuff would never try anything like that again.

* * *

It had really done wonders for him to get some sleep in the dormitory for a few hours, before going to the Great Hall for dinner. His headache had subsided and he actually felt pretty good despite the soreness in his muscles. His three best friends had been there, when he had woken up, sitting on Flynn's bed, talking and laughing. They were all still a little worried about him, even though he told them that he felt just fine. As they made their way towards the Great Hall, he felt them shooting glances at him when they thought he didn't notice. He knew they were just keeping an eye on him though, being caring friends as usual.

Jack was approached by a lot of other students in the Great Hall. Some were people he knew quite well, others he had only spoken to a few times, but they all asked him how he was doing and expressed relief and joy when he told them that he was okay. That warmed his heart. Apparently, a lot of people had been worried about him.

When he sat down by the Gryffindor table, Liam, Harry and Jim all smiled brightly at him and greeted him fondly, telling him that they were happy he was already feeling so much better. When Jack briefly met Astrid's eyes from further down the table, even she gave him a happy smile.

After a little while of smalltalking with his friends, Jack shot a glance at the Ravenclaw table and quickly located Hiccup, who was looking at him. Hiccup waved at him and he returned the gesture with a grin on his face.

He had woken up with a growling hunger in his belly, so when the food appeared on the table, he was eager to pile some of it on his plate. As he quickly ate, he briefly thought that he must remind people of Merida right now, the way he had grabbed a lot of food and pushed it on to his plate and was now chewing through it at a fast pace. He couldn't help it though. He was starving.

After people's initial curiosity of seeing him after his injury had died down, dinner had been fairly standard. Jack joked around with his friends and they discussed a number of different things from the rematch against the Slytherins sometime in the future to whether the red panda or the black and white panda was cuter. That last discussion was particularly important, and Jack had burst out laughing when Merida became annoyed that he couldn't see that the obvious choice was the black and white panda. Merida's ability to take any topic of discussion incredibly seriously as soon as people disagreed with her was an endless source of entertainment.  
When they had finished their dinner, Jack and his friends exited the Great Hall. He quickly spotted Hiccup leaning against a wall, holding his sketchbook with one hand and a pencil with the other, tracing lines across the paper. Hiccup met his eyes, before putting the sketchbook and the pencil in his black satchel.

"Hey guys" Hiccup said happily and they all greeted him.

"Jack…do you have some time to hang out?" Hiccup asked him casually.

Jack's curiosity stirred. He and Hiccup usually didn't hang out in the evening, as he often went to the common room to hang out with his friends and the other Gryffindors, and Hiccup would spend time with Rapunzel and Fishlegs in Ravenclaw Tower.

"Sure…how could I ever say no to my favorite Viking?" he asked and grinned. It was true though. He would never say no to hanging out with Hiccup, unless he had a really good reason.

Hiccup smiled at him.

"I'll see you guys later" Jack told his friends. They all nodded and threw warm "bye's" and "see you later's" at him and Hiccup, before they began walking down one of the corridors towards the Gryffindor tower.

"Where are we going then?" Jack asked curiously.

"Follow me" Hiccup replied with a smile and started to move down one of the passageways.

"So where are we going?" he asked after a few minutes of walking in amiable silence.

"You'll see"

"Come on, Hic" Jack pouted. He really was curious as to where they were going. It was rare for them to hang out inside the castle when they weren't in classes, and he didn't know there even were any places to hang out in this part of the castle.

Hiccup suddenly stopped, so Jack did the same and observed him.

"We need a place to hang out" Hiccup said without looking at Jack.

"Yeah, well, I know that?" he replied in confusion.

Suddenly, a huge door was revealed in the wall that was blank before. "What is this?" Jack asked Hiccup, wanting to get some answers.

"The room of requirement" Hiccup stated and smiled a little in self-satisfaction.

"Really?" Jack said in genuine curiosity, as he examined the massive door that had appeared. He'd heard about that room before, but he'd never been inside it. As far as he knew, most students had no idea where to even find it. Well...this was interesting.

They entered the room and Jack already felt comfortable in his surroundings. The room was warm and welcoming with a huge, lit fireplace with golden details on the mantelpiece, four big soft armchairs, two blue ones and two red ones, around a square dark wooden table. The carpet was soft and dark red, while the walls were a rich dark blue and there were several large bookcases lined up along two of the walls. The color scheme in the room actually seemed like a mix of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw colours now that Jack thought about it.

He quickly covered the distance to the chairs and slumped down in one of them, sighing as he put his feet on the table casually. Hey, this was the room of requirement and he was hanging out with Hic, so he didn't need to follow particular rules of social politeness here.  
Hiccup sat down in one of the other chairs from across the table. He put his black satchel on the table and rummaged around in it a little, while Jack watched him with curiosity. What was he looking for?

His question was answered, when Hiccup pulled out a bottle.

Well well well, Jack thought as he observed the bottle. Hiccup grabbed two glasses that were already on the table when they entered and poured some of this unknown liquid into them.

"Are you going to poison me, Hic?" Jack asked with a grin tugging the corners of his lips upwards. This whole scenario definitely seemed like something out of a movie, where one of the main characters are poisoned by someone they thought they could trust, he thought to himself.

Hiccup smiled in amusement in response and met his eyes, as he put the bottle down on the table. "Please" he said dismissively with a waving hand gesture. "If I wanted to poison you, you would never see it coming"

"Well, _that's_ reassuring"

"Isn't it just?" Hiccup smiled evilly and Jack chuckled.

"You totally have a dark side, don't you?" he asked, while raising one eyebrow.

"Definitely"

"So what is this?" Jack asked curiously and motioned to the bottle with his head.

"Mead" Hiccup replied happily and leaned casually back in his chair.

_"Seriously?"_ Jack asked in disbelief with a raised eyebrow. "You have alcohol inside the castle?"

"Yup" Hiccup smiled in self-satisfaction but didn't elaborate. How the hell did he get his hands on alcohol? And…why? It seemed so out of character for Hiccup, but then again…as Jack had already concluded during their very short friendship, Hiccup was a surprising person. Earlier today Jack had learned that he had stolen the wooden swords from the workshop, and now he was breaking the rules by having alcohol in their school. Jack smiled briefly to himself. Hiccup wasn't at all as innocent as he appeared at first. He definitely had a rebellious, mischievous side.

"How?" He asked eagerly, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Fishlegs' parents sent us some" Hiccup replied with a small smile curving his lips.

Okay, he definitely hadn't been expecting that answer. "His parents…sent their teenage son and his friend alcohol…at their school?" he asked slowly in disbelief.

"Yup. Viking parents" Hiccup simply explained and a huge grin spread across his face.

"That is awesome!" Jack grinned, revealing those white teeth of his. "Viking parents are great!"

Hiccup smiled in amusement and nodded. "They really are".

Then he slid one of the mead-filled glasses towards Jack's end of the table. The liquid was a warm golden color and Jack found himself eager to find out what it tasted like.

He took the glass and raised it towards his lips. He could smell the sweet but strong scent emanating from the liquid, and as he let the mead touch his lips, the taste of alcohol and honey coated his taste buds. This was definitely strong booze…but it was delicious!

"Wow…that tastes great!" He exclaimed happily and quickly took another sip.

"I'm glad you like it" Hiccup said genuinely and drank some of his own mead.

"It's sweeter than I imagined"

"Well, it _is_ made from honey" Hiccup explained.

Jack nodded. "So this is the stuff you Vikings get drunk on…I can see why"

"Yeah" Hiccup chuckled. "Just be careful Snowflake, you're not used to it"

"Oh come on, I've had alcohol before" Jack said and waved a hand dismissively. He wasn't some completely inexperienced 13 year old who was being introduced to alcohol for the first time.

"I'm sure you have, but mead is strong alcohol"

"Pssh, I can handle anything" Jack dismissed Hiccup's thoughts. Like a little booze was going to knock him out. He'd had alcohol several times and gotten drunk too. A little mead was nothing he couldn't deal with.

"Sure you can" Hiccup drawled and chuckled in amusement. Oh that little shit Jack thought to himself with laughter in his eyes. Hiccup obviously disagreed with him and was even entertained by his statement that he could handle anything. Well, he was definitely going to prove him wrong.

"So you and Fishlegs have just been sitting on this great stuff?" he asked and took another sip of the delicious alcohol.

"Not really, we've drunk the other bottle"

"And I wasn't even invited? The audacity!" Jack exclaimed and clutched his chest dramatically, pretending to be seriously hurt by this.

"Well, me and Fish needed some quality Viking time together" Hiccup chuckled and leaned back in the armchair, resting his left arm on the armrest, while still holding his glass. "So we went down to the lake late in the afternoon when everyone else was gone, drunk mead together and discussed fighting techniques, weapons and dragons".

"That sounds so damn manly" Jack grinned widely. He hadn't failed to notice that Hiccup had mentioned the dragons willingly, and he was delighted that he was opening up to him more and more.

"Of course" Hiccup replied and raised an eyebrow. "Me and Fishlegs are like the _essence_ of manliness"

"Sure you are, little Viking" Jack laughed.

"Little Viking? Seriously?" Hiccup asked skeptically and raised his eyebrows.

"Oh absolutely" Jack said and flashed Hiccup a challenging smile.

"You know that I'm taller than you, right?"

"Yeah, but that hardly matters"

"And I'm older than you?"

"Yes I know that Hic, but it's about wisdom"

Hiccup laughed at that and Jack felt that familiar warmth in his chest that he had gotten so used to in the last couple of weeks. It really was something special to make Hiccup genuinely laugh. Jack briefly considered if he felt that way, because he knew that Hiccup had a painful past.

"Right" Hiccup drawled. "Wisdom…how could I forget?"

"Well, you aren't the brightest that's for sure"

"Unlike you, of course?"

"Naturally, but don't worry. You have me to enlighten you"

"Thank the gods…I'm obviously completely inferior to your massive intellect, _snær flekkr_"

Jack chuckled. He was happy that the nickname had become a regular thing by now. "Of course you are" he said cheekily and smiled. Hiccup rolled his eyes, but had that faint trace of a smile on his lips.

A few moments of silence passed as they both took another swig of their drinks.

"So…why did you want to hang out now?" Jack asked. He definitely wanted to know what was going on in Hiccup's mind to cause this break in routine.

"Well…" Hiccup started. "I guess I just figured that after all the drama today, it would be nice to spend some time together and have a drink" he explained, gesturing with his hands in that familiar way of his.

Jack nodded. "You were right about that…It's certainly been an…eventful day". That was putting it lightly…it wasn't every day he sustained a serious head injury and was rushed to the hospital wing.

"Yeah…" Hiccup said hesitantly. "You know, you really scared me there for a moment".

"Awww…you do care" Jack replied teasingly and flashed Hiccup a cheeky smile. Inside he felt a kind of bubbly warmth at Hiccup's words.

"Did you ever doubt it?" Hiccup asked and his green eyes softened.

"Of course not, Hic" Jack said sincerely. Despite only having hung out for about three weeks, Jack didn't doubt that Hiccup cared about him a lot. And of course the feeling was mutual. He took another sip of his mead. This stuff really was yummy. "Sorry I scared you…" he said softly.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. It obviously wasn't your fault"

"No it wasn't…I hope whoever decided to mess with me at least got a good scare out of it, so they won't try something like that again" Jack replied, leaning back in his chair, enjoying the softness of it. He definitely didn't want to experience a jinxed bludger again, but he wasn't really too concerned. It was probably a prank gone wrong or a one time thing to get him to lose the match.

Something briefly flickered in Hiccup's green eyes, but Jack couldn't decipher it and that bothered him a little. What was he thinking about?  
"I'm sure they did…it looked pretty horrible when you were bleeding from the head" Hiccup replied softly and held both of his hands around his glass, rotating it slowly.

"Yeah, it probably did…"

"You could have died, Jack…" Hiccup said hesitantly and those forest-green eyes had suddenly become solemn. Jack didn't like seeing that at all, but he understood how Hiccup was feeling. He would feel the same way if the situation was reversed and Hiccup was the one who had been seriously injured.

"Yeah, I know, but I didn't" Jack said and smiled warmly, feeling quite touched by Hiccup's level of concern. He took another sip of his drink and emptied the glass.

"No…luckily you didn't" Hiccup replied warmly, as he reached out and grabbed the bottle, before leaning across the table and pouring more mead into Jack's empty glass. "But are you okay?" Hiccup then added, watching him intently.

"Yeah, I'm okay. No harm done"

"Okay, well…if you need to talk about it some time, I'm here"

"Thanks, Hic…You're a good friend" Jack said sincerely and he really appreciated Hiccup's offer. "Have you ever been close to dying?" Jack found himself adding, wanting to know more about the deeper layers of his newest friend and in light of today's events the question seemed fitting.

"Yeah, I have…"

"Oh?" he asked and instantly felt a tug of concern towards his friend. From all that Hiccup had told him about Vikings and the archipelago, Jack knew that it was a pretty dangerous place to live, but still…

When Hiccup remained silent, breaking eye contact with him to look at the fire, Jack asked: "Do you remember it?"

"Most of it…" Hiccup spoke softly and seemed to be deep in thought, as his eyes became slightly unfocused for a brief moment.

Jack decided to wait a little before speaking, as Hiccup seemed like he might add something.

"After the encounter with the dragon queen I fell into a sea of her flames and I was in a coma for two weeks" Hiccup's eyes became slightly guarded after the words left his mouth.

"A sea of flames? And you were in a coma for two weeks?" Jack said in slight disbelief. Hiccup must have been seriously injured for something like that to happen.

"Yeah…" Hiccup was hesitant and seemed to be contemplating something. Jack fiddled a little with the sleeve of his hoodie, while once again waiting patiently for Hiccup to decide whether he wanted to share more or not. It was actually quite difficult for Jack to be so patient, but somehow it didn't bother him with Hiccup. He wanted Hiccup's trust and with someone that private, it had to be earned, so he would happily wait even if he was brimming with curiosity. He took another sip of the alcohol in his glass.

"That's how I lost my foot" Hiccup revealed, meeting Jack's eyes with his hesitating gaze.

Jack gaped openly at him for a few moments, as he processed what Hiccup had just told him. "You actually lost your foot defeating the dragon queen?"

"Yeah" Hiccup confirmed sheepishly.

"Wow Hic, I had no idea that your missing foot was actually a cool battle injury. You're like a real Viking warrior" Jack answered playfully with a huge grin.

Hiccup's lips twitched. "I wouldn't say that"

"Of course you wouldn't, you're way too dismissive of yourself to ever say something like that" Jack chuckled.

Hiccup merely shrugged at that and Jack thought of how typical that was. He'd only really known Hiccup for about three weeks now, but it didn't take long for him to figure out that the guy had self-esteem issues. Which was completely ridiculous, as he had so many great traits and skills that he should be proud of.

"Seriously, you need more confidence"

"Yeah I know, Jack" Hiccup agreed without shooting any sarcastic remarks his way, which only confirmed that Hiccup was in a pensive mood right now.  
A few moments of silence passed between them.

"Hic…?" Jack asked hesitantly. He wasn't sure how much he could ask about this near death experience before Hiccup would become guarded.

"Yeah?" Hiccup replied, watching him with curious green eyes, as he took another sip of the mead. Apparently he'd emptied his glass as he quickly poured more of the golden liquid into it.

"When you woke up from the coma and discovered…everything….what were you thinking?" Jack asked softly and wondered if it was a stupid question to ask. He didn't really care though. He wanted to know.

Hiccup seemed to contemplate his answer for a minute, as he stared into the crackling fire that bathed his face in a soft, warm glow. Jack found himself briefly thinking how strange it was that Hiccup was indeed a Viking. He was such a calm and gentle person, and yet he had grown up in such a brutal place in a very tough culture. It seemed to contradict his personality.

"It's…I was relieved that I was alive and that everyone was okay, but…something important had been taken away from me…and it took a long time to fully accept that…" Hiccup replied honestly, training his green observant eyes on Jack once again.

Jack nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry you had to go through that".

"Why are you sorry? You had nothing to do with it" Hiccup asked in confusion, furrowing his brow.

"I know, I know, it's just…it doesn't seem fair that something like that had to happen to you"

Hiccup shrugged. "I do sometimes wish that my foot was back, but…life isn't fair so it's better not to dwell too much on these things"

"I guess you're right" Jack said and once again emptied a glass of mead. Hiccup didn't move to pour more of it.

"You're not going to give me more?" he asked curiously. He definitely wanted a refill.

Hiccup smiled in response. "I don't think that's a good idea, Jack"

"What? Why?" Jack pouted.

Hiccup's smile turned into a grin. "I don't want to get you drunk, Snowcone"

"What!?" Jack said in a high-pitched voice that couldn't exactly be labeled as 'manly'. "I won't get drunk"

"You will" Hiccup merely smiled knowingly, as he took a sip out of his own glass.

Jack quickly reached out and grabbed the bottle himself and started pouring more mead into his glass, while smiling challengingly at Hiccup, daring him to try and stop him. If Hiccup wasn't going to give him a refill, he would take it himself.

"Seriously, Jack? You're going to be hungover tomorrow" Hiccup warned him with a small, amused smile tugging the corners of his lips upwards, but he still didn't do anything to stop him.

"No, I'm not" Jack insisted. He wasn't even feeling tipsy yet. There was no way he was going to be hungover. Silly Viking.

"Well, don't come whining to me, when you feel like a pile of dragon dung tomorrow"

"Oh I won't…but you'll have to admit to me that I was right, when I feel perfectly fine tomorrow"

"I don't mind that, since it's never going to happen"

Jack took another slurp of the mead and Hiccup did the same. Jack pushed the bottle on the table towards Hiccup, encouraging him to fill his own glass again. Hiccup didn't need to think twice about that and grabbed the bottle.

* * *

As he and Jack continued to talk and laugh in the soft chairs by the fireplace, covering all kinds of topics from Pascal's human-like behavior to previous pranks that Jack had pulled, Hiccup could not only tell that Jack was experiencing a slight buzz from the mead, but also felt that familiar warmth spread through his own body that came from the alcohol. He decided not to drink that much more. After all…he still needed to take Toothless flying later tonight, and he definitely shouldn't be drunk for that. He also did not want to be hungover tomorrow.

"You know…I've been taking a break from pranking her, but now that I'm friends with you, I'm bound to have some kind of immunity from her wrath…" Jack said happily as he conveyed his thoughts on potentially pranking Astrid.

"No, Jack" Hiccup replied firmly but with laughter in his eyes. "Like I told you earlier, you can't use my friendship with Astrid to your own advantage"

"And you should definitely help me, Hic" Jack began, as if he hadn't even heard Hiccup's reply. "If we work together we could do an awesome mind-blowing prank!" Jack spoke quickly and excitedly, gesturing with his hands.

"Oh no, there's no way I would ever do that, Jack…Astrid would definitely kill me…and I don't really feel like dying right now" Hiccup said dryly. He was definitely not going to mess with Astrid like that.

As soon as the words left his mouth, something briefly flickered in Jack's eyes. Jack watched him intently, as if he was studying him.

Hiccup wondered why Jack was quiet all of the sudden. That wasn't like him. What was he thinking about? Had he accidentally reminded Jack of something unpleasant? Perhaps some horrible memory from the past? He hoped not.

Jack was still observing him, remaining quiet, and Hiccup was beginning to worry.

"Jack?" he asked hesitantly, furrowing his brow in confusion.

Jack continued to watch him with those piercing blue eyes that now seemed to be looking him over, as if he might have some kind of injury. What in Thor's name was going on with him right now?

"Jack, seriously…what's wrong?" he asked his friend, tilting his head of brown hair a little.

"Do you…you know…do you ever feel like…?" Jack asked uncertainly, worry lacing his usually cheery voice. His blue eyes were practically brimming with concern and he obviously wasn't sure how to phrase his question. Hiccup had understood his meaning immediately though.

He was shocked, to say the least, by this question. He hadn't expected Jack to take his little joke seriously in any way…but now Jack had once again, this time without knowing it, brushed the subject of his childhood. Despite being quite happy in life now, although still worried about the future, Hiccup had not been a stranger to darker thoughts, before he met Toothless and everything changed. Being all alone with no one to turn to…no one to truly talk to…no one who wanted to spend time with him…with everyone constantly putting him down, making him feel worthless…most people would probably have thought those kinds of thoughts at one point or another.

"Hiccup!" Jack's voice sliced through his clouded mind. He jumped at the loud sound.

"Sorry" he quickly mumbled and scratched the back of his head a few times. He had clearly been lost in his own thoughts, zoning out, so he hadn't even heard that Jack was speaking to him. He turned his gaze towards the fire and found a little comfort in observing the orange flames dance and listening to the gentle crackling sounds.

"Hiccup, answer me" Jack said firmly. It was a rarity to hear him speak like that, and Hiccup knew that when he did, it was because he was not kidding around.

"Don't worry Jack, I don't have those kinds of thoughts" he reassured him, still watching the fire. He could hear Jack sigh softly in relief.

"Anymore" Hiccup then added, before he even had a chance to think about it. He kept watching the fire, as a heavy silence descended upon them. Hiccup didn't really mind the silence as such…sometimes silence could actually be quite comforting, as he could just retreat into his own thoughts. He probably shouldn't have told Jack though…why had he let that slip? He was an expert at guarding his secrets, and so far in his and Jack's freshly formed friendship he hadn't revealed anything truly personal about himself before. Sure, he had told Jack about some of his romantic experiences and a little about his missing foot and the pain caused by it, but that wasn't personal in the same way that this was. This was something only Fishlegs, Rapunzel and Astrid knew about.

"Hic…I'm so sorry" he heard Jack's soothing voice say, suddenly breaking the silence between them. A tiny fond smile tugged at the corners of his lips, as he tore his eyes off the fascinating dancing flames and trained them on Jack once again. Jack was watching him with empathy in his eyes. Hiccup was touched that he was so worried, but he didn't need to be.

"Jack, come on…I understand what you mean, but…you have nothing to be sorry for" he explained. Jack didn't seem too comforted by his words though, as he kept looking at him with that worried gaze and slightly furrowed brow.

"Do you…want to talk about it?" Jack asked hesitantly as he leaned slightly forward in his chair, obviously unsure of whether he was crossing some kind of line.

Hiccup shrugged. "Not really. I think you're more affected by it than me right now" he said honestly and raised his glass to his lips to receive yet another taste of mead.

"You're not affected by it?" Jack asked in confusion.

"Not anymore…I'm fine now" He replied and waved a hand in a dismissive gesture.

Jack gave him a small but genuine smile, and Hiccup found himself feeling a tug of soft friendly affection in his chest. It really was strange how close he and Jack had gotten in just three weeks, despite Hiccup keeping him at arm's length in regards to his secrets. There was still a lot that Jack didn't know about him…things that were essential to who he was as a person. He wasn't ready to share those though. That would take time, so it depended on whether Jack decided to stick around or not.

"Good…and don't worry, I won't tell anyone, Hic…You can trust me" Jack said softly and leaned back in his chair.

Despite not knowing about his past and the secrets he was still keeping under lock and key, Jack definitely seemed to have a lot of knowledge about how he was as a person. Jack knew that he had trust issues with other people and that he would think about that after sharing something personal with someone new.

"It's not that, Jack…It's just…" Hiccup tried to explain vaguely but then sighed. It was better to just be truthful with Jack. He was pretty sure that he would understand. "Can I be completely honest with you?"

"Of course. I don't want anything but honesty" Jack said sincerely.

"Okay…" Hiccup began hesitantly and nodded. "It's not that I think you're some kind of jerk who will just pretend to be my friend and then stab me in the back, I already know you too well for that" he explained, gesturing with his hands, and Jack smiled warmly at him as he finished that sentence. "It's just…I have a lot of things that I'm not ready to share any time soon. Some things I might not ever be ready to share" he explained truthfully. It was better that Jack knew how he felt about this, instead of just beating around the bush every time some subject he wasn't comfortable with was brought up. Everyone had secrets and that was okay.

Jack nodded. "That's okay, Hiccup. I understand" Jack began and his lips twitched in a flicker of a smile. "You shouldn't tell me anything you're not ready for. I get that you have some painful stuff in your past…and the whole dragon thing of course…So just…take your time, and whenever you feel like sharing something, I'll be here, and the things you don't feel like sharing, you can keep to yourself. I won't try to push you" Jack told him calmly, his blue eyes watching him intently as he spoke those reassuring words to Hiccup, who instantly felt relieved that Jack did understand.

"Thanks, Jack. You're a good friend"

"So are you, Hic" Jack smiled at him.

After having hung out, drinking mead, talking and laughing for hours, they had emptied the bottle. Hiccup had definitely not drunk as much as Jack, and that became evident as time passed. Jack's voice began to slur and he seemed to become tired, his eyelids drooping.

"Jack, you're drunk" Hiccup said in amusement, watching his friend try to say the alphabet backwards, after having insisted that he could. He failed miserably though.

"No, I'm not Hic!" Jack pouted and crossed his arms defiantly.

"Come on, I'll take you back to the Gryffindor Tower" Hiccup said gently and got to his feet.

"Awwww, come on Hiccuuuuuuup" Jack whined and closed his eyes for a few seconds.

"No Jack, you need to sleep it off" he insisted and slung his black satchel over one shoulder, while looking down at Jack, who was still curled up in one of the soft armchairs.

He reached out and pulled Jack to his feet by grabbing one of his arms.

"You're so boring, Hic" Jack pouted and swayed a little.

Hiccup laughed at that. Jack was seriously amusing when he was like this…all child-like and discontent. "Sure am" he replied as he guided Jack towards the exit of the room with a hand on his back.

As they slowly walked towards the Gryffindor common room through the deserted corridors, Hiccup quickly noticed just how unsure on his feet Jack was right now. He put an arm around Jack's waist to keep him steady and Jack instantly grinned at him.

It was late at night, but not beyond curfew so they wouldn't get detention for still wandering around the castle. Well...Hiccup wouldn't get detention no matter what the time was, as he had permission from professor Lunar to wander about at night, as he had to leave the common room very late to go fly Toothless, so no one would notice. Jack didn't have that same freedom though, and they didn't have that much time to spare.

"I should get you drunk some time…" Jack mumbled, as he leaned into him for further support and Hiccup felt his friend's warmth envelop him in a nice, comforting way. He shook his head in amusement and kept guiding his friends through the hallways towards Gryffindor Tower with an arm around him.

"I really don't think that's a good idea" He replied, suppressing a chuckle.

"Yeah it totally is! It's like…the best idea ever!" Jack exclaimed happily, clearly proud of his own genius idea.

"It really isn't, Jack"

"You bacraut" Jack muttered and pouted afterwards and Hiccup couldn't contain the laughter that escaped him, as he heard the old norse insult leave Jack's mouth. How on earth Jack had known and remembered that word he didn't know but it probably had something to do with Rapunzel.

Jack practically beamed at him in response and seemed to take great joy in making him laugh. Which wasn't such a big surprise…Jack loved to make anyone laugh and it was one of the things he did best.

As the portrait-entrance to the Gryffindor common room came into view Hiccup asked Jack what the password was. Jack had no hesitation in sharing that, and as they stood before the portrait, Hiccup said the password and the portrait swung open, revealing the common room. Hiccup followed Jack inside to make sure that he actually went to bed and didn't start any trouble, like suddenly deciding to pull some of his 'mind-blowing pranks'. There were only two students, two guys Hiccup didn't recognize, in the common room as everyone else had apparently gone to bed and Hiccup was kind of relieved at that. People shouldn't know that he and Jack had had alcohol, as that might get them in trouble. The Gryffindor common room was large and kept in warm red and golden colors. It was filled with soft red couches and comfortable chairs, a huge fireplace and dark bookcases. All in all, it seemed very cosy and warm…more so than the Ravenclaw common room with its huge dome ceiling painted like the night sky, though Hiccup loved that. The two Gryffindor guys eyed him curiously as he followed Jack towards the staircase. They were probably wondering what on earth he was doing here in the Gryffindor tower.

Much to Hiccup's relief Jack merely waved at the two students and then continued on his way to the dormitories with Hiccup following behind him. They walked up the old creaking stairs and found the door to the room Jack shared with Flynn and two others. Jack pushed open the door and they entered the dark room, where Hiccup could hear snoring and loud breathing. Jack walked drowsily and on unsure feet to his bed and then threw him self on it. As Jack was sprawled on his bed, Hiccup observed him for a few moments in amusement, as Jack's eyelids quickly began to droop. He didn't even bother to change or to crawl under the covers.

"Well…good night Snowcone. Sleep it off" Hiccup said, before turning towards the door.

"Hey Hiccuuuup" Jack said childishly, sounding like he was barely conscious but definitely still drunk.

Hiccup turned around, smiling at the amusing way Jack said his name. "Yeah?" he asked curiously, observing Jack who had now rolled onto his side, but still had his eyes half closed.

"You're like…totally great" Jack mumbled genuinely despite his current state.

Hiccup smiled fondly at the drunk, almost sleeping guy.

"You're pretty great too, _Snær Flekkr_" he said softly before leaving the dormitory, descending the creaking staircase once more and exiting the Gryffindor common room to head towards the Ravenclaw Tower to grab his armor before going flying with Toothless.

* * *

**Author's note:**

So...what did you guys think? :) I eagerly await your opinions :D

Translations and explanations:

Yggdrasil: The tree of life in Norse Mythology. With its roots, trunk and leaves it goes through all three 'planes' of existence (the sky, the earth and under ground). It's placed in the middle of the world as a sort of center, and it's a symbol of keeping order in the world, avoiding chaos. Three of its roots ends in three different 'worlds' (in Norse mythology the world is divided into nine 'worlds', each one the home of a different kind of species/creature) and there is a fresh water spring with a different property or meaning by each of these roots: one spring granting wisdom and knowledge (placed in Jotunheim - the home of Jotunn - creatures that are often portrayed as the enemies of the gods) , one spring that is the gathering place of the gods when they need to discuss, make decisions or give a collective verdict on something (this spring is located in Asgard - the home of the gods), and one spring is by the root that leads in to the underworld and that spring is the home of the dragon Nidhoggr that is constantly gnawing on the root.

Snær Flekkr: Hiccup's nickname for Jack. Means a speck of snow/snow flake in old norse.

Professor Hyde: Hiccup mentions him to Wallace, because professor Hyde is the head of Hufflepuff house in this story, and therefore the person responsible for punishing students of this house. Of course the headmaster can expel someone, but without any proof that would never happen.


	8. Damaged People

**Author's note:**

The title of this chapter "Damaged People" comes from the Depeche Mode song of the same name.

* * *

The sun was peaking out from behind the majestic mountains surrounding the ancient magical castle, as he made his way back towards the dormitories from the small forest. Its gentle rays lit up the sky in beautiful layers of orange and pink nuances, and the scattered trail of golden clouds that drifted across the heavens somehow calmed his mind. He let the fresh morning air fill his lungs while walking past the Quidditch pitch. Flying with Toothless always seemed to fill his heart with a soft, delicate happiness that made him feel completely content.

As Hiccup continued on his way towards the castle to get to Ravenclaw Tower, his boot and his prosthetic squished slightly on the wet grass bathed in morning dew. Mornings were always so peaceful and he had come to enjoy getting up early immensely. The gentle morning breeze ruffled his hair and he rubbed one of his eyes. His thoughts started to wander and landed on Jack.

Humans are peculiar creatures. Someone new can enter your life, bringing out new habits, new experiences, new thoughts and suddenly these things become a fixture in your life. Even though you had lived your whole life without them, all of the sudden their absence would bring about a strange sensation of missing something familiar.

It was weird how Jack had suddenly become a constant presence in his life. It had been about two months since they'd had their first real conversation that evening in the library, but to Hiccup it seemed like much longer. Time is an abstract, elusive concept though. It seems to always slow down or speed up in accordance with one's emotions, which makes its nature that much harder to grasp. When you've grown close to someone, your mind plays tricks on you. The sheer habit of having them around makes the time before they entered your life seem much farther away.

Hiccup had definitely grown accustomed to Jack being a part of his daily life, and he had now begun to consider him a close friend. The thought was pleasant and unnerving at the same time. Jack had confused him at first with his friendly banter and playful smiles. Hiccup hadn't been sure if he actually wanted to be his friend, or if he had some sort of agenda like everyone else seemed to have. As time passed though, Hiccup had realized that Jack genuinely wanted a friendship between them. He never asked him anything dragon-related or anything about his childhood, but seemed content just getting to know each other and having fun together. Jack had quickly come to mean a lot to him, despite their fairly short friendship and even though Hiccup still kept him at arm's length regarding his secrets. A part of him wanted to trust Jack with some of the things that weighed heavily on his mind, and another part wanted to keep it under lock and key, guarded by a million dragons. Even though he did trust Jack, there was always a risk when it came to people…

* * *

The ancient corridors in the magical castle were fairly quiet today, as it was the weekend and Hiccup quite enjoyed that. He liked peace and quiet, and somehow crowded hallways always made him feel…watched. Even before he became popular, he disliked walking in crowds, as he felt the eyes of people around him burning into his skin, which made him self-conscious. Now it had become worse, as people were now actually approaching him, talking to him and kept their eyes on him a lot more than before.

As he, Jack and Flynn were making their way through the passageways, there were only few students passing them by. Hiccup heard parts of conversations from the other students that walked past them and observed their different expressions and behavior. The three of them were on their way to the owlery to send letters to their families and Hiccup had actually written quite a long letter to his dad, updating him on how everything was going, not just with him but also Rapunzel, Fishlegs, Astrid and Toothless. He had ended his letter with a bunch of questions about how things were at home, especially with the hostile tribes.

Jack once again had his arm around his shoulder. They had both become used to it. It was sort of their little ritual now and Hiccup quite enjoyed it. It was familiar and comforting and somehow it made him feel a little less awkward, whenever the hallways were brimming with students, who were watching him as they passed him by. Apparently the other students in the castle had become so used to the sight of him and Jack that no one shot them curious looks anymore, which Hiccup was quite happy about. He had enough people staring at him, talking to him, passing him notes…so any decrease in attention was a positive thing for him.

When Hiccup suddenly spotted Wallace walking behind a small group of Slytherins, he felt the annoyance creep into his gut. When Wallace saw him, his eyes widened for a few seconds and Hiccup sent him a chilly glare, as had become a habit for him in the last month. He had restrained himself and not punched the guy's face in after Jack was injured, but the Hufflepuff should not forget his promise…if he ever tried to hurt Jack again, he would be sorry. Wallace quickly looked away and hurried past them, a couple of books clutched tightly in his arms.

As he was listening to Jack's and Flynn's conversation about how Flynn's dad had gotten a new girlfriend, he felt quite content and smiled softly to himself. He was more well-rested than usual, his stomach was full from breakfast and he was enjoying the company of two of his friends and the usual closeness between him and Jack.

The three of them were interrupted by someone grabbing Jack's arm, causing him to stop in his tracks. Jack removed his arm from Hiccup and Hiccup found that he instantly missed the warmth. He and Flynn quickly spun around too to find out what was going on and came face to face with a familiar Gryffindor.

Hiccup recognized the girl, who was now standing in front of them, watching Jack shyly. Her name was Abbey Hewitt and she was a Gryffindor a year younger than Jack and Flynn. She was fairly tall, with straight, blonde hair and deep brown eyes. She was quite pretty Hiccup had to admit reluctantly, as he had never liked her. She hadn't been very nice to him before he became popular all of the sudden, and she'd even called him some less flattering names a few times.

"Uh, Hi Jack" Abbey said softly.

Oh for Thor's sake, Hiccup thought to himself and rolled his eyes. He immediately knew what this was, and he felt a little annoyed by it.

"Hey Abbey…what's up?" Jack replied casually and Hiccup knew from the amused smile on Jack's lips that he also knew what was going on here.

Abbey wrung her hands and shot a glance at Flynn and him.

"Come on, Hiccup" Flynn motioned with his head for them to give Jack and Abbey a little privacy. He reluctantly followed Flynn further down the corridor, just enough for them not to be able to hear what the others were talking about. He had to admit that he didn't really like leaving Jack alone with her.

Hiccup _had _noticed that lately he had become more and more annoyed not just by girls approaching himself but also those who approached Jack. He wasn't sure why though. Jack wasn't awkward like himself. He could definitely interact with his fangirls without any problems and actually found it a little amusing, so Hiccup shouldn't be bothered by it. That didn't quell his irritation though…but maybe it was just because it happened so often and it seemed so shallow. Most of the people who wanted to talk to both him and Jack had absolutely nothing to do with them in their daily life, so maybe Hiccup sort of viewed it as an intrusion in Jack's life as well as his own. He wasn't completely sure.

He sighed to himself. He had an uneasy feeling…like he was missing something that would be completely obvious once he actually figured it out. It was unfamiliar to him…he was usually very good not just at analyzing other people but also himself and his emotions.

He and Flynn waited in silence. Abbey gestured with her hands as she explained something to Jack and even though Hiccup couldn't see Jack's face, he knew he was being kind and attentive as usual. His friend was so confident and casual around any girl that talked to him and he always let them down in the nicest way possible.

After a few minutes of conversation, Abbey smiled fondly and reached out her hand to touch Jack's arm. The annoyance swirled in Hiccup's gut but he pushed it down. He rolled his eyes at his own overprotectiveness. It was ridiculous to waste energy on such meaningless negative feelings in this kind of situation…but…Gods, he hoped Jack would never be with someone like that.

When Abbey and Jack finished their conversation, Jack gave her a small wave.

"Sooo….what happened, Jackie?" Flynn asked and tilted his head, when Jack was by their side.

Jack shrugged. "She likes me" he simply stated and put his hands in the pocket of his blue hoodie.

"Oooh" Flynn said and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Well? Are you going do something about it?"

"Hmm, I don't know" Jack responded without much emotion in his voice. "I don't really know her very well".

Hiccup remained silent as the three of them once again walked along the hallways. Jack and Flynn began discussing the interaction with Abbey. Hiccup chose not to participate in that conversation, as he was definitely biased. He didn't like Abbey at all and he didn't want Jack anywhere near her. He wasn't the boss of his friend though, and he didn't want to meddle. He knew how annoying that could be. Jack needed to make his own decisions, even if it might potentially annoy him.

"Hey Hic?" Jack suddenly said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?" he met his friend's familiar eyes.

"You're awfully quiet. What's going on in there?" Jack asked with a grin that revealed those white teeth of his and he knocked a few times with a fist on the side of Hiccup's head.

"Nothing" Hiccup said dismissively and shrugged, but as the words left his mouth, he knew that his voice had sounded a little frustrated.

"I _know_ that's not true. Something's aaaalways going on in there" Jack chuckled and smiled at him. Well, Hiccup couldn't really deny _that_…it was true that he was pretty much always thinking about something. Sometimes that could actually be a real pain, as he had trouble resting his mind.

"It's not important, Jack" he replied like it was no big deal, trying to get Jack to drop it. He didn't feel like talking about his negative feelings.

"Aww, come on. When you say that, it's _definitely_ important" his friend shot back, tilting his head in that way of his that indicated curiosity.

"It's not really"

"Come on Hic, just tell us already" Jack insisted and nudged his shoulder.

"Yeah, just tell us" Flynn said in agreement and lifted his eyebrows, as the three of them kept walking down the corridor.

Hiccup sighed. He wasn't getting out of this.

"Fine" he began. "I just don't like Abbey" he admitted and tugged a little on one of his braids.

"What? Why?" Jack asked in confusion and observed him intently.

"Yeah, she seems so nice?" Flynn asked, sounding baffled by Hiccup's dislike.

"Yeah, well…she's not" Hiccup shrugged. He knew his two friends were not going to be happy with that vague answer though.

"What? Has she done something to you…or?" Jack asked, immediately furrowing his eyebrows and his eyes were now full of determination, as if he would keep asking Hiccup about this forever, until he got his answers.

"You could say that…" Hiccup said hesitantly and shrugged once more.

"What did she do?" Jack asked, already sounding a little annoyed by the prospect of Hiccup being bothered by someone, which made him feel quite touched. During their friendship he had seen signs that Jack felt just as protective of him as he did of Jack.

"Well…let's see…she once tripped me in one of the hallways when I was still getting used to my prosthetic…much to the amusement of everyone around us…" He began to explain, keeping his voice steady, despite feeling a little nauseous in his stomach from recalling the memory. That experience had definitely been horrible for him. He had felt like such a damn, weak, pathetic creature in that moment and it had been another bruise to his ego.

"What?!" Jack blurted out.

Flynn seemed to be just as surprised, his brown eyes growing bigger.

"Aaaand…once I was apparently in her way when she was on her way to class, so she shoved me and called me a pathetic cripple" Hiccup explained. That had definitely hurt as well…he was fairly comfortable with his missing foot now, but back then he hadn't accepted it yet, so comments like that really hit a nerve. "That's some of it".

Jack and Flynn both remained silent for a brief moment with disgusted looks on their faces, and Hiccup appreciated that they felt so strongly about what had happened between him and Abbey. They really were good friends.

"Well…I'm never talking to her again then" Jack said determined.

"What?" Hiccup asked him in confusion.

"Come on, don't look so surprised. I don't like jerks…and especially jerks who bother my friends...apparently she's not the nice person I thought she was" Jack explained, gesturing with his hands.

"Yeah…she always seemed so kind and patient with others…" Flynn said in contemplation, as the three of them kept walking next to each other down the corridors.

"A lot of people _seem_ nice…" Hiccup said and trailed off. He had broken eye contact with his friends but he could feel their curious eyes on him. He didn't want to elaborate. So many people appeared to be kind and sincere but then…when it was more convenient not to be, they changed.

After a few moments of silence, Jack and Flynn went back to discussing Flynn's dad's new girlfriend, while Hiccup remained quiet and in contemplation. When they finally reached the owlery, on top of the West tower and after climbing all of those diabolical stairs, they entered the familiar, large, drafty room. The sounds of owls hooting and the smell of straw immediately invaded his senses, as he stepped around the room trying to locate his owl.

After a few minutes of glancing around the room, taking in all the different owls, he spotted the familiar medium-sized bird. He quickly covered the distance to where his owl was resting casually on a low perch.

"Heey" he told the bird soothingly and stroked its beautiful feathers gently a few times. The face, neck, legs and stomach of the owl were covered in soft, white feathers, while the bird's back, wings and the top of the head were a reddish brown colour that always appeared orange in the sunlight.

In the background he heard Jack and Flynn locating their own owls and handing the letters to them.

"How are you doing today, buddy?" Hiccup asked the bird and it let out a soft hoot in response, causing him to smile. "Well…that's good to know".

"Talking to birds now, Hic?" he heard Jack's amused voice say from behind him.

"Yeah, why not? He's a friend" Hiccup said happily and motioned to the owl.

"A friend, huh?" Jack replied with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Yup…"

"Got many animal friends?"

"A fair few…" he began. "I often like animals more than people"

"No kidding, Hic. I would have _never_ guessed that" Jack said sarcastically with a grin on his face.

Hiccup rolled his eyes in response. "Case in point" he said and raised an eyebrow at Jack.

"Aww, come on now. Do you prefer that pile of feathers to all of this?" Jack said and gestured to himself.

"Oh definitely"

Jack grinned. "You're a terrible liar, Hic"

After Hiccup had sent his owl away, the three of them headed towards the castle entrance, where they split up. Much to Jack's disappointment he and Flynn needed to spend a few hours today studying, as they were paired up for a Potions assignment. Jack was complaining about it all the way down the many steps from the owlery, and Hiccup couldn't keep the smile off his face. Jack was amusing when he was whining about something.

Hiccup had to head in another direction than his friends, as he had promised to meet up with Merida by a secluded spot in a piece of the forest surrounding the lake to help her with her archery practice, which he was really looking forward to. When he was away from home he really missed the regular weapons- and fighting training that he and the others participated in on Berk. He and Fishlegs would sometimes practice a bit of hand to hand combat, but it wasn't that often and Hiccup enjoyed weapons training more.

After saying goodbye to Jack and Flynn, Hiccup briskly walked towards the lake in search of their fellow friend to enjoy some archery training. He had actually grown quite fond of Merida during the last two months and she seemed to feel the same way, as they had begun to joke around with each other quite a lot and their archery training was slowly becoming a regular thing now. They both shared an interest in weapons and fighting, and Hiccup often found himself thinking that Merida would make a good Viking.

* * *

After having worked for two hours in the crowded library with Flynn on their Potions assignment, Jack's head was throbbing from the suffocating, warm air in the closed off space that was filled with students working on assignments and projects, the sounds of discussions, quills scribbling down words and parchment rustling bouncing off the walls of the old library.

He and Flynn quickly decided to hang out a bit in one of the courtyards, both needing some fresh air. Since Mavis had Frog Choir practice right now, Hiccup and Merida practiced with her bow and they had no idea where Fishlegs and Rapunzel were, they remained in the courtyard instead of going to their usual spot by the lake. There were a few students outside, sitting by the tables and benches, some of them chatting eagerly and joking around, others deep in concentration, reading and writing notes. He and Flynn found a free table and quickly slumped down on the benches. They remained there for a while, talking and laughing about all kinds of things and Jack enjoyed the one-on-one time with Flynn.

After about an hour it was time for lunch, so they quickly walked along the corridors towards the Great Hall, eager to not only get some food in their bellies but also see their friends. They greeted several people they knew on their way to the Hall, and they stopped for a few minutes, when a shy Ravenclaw girl gave Flynn a note and quickly scurried off.

Once Jack and Flynn continued towards their destination, they discussed the Quidditch practice that Jack and Merida had to go to later and what kind of drills Astrid might have them do. As they swung around a corner, they stopped dead in their tracks and immediately abandoned their conversation.

Hiccup and Rapunzel were in the middle of some kind of argument in the corridor with three Slytherins that Jack recognized but didn't know the names of. It was definitely a tense situation, as the three Slytherin boys all wore disgusted looks on their faces and had tense, rigid body language, while Hiccup had placed himself protectively in front of Rapunzel and was clenching his fists by his sides, while watching the boys with an icy glare.

"Mind your own business, Haddock" the blonde Slytherin guy spat. Hiccup's eyes narrowed in a deadly manner that Jack had never seen him use before…like he wanted to kick the guy's ass, and was very close to not being able to restrain himself anymore. It was a frightening contrast to his usual calm and gentle demeanor and Jack found himself already feeling irritated by these three Slytherins.

"This _is_ my business, you idiot" Hiccup said menacingly.

What the hell was going on here? What could have caused Hiccup to be this angry?

"Oh? And why is that?" the red-haired guy said and tilted his head in a mocking gesture. Jack felt his temper flare by the tone and the whole demeanor of those three jerks. They should not be hostile to his friends.

"Because she's my friend, so you _don't_ get to bother her" Hiccup spat and crossed his arms defiantly.

The three Slytherins snickered. "And what are you going to do about it, _loser_?" one of them said smugly and shoved Hiccup. Hiccup was pushed back a few steps, before he regained his balance.

Jack's blood boiled and he had an overwhelming urge to punch the guy's face in. Oh _hell_ no…He did _not_ just lay his hands on Hiccup and call him a loser. Who _were_ these tossers? He motioned to Flynn who quickly nodded and they both briskly covered the short distance between them and the others. Hiccup, Rapunzel and the Slytherins looked at them as they approached, and while Rapunzel practically seemed relieved to see them, Hiccup didn't change his expression. The three Slytherins observed them with a mix of confusion and annoyance. Not that Jack cared how they felt…those idiots were going to leave their friends alone now.

They placed themselves protectively in front of Hiccup and Rapunzel, shielding them from the three hostile guys. It wasn't that Jack thought Hiccup couldn't obviously handle this, but…he and Flynn protected their friends. He could feel himself fuming with anger and the need to smash something (or someone) stirred violently inside him, and he didn't even bother hiding it as he glared at the three boys in front of them.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" Jack said, narrowing his eyes at the Slytherins. Flynn stood beside him with his arms crossed, eying the boys in silent contempt.

"What do you care, _Frost_?" the blonde Slytherin asked and put his hands on his hips in a defiant gesture. The guy's two Slytherin friends watched Jack and Flynn, trying to intimidate them, but that wasn't going to work. Jack would never back down, as long as someone bothered his friends and he knew that Flynn felt the same way.

"Just leave them alone from now on, _jerk_" Jack hissed and crossed his arms.

"Oh really? And what if we _don't_?" the guy asked, raising one of his eyebrows. His two friends snickered.

"Then you're going to have a _serious_ problem with _us_" Jack spat and motioned to him and Flynn. Flynn hummed in agreement next to him to show his support, and continued to watch the Slytherins with disdain in his usually warm brown eyes.

The three boys glared at them but hesitated, considering whether or not it was worth getting into an argument and potentially a fight them. Jack was hoping that they would just back down, but…if they didn't he would be mentally prepared. He wasn't experienced in fighting like Hiccup was but he wasn't weak and helpless either.

The blonde Slytherin cleared his throat. He shot Jack and Flynn a deadly glare, before gesturing to the two others to follow him, as he began to walk away. Jack was relieved the conflict ended there.

The leader of the three Slytherins spun around quickly and narrowed his eyes at Jack. "Your new friends are _freaks_, Frost" he spat.

"I know, they're great, right?" Jack beamed, his whole face lighting up. Flynn chuckled.

The Slytherin was clearly thrown off by his enthusiasm and his positive association with the word "freak". The confusion swirled in his stupid grey eyes. He and his goons disappeared down the stone corridor.

Jack glared after them before focusing on Hiccup and Rapunzel. She had a defeated look in her eyes. It was so unfamiliar on her that Jack was taken aback at first. Hiccup fumed with anger on the inside, his jaw clenched and his arms crossed tightly.

"Are you okay, guys?" Flynn asked with concern in his eyes. Moments like this just confirmed to Jack that his friends were beginning to think of the three Ravenclaws as their friends too and that thought made him feel warm inside.

"Yeah…." Rapunzel said quietly and uncertainly, as she shuffled her feet a little. She still didn't meet their eyes.

"What was all that about?" Jack asked, looking at Hiccup for an explanation. He was confused as to why those Slytherins would be bothering his two friends. Had something in particular happened or was this a regular occurrence?

Rapunzel continued to avoid eye contact, and Hiccup quickly glanced at her with concern.

"They were bothering Rapunzel, calling her stupid names. Those three have always had it out for her for some reason" Hiccup explained, his brow furrowed and not able to hide the frustration in his voice.

"What? That's ridiculous!" Jack said outraged. Rapunzel was such a nice, caring person. She didn't deserve to be stepped on by some mean, pathetic idiots.

"Yeah, what's their problem?" Flynn asked and crossed his arms.

"I have no idea…for some reason they've always disliked Rapunzel's bubbly personality" Hiccup said, now sounding tired. He had probably had to deal with those gits for years. That thought made the anger swirl inside him.

"What are their names?" Flynn asked, tilting his head. Jack wanted to know this as well for future reference.

"Jarvis, Know and Kinney" Hiccup replied. Jack remembered having heard Hiccup mention those names before in annoyance, and he made sure to file them away in the archive of his brain. He might need the information at some point, if they bothered Rapunzel and Hiccup again. .

"Well, tell us if they ever bother you again" Jack said and was unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice. He still couldn't believe what those jerks had said to Hiccup and Rapunzel and that one of them had even shoved Hiccup.

"Jack, we can take care of it" Hiccup told him dismissively.

"I'm aware of that Hic, but I still want to know about it. Friends protect each other, right?" He told him. He knew Hiccup could take care o himself and Rapunzel but…they shouldn't have to. It's always easier to fight your battles if you have the support of friends.

"Yeah, you're right…" Hiccup replied quietly and a small smile graced his lips.

Jack turned to Rapunzel, who was still looking at the ground, obviously sad and uncomfortable.

"Rapunzel, don't let them get to you. They're just pathetic jerks, who need to be cruel to others to make themselves feel just a little better about their miserable lives…you're a great person, so don't listen to anything they say" Jack said softly and placed a finger tentatively under Rapunzel's chin and lifted it upwards to get her to face him. When their eyes met, she gave him a hesitant smile.

"Thanks Jack" she said, appreciation chasing the sadness on her face away.

"Any time" he replied and shot her a bright smile. He had quickly grown fond of Rapunzel and her bubbly personality and he did _not_ want to let mean idiots get her down.

Rapunzel moved and hesitantly closed the gap between them. She wrapped her arms around him in a quick hug. He stiffened at first, surprised by the action, but put his own arms around her and hugged her back.

When they pulled apart, Rapunzel smiled warmly at him. When Jack met Hiccup's eyes, his friend had a faint smile tugging his lips upwards.

"Come on, let's get some food" Jack said and the three others all agreed, so they began walking towards the Great Hall for lunch. On their way they quickly became engulfed in conversation and Jack told Rapunzel and Hiccup how he had Quidditch training later and was dreading what drills Astrid would have in store for them. They also agreed to meet up later by their usual spot by the lake. As they walked through the corridors, Jack slung his arm around Hiccup's shoulder and hoped that the familiar, friendly gesture would comfort his friend after the tense encounter he had just had. Hiccup gave him a small smile, and it made Jack feel happy that he could help him.

* * *

After lunch, Hiccup had spent some time with Fishlegs and Rapunzel in the library, listening to the two of them discussing and working on homework for Magical History, while he kept himself occupied by sketching. He was leaning back in his chair, carefully working on the shadowing on Jack's face in the drawing. He had begun working on it yesterday, when he and Jack were hanging out together, just doing some quiet study time. During one of their breaks, Jack had been leaning against one of the huge, ancient oak trees and closed his eyes for a little while, just enjoying the quiet, peaceful surroundings. Hiccup had begun sketching him, much to Jack's amusement when he discovered it. It was the first sketch he'd ever done of Jack, but it made sense to draw him. After all, his sketchbook was filled with drawings of his other friends, so why not Jack?

After enjoying their quiet time in the library, the three of them headed for the lake to meet up with their other friends. The air was pleasantly cool and crisp, and the gentle autumn sun was shining while a few soft, wisps of clouds were scattered across the blue sky. Rapunzel was entertaining him and Fishlegs with a story, as they walked next to each other, Hiccup with an arm around Rapunzel, as they sometimes had a habit of doing, when suddenly an object went flying through the air and hit Hiccup right in the face, drenching it in cold water. He stopped dead in his tracks. The cool liquid trickled down his skin and he was left confused. What the…? He blinked a few times, trying to get his vision to focus again and rubbed his eyes with a sleeve. Fishlegs and Rapunzel giggled next to him. Traitors…

When his vision was no longer blurred, he looked down at the remains of the item that had hit him…a water balloon?

His eyes darted across his surroundings. He quickly located a familiar head of white hair belonging to Jack, and he was grinning brightly at him, clearly amused by this, and with his hands on his hips in an obvious challenge.

"You!" Hiccup yelled, pretending to be angry and pointed his finger at him.

"Me?" Jack asked innocently and gestured to himself, like he had no idea what Hiccup was talking about.

"You!" he repeated. "You devious little snowflake!"

"Awww, come on now, Hic. Can't a tough Viking like yourself handle a little water?" Jack said and his face split into a grin.

Oh that twat, Hiccup thought to himself. He made a decision. Jack was _not_ going to get away with this.

He rushed towards Jack, who ran away from him to avoid retribution. Jack's airy laughter echoed through the crisp autumn air. As they quickly reached the water, he spotted Flynn, Merida and Mavis sitting on a blanket. Next to them was a little pile of colourful filled water balloons. Apparently that was why Jack was running this way, and Hiccup felt a grin spread across his face. This was _definitely_ going to turn into a war.

Jack immediately stopped by the pile, grabbed several of the waterballoons and stuffed them into the pocket of his blue hoodie. Then he instantly took off again, running across the wet grass, eager to put distance between him and Hiccup. Hiccup quickly stocked his own pockets with the watery ammunition when he reached it, while Flynn, Merida and Mavis all chuckled in amusement.

"Get back here, Snowball!" he yelled, trying to catch up and attack Jack.

"NEVER!" he heard Jack's voice yell defiantly, before that familiar bubbly laughter traveled through the air.

"I _will_ have my revenge!" Hiccup shouted to him, as he willed his legs to carry him faster.

"You'll never catch me, clumsy foot!" Jack shot back without stopping or turning around, and Hiccup felt a grin spread across his face at Jack's translation of his old norse nickname.

They ran across the ground around the lake, their footsteps leaving imprints in the moist, soft grass. Jack's happy laughter continued to escape him and Hiccup couldn't contain his own laughter either. This was fun and he was intent on beating Jack at this, getting his revenge. _No one_ attacks a Viking and gets away with it just like that. In moments like these he found himself truly appreciating Jack's childish, carefree nature. It was amazing how he always managed to bring joy and laughter into other people's lives, and he found himself being grateful that he was now one of these people.

When Jack was suddenly turning left, dodging a few large rocks by the side of the lake, Hiccup could see his face for a few brief moments and decided to quickly launch an attack. He threw a purple waterballoon through the air and expertly hit Jack right in the face. Jack groaned and wiped his eyes with his hands, but it didn't stop him.

"Served you right, Snowflake!" he yelled tauntingly.

"Whatever dragon boy! One hit doesn't mean you win!"

"Count on it, Frosty, I'm planning to take you _down_!"

After jumping over a log, Jack turned around for the briefest of moments and threw a blue waterballoon towards Hiccup. It hit him in the chest, drenching his shirt and he felt the cold water soak through the fabric and leave a cooling sensation on his skin. Jack flashed him a grin and ran away, not wasting any time. That snow-loving idiot was actually pretty fast.

After about ten minutes of running back and forth, throwing several water balloons at each other, both Jack's and Hiccup's clothes were drenched in the cold liquid. Despite Hiccup's high tolerance of cold, he was beginning to get goosebumps on his skin from the combination of the chilly water and the crisp, cold autumn air. The act of running helped keep him from actually shivering though. His soaked clothes were heavy on him and clung to him like a second skin in a sticky, annoying way. The fabric dripped tiny droplets on the ground, as he swiftly followed Jack, still eager to beat him at this.

During their little waterballoon fight they had managed move away from their friends and were now sprinting around by themselves, shooting insults at each other and throwing the watery weapons, becoming more and more breathless from running and laughing. Hiccup was definitely better at this than Jack. He managed to dodge and avoid a lot more of Jack's attacks than the other way around. He was also more accurate with his throws, and that definitely had something to do with his weapons training.

Jack suddenly decided to run around a massive tree and Hiccup continued to chase him. He had an idea though and he chose to turn and run the other way around. Jack wasn't quick enough to do an evasive maneuver. They crashed into each other and fell backwards onto the wet grass, limbs entangled.

It took Hiccup a few seconds to register what had just happened and he blinked a couple of times. He instantly felt very self-conscious when he realized that Jack was lying on top of him, their chests against each other and their faces incredibly close. He could feel Jack's warm breath on his skin. Their chests rose and fell quickly against each other and their wet, sticky clothes clung together.

They stared at each other. Confused green eyes met equally confused blue ones. Time had slowed down and Hiccup's heart smashed against his ribcage.

His mind suddenly began working again, and he found that he really needed to pull himself out of this weird moment. Now.

"Uhmm, Jack?" he said.

"Yeah…I know" Jack replied, sounding a lot more calm.

They scrambled to their feet, their wet shirts sticking slightly together as they pulled apart, causing Hiccup to feel a chill as some of the skin on his stomach was exposed. Hiccup's cheeks burned and he didn't meet Jack's eyes. His reaction to this confused him. Why was he blushing now? Yes, it was clearly pretty embarrassing crashing into someone and landing like _that_ and it had been weird…but even so…it was just Jack, there was no reason for him to be embarrassed around him. He was probably totally overthinking this as usual.

"I think I've got a bruise now" Jack said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, me too" he replied and met Jack's eyes. His friend didn't seem too affected by their little crash.

"We should probably coordinate our moves better next time" Jack chuckled and brushed some blades of grass off one of his sleeves.

"Next time? Are you planning to ambush me again?" Hiccup asked him with one raised eyebrow. Not that he would mind. This waterballoon fight had been so much fun, with the obvious exception of the weird ending.

"Definitely…maybe not with water balloons, but…definitely" Jack smiled evilly and rubbed his hands together, as if he was scheming something. Which he probably was.

"Good to know. I should be hyper-aware at all times then"

"Please, like you could ever prepare yourself from one of my brilliant attacks. I'm like a freakin' ninja" Jack shot back and waved a hand in a dismissive gesture.

Hiccup just shook his head in amusement at that. He loved Jack's smug attitude, it was just too entertaining.

They both quickly agreed to go back to their respective dormitories and get a shower and a change of clothes, seeing as they were both drenched and beginning to feel a little cold…even Jack, who was practically immune to it.

They made their way back in silence and waved to their friends, as they passed them by. Jack shouted that they needed a change of clothes. The others grinned and waved at them. They didn't really speak but only smiled at each other as they parted inside the castle and went their separate ways towards their dormitories.

After a quick but nice, warm shower and a change of clothes, Hiccup once again made his way towards the lake to spend time with his friends. His long-sleeved dark green shirt felt soft and comfortable on his skin, enveloping him in a nice warmth and his Converse shoes scraped across the wet ground, bending blades of grass under them.

As he neared the lake, the others came into view. He spotted Jack's white hair. Apparently, he had been quicker than him to shower and change clothes.

"Hey guys" he said to everyone and waved a little, before sitting down next to Rapunzel.

"Nice and dry now?" she asked with an amused grin. Fishlegs chuckled a little next to her.

"Yeah. It's not every day you get ambushed with water balloons" Hiccup replied with a happy smile.

"You had it coming, Viking boy" Jack grinned widely and put his hands in the pocket of a dark blue hoodie that resembled his favourite one but without the frost pattern.

"What!? why?" he asked, pretending to be outraged. He glanced at the others who were giggling a little at his outburst.

"Well…just by existing really…" Jack said without much emotion and shrugged.

"Wow, that's harsh, _snær flekkr*_. I didn't know my existence was _such_ a burden" Hiccup shot back with a faint trace of a smile on his lips.

"Oh it totally is, but…I can handle it"

"I _seriously_ doubt that"

"What? A Viking is too much to handle for the guardian of fun?" Jack asked as if it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard, and the others chuckled at the comment.

"The guardian of…seriously, Jack?" Hiccup asked skeptically and raised an eyebrow.

"Yup" Jack said and ran a hand through his hair, clearly content with that self-assigned name.

"You actually gave _yourself _a title?" he asked in amusement. That was just typical Jack, he thought to himself.

"Of course. Someone as awesome as me can't go through life without a title to match, you know"

"Just a _tad_ pretentious, don't you think, Snowball?"

"Actually "awesome" is the word that comes to mind" Jack replied, as if he was correcting an obvious mistake and their friends giggled at that.

"You're unbelievable, _snær flekkr_" Hiccup said and rolled his eyes but was unable to keep a small smile from appearing on his lips.

"I know, right?" Jack grinned, as if it was a compliment…which it sort of was, but Hiccup wasn't going to admit that when they were bantering. "You should have a title too, Viking boy"

"Oh no…I _really_ don't want that"

Jack hummed in contemplation, as if he was trying to come up with a title for him.

"No, Jack. Just no" Hiccup said firmly.

"Well, you _could_ be appointed the guardian of awkwardness?" Jack asked with an amused smile.

"I don't think someone actually needs to guard _that_" Hiccup retorted dryly and their friends all chuckled.

* * *

They enjoyed themselves, talking and laughing together by the lake, the massive body of water gleaming in the mild autumn sunlight. Jack was calm and content as he took in sounds of the gentle rustling of the treetops, the birds chirping and the eager, bubbly voice of Rapunzel, as she was telling him and the others a story about how Hiccup, Fishlegs and her had once snuck out of Ravenclaw Tower at night in their second year to go exploring around the castle.

As Jack observed the crooked smile on Hiccup's lips, he briefly thought about the weird ending their waterballoon fight had had. He was relieved that the tension between them had quickly disappeared again, but the whole thing still left him confused. His mind had gone completely blank as they were lying there and staring into each other's eyes. That fairly brief moment had seemed like an eternity, and when Jack's mind began working again, he had sort of become very awkward and embarrassed, and when they finally managed to pull away from each other and get to their feet, Jack had definitely felt a blush creep into his cheeks and Hiccup was very careful to avoid eye contact for a while. It was…weird. Jack usually didn't feel embarrassed or self-conscious like that, and he and Hiccup were generally so comfortable around each other…like they'd been friends for years. But on the other hand…two guys lying on top of each other like _that_ in combination with Hiccup's awkward personality that seemed to make the guy uncomfortable about a lot of things…maybe it wasn't so strange that Jack had become a little flustered too?

He was pulled out of his thoughts, as the others stopped their conversation. Jack followed their gazes and was surprised to see Astrid approaching them in the distance, her blonde braid resting on her right shoulder and holding a couple of books under one arm. She was wearing a dark brown skirt, dark blue wooly tights, and a long sleeved V-neck red shirt that clung tightly to her, as well as brown boots with fur on them. Like Hiccup, Fishlegs and Jack, she didn't wear a jacket yet, even though it was the end of October and the autumn air was brisk and chilly.

"Hi guys" she said with a friendly smile on her lips. They all quickly greeted her in return.

"I was just going to read for a while down here and I saw you guys, so I thought I'd just say hi" Astrid explained.

"Do you want to stay and hang out?" Mavis asked her and gestured to the blankets they were sitting on.

"Uhmm, I don't know, I _do_ kind of have some homework to catch up on…" Astrid said. She glanced at the shimmering lake next to them.

"Aww, come on Astrid" Hiccup said.

Apparently that was enough to convince Astrid. Her lips lips twitched in a warm smile. She nodded and sat down next to Hiccup, placing the books on the blanket.

"Your braids are almost all undone" Astrid stated, observing Hiccup's brown locks. Jack trained his eyes on the braids and found that she was right. They were almost completely unraveled.

"Oh?" Hiccup replied. "Well, it's been a while since I did them and…I sort of got into a water balloon fight with Jack" he explained in amusement with a smile tugging at his lips.

Astrid quickly glanced at Jack and he smiled in response. When she focused on Hiccup again, she shook her head in amusement.

Astrid scooted closer to Hiccup and reached out her hands towards him. Hiccup didn't move but just observed her quietly. She let one hand glide through the side of his hair in a strangely affectionate way, before redoing the two small braids carefully. Jack found himself feeling irritated by this and he wished that Astrid would just _stop_ doing that, but he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because she sometimes seemed so…possessive of Hiccup. Like he was her property or something. The way she was always touching him in different ways…He hadn't noticed it before he and Hiccup became friends, but now he seemed to always notice it.

When Astrid removed her hands from Hiccup's hair again, she smiled at him and Hiccup returned the gesture, his eyes softening. Jack frowned, as he observed the interaction. Geez…in moments like this, it practically seemed like they were dating, even though he knew they weren't.

"_Þǫkk_*" Hiccup told Astrid and Jack didn't have to be able to speak Old Norse to figure out that it meant "thanks".

Astrid just smiled fondly in return.

"So Astrid…we haven't been able to really talk for a while" Mavis started, a hint of disappointment in her voice. Jack knew Mavis didn't spend as much time with Astrid as she wanted to, whereas he and Merida saw Astrid more often as they had Quidditch practice together. "How's everything?" Mavis added with genuine interest.

"I've been really busy…you know, developing new strategies for the Quidditch team, actual Quidditch training, homework, classes, friends, prefect duties…It's all sort of been piling up lately" Astrid said with an apology in her eyes.

"Well, that's understandable. You always have so much stuff going on" Mavis said. "Maybe you should lighten the load a little, before you wear yourself out"

"Like that will ever happen" Hiccup said sarcastically, and Astrid nudged his shoulder playfully.

"Hey, I'm not that bad" Astrid protested. She punched Hiccup on the arm, which made some of the others chuckle.

"Oh yes you are" Hiccup replied in amusement, as he rubbed his arm where Astrid had hit him. "You're constantly doing all kinds of stuff without any real breaks. You're probably the most energetic person I've ever met"

"Oh please…you should talk. Back home you're always doing _something_, and you're up at dawn and gone the whole morning before anyone else even realizes that the sun is up"

Okay…what was Astrid talking about? Jack thought to himself. Why was Hiccup gone the whole morning every day? That seemed…strange. More secrets. He sighed a little to himself.

"Well, I have stuff to do…and I like being gone the whole morning. It gives me time to think" Hiccup explained with a flicker of a smile on his lips.

"Yeah I know that, Hiccup" Astrid said knowingly. "I'm just saying you're pretty bad yourself" she added with a smile.

"Fine, you win" Hiccup said defeated but with a small smile and crossed his arms.

"I aaaalways do" Astrid grinned in response.

"That's just not true" Hiccup shot back with one eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Oh really? When am I not right?"

"Remember when you made the yak nog and insisted it was great?" Fishlegs interjected with a grin on his face.

"Yes…?" Astrid said hesitantly, her brow furrowed, clearly not really liking where this was going.

"That was a dark time…" Hiccup said grimly, making the others laugh. Astrid punched him on the arm once again. Bloody hell, she liked to communicate with Hiccup through a mix of affection and violence. But maybe it was a Viking thing.

Merida rummaged through one of her pockets and took out a packet of Bertie Bott's every flavour beans. She tore it open and began eating the content.

"Bloody hell Red, haven't you had enough food for today? You practically ate for five at lunch" Flynn asked.

"Shut it, Rider. I eat what and when I want to" Merida shot back.

"You better stay out of it, Flynn" Jack warned his friend with a grin. "Nothing comes between Mer and food"

"True" Flynn replied. "We're pretty lucky she hasn't tried to eat _us_ yet"

"Yeah, well…I wouldn't be surprised. A lot of things disappear into that black hole over here" Jack said and pointed to Merida, who stopped throwing candy into her mouth and narrowed her eyes at him.

"What…did you just call me?" Merida asked threateningly and the others around them chuckled.

Jack's face split into a huge grin. "I'm just saying there's probably more things lost forever inside that stomach of yours than in the Bermuda triangle".

Merida got to her feet in a few quick movements to get to him and Jack already knew what she was going to do. He scrambled to his feet without wasting any time and ran to Hiccup and crouched behind him, while gripping his shoulders, using him as a human shield against Merida. He did not want to get a tickle attack.

"Oh, _really_ Jack? You're going to sacrifice _my_ life to save yourself?" Hiccup asked, pretending to be offended but with obvious amusement lacing his slightly nasal voice.

"Think of it as an honor, Hic. We'll always remember your brave actions"

"Using me as a human shield is _not_ an honor, Snowflake"

"Back off, you evil Scot! I have a Viking to protect me!" Jack called out to Merida, whose face instantly changed from threatening to amused, a happy grin gracing her lips.

"Oh really, Frosty? I'm not so sure Hiccup _wants_ to put his own safety on the line for you" she retorted and put her hands on her hips.

"What? Of course he does!" Jack said as if any other scenario was completely absurd.

"I _really_ don't" Hiccup interjected dryly.

"Shush, you don't know what you're talking about, you're obviously confused" Jack said and punched Hiccup gently on the shoulder, while still standing behind him.

"I'm _really_ not" Hiccup stated and Jack could practically sense the amused smile on Hiccup's face, despite not being able to see it.

"Didn't I just say "shush", Hic?

"You should just surrender to her and get it over with, Jack. You can't possibly win this"

"I'll never surrender!" Jack said defiantly and gripped Hiccup's shoulders a little tighter.

"Jack, what happened the last time you didn't listen to me?" Hiccup asked in obvious amusement.

"I don't remember" he replied, although he remembered it vividly.

"Oh yes you do. What happened?" Hiccup demanded and even though Jack couldn't see his friend's face right now, he was absolutely sure that Hiccup was loving this.

"I might…have gotten drunk on diabolically delicious Viking booze" Jack admitted and rubbed the back of his head a few times.

"And?" Hiccup asked.

"And…ended up with a massive hangover the next day" he said reluctantly.

"That's putting it mildly. You were hugging the toilet and moaning the whole day like you were dying" Flynn said and grinned at his friend. The others giggled.

"Well Hic obviously put something in it that poisoned me!" Jack shot back. He was _not_ going to admit that he couldn't handle the alcohol without a very good reason.

"Right" Hiccup drawled. "Except that I drank it too"

"Well, maybe it's a poison that Vikings are immune to?" Jack shot back, as if that was a genuine possibility.

"If there was such a poison I would have definitely used it"

"Wow…Hiccup really wants to protect you, huh?" Merida interjected and raised an eyebrow.

"You can have him" Hiccup said dryly and without hesitation, causing Jack to slap him gently on the top of the head.

"Shut up Hic, you're totally ruining our dramatic stand off with the enemy"

"You mean, your cowardly stand off with her?" Hiccup retorted, clearly finding it funny.

"Be quiet, Viking boy. When you signed that contract to be my friend, you agreed to protect me from evil Scots who like to launch tickle attacks" Jack stated matter-of-factly.

"I really don't remember signing anything, Snowcone"

"You're a heavy sleeper, let's just leave it at that" Jack replied with a grin and his friends all chuckled.

"Well, you've convinced me, Frosty. It's _obvious_ that Hiccup is just _too_ eager to risk his own safety for you, so…I'll find another time to ambush you…When you least expect it" Merida said in amusement and sat back down on the blanket.

"Yes, it worked!" Jack said happily and jumped in triumph. "Attack averted…thanks Hic"

"Don't mention it" Hiccup said sarcastically but with a faint trace of a smile on his lips.

Jack laughed at that and ruffled Hiccup's hair in an affectionate gesture. He let his hands linger in Hiccup's soft locks a little, before sitting down again. He quickly felt Astrid's intense eyes on him and when he met her gaze, those eyes seemed almost…disapproving?

What? So he couldn't even touch Hiccup, without her becoming all overprotective? Jack had a childish defiance swirl inside him at that thought. Well, she certainly wasn't going to dictate how he acted. As long as Hiccup was fine with his friendly touches, he would keep doing it.

He continued to look straight into Astrid's eyes, not wanting to break the eye contact first. He listened with one ear to the conversation taking place between Merida and Hiccup. Merida told him she was planning on getting up early tomorrow to go practice with her bow. The moment stretched on between him and Astrid, as they kept watching each other intently. This was clearly some kind of weird contest and Jack was definitely _not_ going to lose.

Luckily he didn't. Hiccup suddenly nudged Astrid's shoulder, causing her to break eye contact with Jack.

"What?" she asked Hiccup, clearly aware that she had been absent-minded.

"I just told Merida about that bow I made for you last year. It's pretty similar to the one I made for her, except for the woodtype and the different carvings" Hiccup said with a small smile gracing his lips.

Astrid's eyes seemed to light up at the mention of this. "Oh. Yes. I'd actually love to see the bow Hiccup made for you some time, Merida" she said. "And you can see the one he made for me"

"What? You brought it here?" Hiccup asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. "You know you're not supposed to bring weapons here"

"Come on, Hiccup, you know how much I love that bow" Astrid explained. Jack frowned. There seemed to be something more behind that statement, but he couldn't figure it out.

"True" Hiccup agreed. "You practically practice with it every day back home"

"Yeah, well…it's the best bow I've ever had" Astrid said with warmth lacing her voice and Hiccup's eyes softened at the compliment.

"Maybe you could make a new Svartr* blade for me soon, Hiccup?" Fishlegs suddenly asked, interrupting the tender moment between Astrid and Hiccup. Not that Jack minded that.

"What's wrong with the one I made you like six months ago?" Hiccup asked in confusion.

"Ummm…" Fishlegs started sheepishly and rubbed his neck. "Ruffnut sort of…broke it". Jack chuckled at that and felt very confused at the same time.

"What?" Hiccup asked, while Astrid shook her head. "How?"

"Wait…what's a...Svartr blade?" Merida asked.

"It's a sword with a built-in function that makes smoke seep out all around it" Hiccup explained, gesturing with his hands. Well, that was…interesting, Jack thought to himself, although he wondered what good that would do.

"What's the purpose of that?" Mavis interjected.

"It's mostly just for show to scare enemies, although…if you use it the right way, you can distract your opponent by making their vision irritated as you're fighting them" Hiccup explained. He turned to Fishlegs. "I'll make you a new one when I can. Just keep it away from Ruffnut and Tuffnut…not to mention Snotlout".

Flynn burst out laughing at that, while Merida and Mavis giggled. Jack found himself chuckling, even though Hiccup _had_ told him about the two mischievous twins with the weird names and his cousin with the even weirder name. An amused smile graced Hiccup's lips, as he had probably figured out why they were laughing.

"Seriously?" Flynn asked, his brown eyes a little wide in surprise. "Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Snotlout?"

"Yup" Fishlegs said with a happy smile on his face.

"Snotlout?" Merida asked in slight disbelief.

"Yeah. He's my cousin actually. Not too lucky with the name" Hiccup explained, gesturing with his hands.

"Oh really, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III?" Rapunzel said in amusement with raised eyebrows.

Hiccup instantly groaned. "You _know_ I hate it when you use my full name"

Jack burst out laughing, soon joined by Flynn.

"That's your full name?!" Jack exclaimed with his eyes wide in amusement. Hiccup had never told him _that_. That was seriously weird, not to mention hilarious.

"See what you've done now?" Hiccup asked Rapunzel and gestured to Jack.

"Horrendous…seriously, who names their kid that?" Jack continued, throwing his hands in the air. This was great stuff for future banter.

"Rapunzel…you owe me now…you've handed over a huge load of ammunition to…that!" Hiccup said and pointed at Jack. Not that he was wrong…Jack was definitely going to be using this piece of information to tease Hiccup.

"Come on Horrendous, don't be like that" he grinned, causing his friends to giggle.

"Aaaand it's already begun. Oh joy" Hiccup said sarcastically and rolled his eyes.

As the hours ticked by, they slowly split up. Astrid was the first to leave. She told them that she really needed to get some homework done, now that she'd spent some time hanging out. Jack didn't mind her absence. About half an hour after Rapunzel and Fishlegs decided to leave as well, wanting to work on a Magical History assignment. That left him and Hiccup with Mavis, Flynn and Merida and they spent some more time together, laughing and joking around until his three friends decided to retreat to the common room for a while before dinner.

As he and Hiccup were partners on a Transfiguration assignment, they had decided to stick around by the lake a little while longer and quickly discuss what it should contain. Hiccup rummaged through his satchel looking for parchment and his quill to jot down some notes, so they would remember what they had agreed on. He pulled out his sketchbook, some charcoal pencils and a book from his satchel and placed them on the blanket, so to better be able to actually locate the things he was looking for in the bag. He quickly found the items he had been searching for and scribbled down what they had decided to do with the assignment.

When they were both satisfied with the plans they'd made, they agreed to begin working on it on Monday after classes. Hiccup gently packed his things back into his black satchel, except for the sketchbook and pencils, which he placed in one of his pockets. They both got to their feet and agreed to head towards the castle.

When Hiccup began walking, the familiar, worn brown sketchbook fell out of his pocket. Apparently it had been a bit too large to fit properly in there. Jack picked it up and without thinking twice about it, he glanced at the drawing on the open page. His eyes widened in awe. On the paper, a sleek, mighty black dragon with captivating green eyes stared back at him with a fierce look of determination. The drawing was incredibly detailed, every scale drawn with obvious commitment.

"Hey Hic!" he called out.

Hiccup stopped in his tracks. "Yeah?"

"You dropped this" Jack said and held up the sketchbook.

Hiccup quickly covered the distance between them, observing him tentatively.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to look, it was open on this page when I picked it up" Jack explained, wanting Hiccup to know that he wasn't trying to pry.

Hiccup's eyes softened as he noticed the drawing Jack had been studying. Jack felt a subtle warmth spread inside him.

"That's Toothless" Hiccup said and motioned with his head towards the sketchbook that was still clutched in Jack's hands and open on the page with the large, black dragon.

"Is he…your dragon?" he asked gently, not sure if he was pushing Hiccup too far now. His friend was a guarded person, and almost every mention of dragons from people made him tense. "Not that you have to tell me, if you don't want to…you know that" he quickly added. He had avoided asking Hiccup anything dragon-related in their friendship, but now that he mentioned the dragon's name himself, Jack felt that maybe…just maybe…it was time.

"Yes…" Hiccup replied with obvious longing in his voice. "And he's my best friend…and _amazing_". Somehow it made Jack feel bubbly inside that Hiccup was confiding in him about this. It seemed that his patience with his friend had paid off and Hiccup was now beginning to let him in.

Even though Jack _knew_ that Hiccup had a dragon, it was still surreal to hear him _actually_ confirm it for the first time ever. Hiccup had never really told Jack anything about dragons, so in a weird way it was easy to push it out of his mind. Now however, Hiccup's words turned it into reality. Jack _actually_ had a friend, who had a _dragon_. He had never imagined that in his wildest dreams, and he still couldn't quite wrap his head around it.

"Toothless? What kind of name is that?" Jack asked with a friendly smile, so Hiccup wouldn't take it the wrong way. It was a strange name and he wondered if there was a story behind it.

"Well, when I first met him he had his teeth retracted, so I actually thought he was toothless. The name kind of stuck, even when I found out that he had plenty of teeth" Hiccup explained, fondness evident in his voice at the recollection.

Jack looked at the drawing of the dragon once more. The scaly fire-breathing animal definitely had plenty of sharp teeth in this picture. Being able to retract its teeth was quite impressive though. He looked at the picture and tried to imagine Hiccup next to this massive, black dragon.

"Thanks Hic…for telling me about him" Jack said softly. "I know it's not easy for you to trust anyone with dragon-related stuff". He was touched that Hiccup had chosen to share this with him. It meant a lot to him that he had gained Hiccup's trust.

Hiccup nodded with a soft smile on his lips. "No, it isn't…but…we're friends now, so I felt that maybe…it was time I took a leap of faith"

"Of course we're friends…and don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Not even my friends. You can trust me" Jack replied, wanting Hiccup to understand this. He handed him the sketchbook back.

"Thanks Jack" Hiccup smiled warmly and took the sketchbook.

"And look…I understand if you don't want to tell me anything else, but I hope I can get to hear the story of how you two became friends one day" Jack said.

Hiccup watched him in silence, searching his eyes for something. He became worried that he might have pushed him too far. It was a delicate balance with Hiccup…he was a guarded person who had built these massive emotional walls all around himself, and he was not eager to let people in.

"Sit" Hiccup said and motioned towards the blanket on the ground. Jack looked at him in confusion before complying. Hiccup seated himself across from him and seemed to be mentally preparing himself for something. Jack let him take his time and patiently waited, even though he was practically bubbling over with curiosity.

"You can tell this to Flynn, Merida and Mavis if you're _absolutely_ sure that they can keep a secret, but _no one_ else" Hiccup said, meeting his eyes. It wasn't a question but a statement. Hiccup's voice was firm, leaving no room for discussion.

Jack was shocked for a few seconds, as he realized that he was about to hear the story of how Hiccup trained a dragon. He eagerly nodded. "They can keep a secret".

"Good, because…if I tell you this and it gets out somehow, then…" Hiccup trailed off, but his voice was deadly serious. Jack picked up on the underlying warning in the words. If he or any of his friends betrayed Hiccup's trust, the friendship would be over.

"I get it, Hic. Really. Don't worry" he said, wanting to reassure him.

Hiccup nodded slowly and a faint smile graced his lips.

"Is the whole secrecy thing about the dragons somehow to protect them?" Jack asked, voicing a thought that he had had several times during his friendship with Hiccup. After all…Hiccup was a very logical person, so there had to be some well thought out reason for his huge need for secrecy.

Hiccup gave him a crooked smile in response. "You can be quite observant when you want to be, Jack".

"Thanks" Jack smiled. "But how are they in danger?"

"Well…dragons are powerful creatures and some people might want to use them for their own, selfish reasons and even hurt them to accomplish that…That can't happen, so the less people who know about us and how we've trained the dragons the better. It's also to protect the Vikings…some people with less than admirable intentions might want to try and invade us and take away our dragons, if they found out too much about our relationship with them…and the last thing…there are hostile tribes in the archipelago, who don't like the fact that we've made peace with the dragons…they're dangerous too and they shouldn't have too much knowledge on dragons either…the less people know the better" Hiccup explained, gesturing with his hands in that familiar way of his.

Jack instantly felt a strong tug of concern towards Hiccup and that protective instinct of his quickly surfaced.

"I didn't know it was _that_ dangerous to live there…I mean, of course I knew that it was a brutal place from all that you've told me but…this is different" Jack told his friend quietly.

"Yeah, I know…" Hiccup replied softly.

A few moments of silence passed between them before Hiccup spoke again.

"During a dragon attack on Berk, I shot Toothless down with one of my home-made weapons. I told my dad about it, but he didn't believe me, because I'd never been able to fight properly or shoot a dragon before" Hiccup started to explain and Jack was listening attentively to every word, excited to finally hear this story and collect another vital piece of the puzzle that was his friend.

"I was pretty much hopeless at everything, so the thought of me shooting a dragon was incomprehensible to him. When morning came I went in search of the dragon in the woods, where he had landed somewhere. I had almost given up, when I came across some damaged trees and a trail. I found him shortly after, ropes around his body from my weapon. I approached him slowly and I really tried my best to kill him, because I wanted to make my dad proud…" Hiccup trailed off.

Jack took all of this information in. Hiccup had approached a dragon all alone? That was practically…suicidal. He frowned and felt a pang of sadness in his chest, as he briefly considered if Hiccup had had no regard for his own life back then. After all…Hiccup had hinted that his childhood hadn't exactly been great, and that night when they drank mead together he had told him that he used to have some very dark thoughts.

"But when I looked into his eyes, I realized that I couldn't do it" Hiccup continued softly. "He was scared. He wasn't some monster. He was a being with feelings, with thoughts, with fears…I looked at him and I saw myself…so I decided to cut the ropes and set him free. He pinned me to the ground and roared in my face before running off into a cove. I followed him and saw that he tried to fly but couldn't. Then I realized that he was missing a part of his tailfin because I shot him down, so he was trapped in the cove" Hiccup told him and a brief look of regret flickered in his eyes. Jack figured that he probably still felt guilty for causing Toothless pain.

"I came back to the cove every day, bringing fish with me. At first I just stayed there with him, giving him the food but keeping my distance, so he knew I wasn't a threat. Then I came closer and closer as time went by, and one day he actually let me touch his snout. From that day on we became friends, and when I designed an artificial tailfin for him, he actually let me put it on him. Then we started trying to fly together, me sitting on his back and controlling the tailfin. After a lot of practice we managed to make it work and we flew around together in the archipelago" Hiccup explained and a flicker of a soft smile tugged his lips upwards.

Jack was shocked to say the least. Hiccup had not only trained a dragon but designed a new tailfin for it that he used when he was flying around on it? During their friendship, Jack had thought a lot about Hiccup's relationship with dragons but he had never actually considered that Hiccup would regularly fly around on the back of one…that was…unbelievable.

"Then the day came where I was asked to kill a dragon. I had been in dragon training with the others, where we learned how to kill dragons and to defend ourselves against them. I did well, using all the knowledge I had gained from my friendship with Toothless, so I could subdue the dragons without actually hurting them. Then I had to kill a dragon in front of the whole village but I just couldn't do it, knowing now that dragons weren't monsters. As the other Vikings had released the dragon I was supposed to kill, I refused to do it. The dragon got scared from all the noise around it and began to attack me. Toothless heard it from the cove and came to my rescue, but my dad and the rest of the village captured him, and didn't listen to me, when I told them that we were friends. Then he sailed away with the rest of the Vikings to find the dragon queen's nest, because only dragons could find it. That's why they took Toothless with them. I convinced the others, including Fishlegs and Astrid, to take the remaining dragons that were locked up in the dragon killing arena to go after them. When we got there, the Red Death…the dragon queen…was already attacking everyone, trying to kill the intruders of her nest. Astrid, Fishlegs and the others distracted it in different ways, while Toothless and I shot at it, trying to bring it down, but it was too big to get any serious damage from our hits….So I decided to lure it high into the sky, beyond the clouds and then dive straight down…it followed us and when it was just about to swallow us, I told Toothless to spin around and shoot a plasma blast straight into its mouth, as that seemed to be its only weak spot. That's how it died…When it came crashing down through the air, I was hit by its massive tail so I fell off Toothless and into the sea of flames that it had left behind…Toothless dived after me and wrapped his wings and feet around me to protect me from the impact…" Hiccup said and sighed.

"Do you remember when I told you I lost my foot fighting the dragon queen?" Hiccup asked him, and Jack nodded in response.

"Well…to save me, Toothless had to grab on somehow…and that's how I lost my foot…In the end, Toothless saved my life. Since that day we have lived in peace with the dragons" Hiccup finished his story and turned his eyes towards the lake, looking over the shimmering body of water.

Jack openly gaped at him for a while, taking in everything Hiccup had just told him.

"That's…amazing" Jack whispered in awe, his eyes a little wide as he observed his friend. "I mean…that's like something you read in a storybook".

Seriously…Hiccup had done all of that? Formed a close bond with a dragon despite everyone telling him that they were monsters, put his life on the line to defeat the Red Death and save the other Vikings and lost his foot in the process, and created peace between the Vikings and the dragons. That was incredible, Jack thought to himself with affection towards his friend.

"Thanks" Hiccup replied with appreciation in his eyes.

"You must be like…considered a hero back home now?" he asked him. After all…Hiccup had saved the other Vikings' lives. Without him, they would all be dead by now.

"Some people see me that way, yes" Hiccup said, almost a little reluctantly. Jack could read the conflicting emotions in his eyes. Hiccup was always reluctant to recognize that he was special.

"So…back home you actually fly around on Toothless?" Jack asked, eager to learn more about Hiccup's relationship with his dragon and also wanting to change the subject slightly to something that Hiccup was more comfortable with.

"Yeah…it's the best" Hiccup said almost longingly with a faint smile. "There's no feeling that could ever compare to it".

"Isn't it pretty dangerous?" Jack asked and tilted his head slightly. It seemed like the kind of thing that could end quite badly if you weren't careful.

Hiccup shrugged. "Of course there are always risks, but we take precautions…like strapping myself to Toothless' saddle with a harness".

"That's probably a good idea…" Jack said with a small smile. "Are you the only one on Berk who flies around on a dragon?"

"No…Almost everyone on Berk has a dragon now" Hiccup explained which triggered a thought in Jack's mind.

"What? So you're saying that Fishlegs and Astrid have dragons too"? he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah" Hiccup chuckled, clearly amused by his surprise, and opened the sketchbook. He eagerly flipped through the pages before apparently finding the drawing he was looking for. Jack looked at the page. It was a beautiful, detailed drawing of Fishlegs standing happily next to a brown dragon with a short body and a huge head with two small yellow eyes, a wide mouth with a lot of sharp teeth and a big snout. It had a long, club-like tail that seemed to be a pretty effective weapon and two fairly small wings. It was definitely smaller and less dangerous-looking than Toothless, but even so…it had a sort of quiet strength about it.

Astrid and Fishlegs actually had dragons too…he took a few moments to let that sink in.

"That's Meatlug" Hiccup explained as he pointed to the drawing. Jack chuckled at the name.

"Do all your dragons have such weird names?"

"Most of them, but not all…my dad's dragon is named Skullcrusher"

"Wow, that's a badass name" Jack said happily, as he tried to imagine a huge, strong dragon that would fit that name. Well…it was definitely the kind of name that would deter enemies.

"It really is" Hiccup agreed, his lips twitching.

Hiccup flipped the pages in the sketchbook again and showed Jack a new drawing. This was a picture of Astrid standing proudly next to a big, blue and yellow dragon with large wings, a big round head with yellow eyes placed far apart and some kind of big horn above its massive snout that had huge nostrils. It had very long spikes on top of its head and several smaller spikes along its tail.

"This is Stormfly" Hiccup said and Jack nodded in response, observing the drawing with interest.

"This is just…amazing" he said and Hiccup smiled at his excitement. Now he wished more than ever that he could go to Berk sometime and see the dragons for himself…it would be so incredible to actually meet a dragon…and Berk was an island _filled_ with dragons. "It's almost impossible to believe that you guys actually have dragons and fly around on them…" he added, voicing his thoughts.

Hiccup smiled fondly at him. "I know…"

"So where do you like…keep them?" he asked, as he considered how such massive creatures could live side by side with the Vikings.

"Anywhere and everywhere" Hiccup chuckled. "Toothless sleeps in my room with me" he added, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"What, seriously?" Jack asked and his face split into a huge grin. That sounded unbelievable…a dragon sleeping in someone's room like it was no different from a cat or a dog.

"Yeah? But some Vikings prefer to have like a little stable outside their house, where their dragon sleeps" Hiccup explained.

"How many dragon species are there?" Jack asked. He didn't know much about dragons, except what he had learned in Care of Magical Creatures, but that had only been very little and their professor had made it clear that genuine knowledge on dragons was limited because they were so dangerous and wary of humans that it was very difficult to study them properly.

"A lot…so far we know of 60 different species, but we regularly discover new ones"

"What kind is Toothless?" Jack asked and reached out and flipped the pages of the sketchbook back to the beautiful drawing of the black dragon.

"A Night Fury" Hiccup told him with a fond smile on his lips. Jack could swear he heard a trace of pride in Hiccup's voice.

"Wow, cool name" he replied with a little smile.

Silence passed between them. Hiccup observed the calm, blue water of the lake. His eyes drank in the peaceful surroundings.

"You said there were hostile tribes, who want to keep killing them?" he asked.

"There are" he confirmed calmly.

"Do they cause problems for you guys?"

"Yeah, they do. They've managed to gain a lot of profit through the years by killing dragons and exporting their parts to the wizarding community for potions and wands and such, but the whole archipelago except three tribes have agreed to outlaw the unnecessary killing of dragons and trading with dragon parts…some of the tribes really don't agree with that, so they continue to do it and sell the parts to the highest bidders, and we try to stop them…ever since the dragons died out in Romania, the archipelago is the only place in the world that still has dragons, so their parts are very valuable…and we need to keep them safe" Hiccup explained quietly and his eyes turned quite solemn all of the sudden.

Jack nodded in response. "Yeah, that makes sense" he said and had a thought. "When you said "we try to stop them"…are you seriously a part of that?"

"Yes" Hiccup replied without hesitation.

"That sounds insanely dangerous" Jack said almost in a sort of objection, and he instantly felt the concern swirl inside him. He did not like the thought of Hiccup being in danger.

"_Life_ in the archipelago is dangerous, Jack. It's important to me to help protect the dragons" Hiccup said with determination in his voice.

"Yeah, I can tell…it just worries me" he told his friend honestly.

A tiny fond smile graced Hiccup's lips. "Well, don't worry. Me and Toothless are a team and we protect each other".

Hiccup's words did soothe his troubles, although he still didn't like the thought of Hiccup being in conflict with hostile tribes. That sounds like the kind of thing that could potentially have fatal results and Jack did _not_ want to think about that. A familiar thought entered his mind. He hesitated, considering whether or not he should ask. He looked into Hiccup's eyes and his friend smiled softly, so he decided to do it.

"Hic…I've been thinking about something…have you ever fought anyone…like for real?" He asked hesitantly, not sure if Hiccup would want to talk about it. Maybe he had had some bad experiences.

"Yeah…it happens once in a while when we're defending the dragons from trappers and such" Hiccup explained. His eyes conveyed the conflicted emotions he felt within. That was to be expected though…Hiccup was a calm, peaceful guy and even though Jack now knew that he could defend himself, he was the kind of person who would always try to avoid violence.

Jack wondered just how violent these confrontations with the hostile tribes would actually get.

"Have you ever…killed anyone?" Jack asked, watching Hiccup intently. Somehow, he needed to know…needed to find out how much horror Hiccup had seen…but he was well aware that this could be a sensitive topic and Hiccup could become guarded in an instant.

"No…and hopefully I won't ever have to" Hiccup replied and tugged a little on one of his braids.

"Yeah…I hope that too." Jack said. Life among the Vikings seemed to be quite risky and brutal, and he really hoped that Hiccup could avoid being too involved in conflicts.

Hiccup nodded slowly in response.

The two boys talked a little while longer as they remained by the lake. Jack asked Hiccup some questions about the dragons and the Vikings' relationship with them, and Hiccup answered most of them. There were some questions though, where Hiccup told him that he couldn't share that information, like how many Vikings and dragons lived on Berk, weaknesses of the different dragon species and what methods they used to train them. Jack didn't take it personally though. Hiccup had already opened up to him today a lot more than he had expected.

When the two of them finally made their way back towards the castle, Jack did not fail to notice the soft fondness that had spread inside him. Hiccup had trusted him with one of his secrets. Something that only the people closest to him knew about. Of course he knew that Hiccup had plenty of other secrets that he was still guarding…Jack wasn't naïve…but…he clearly trusted him now.

Jack nudged Hiccup's shoulder playfully out of the blue. "Last one to the castle entrance is a rotten Fire Crab!" he yelled and took off, rushing towards the castle. He heard Hiccup laugh and begin chasing after him, so he kept going as fast as he could, wanting to win this little contest.

He had a head start, and he managed to maintain that, as the castle entrance came into view. A grin spread across his face, as he realized that he was going to beat Hiccup, earning him the right to gloat.

Suddenly a pained noise caused him to stop dead in his tracks. Hiccup grabbed his bad leg with one of his hands, leaning forward. Jack wasted no time. He ran towards his friend.

"Hic?" he asked, afraid that it was his fault Hiccup was now in pain.

Hiccup lifted his head slowly and as soon as he met Jack's eyes, his entire face changed from pained to a huge, bright smile. He took off like a bullet towards the castle.

_Oh, that little shit!_

Jack spun around quickly to run after the idiot. Hiccup's laughter echoed through the air and when he reached the castle entrance first, he jumped in triumph and practically beamed at Jack.

"Yes!" Hiccup yelled.

"You cheated!" Jack pointed an accusing finger at his friend.

"Oh please…You had a head start, so I had to level the playing field" Hiccup said and smiled playfully at him.

"I can't _believe_ you actually faked being in pain to trick me!" Jack said, still a little in disbelief but unable to keep a huge grin off his face.

"Well, being a cripple should have _some_ advantages"

"You're not a cripple, Hic" Jack said. He really didn't like that word.

"I know. I was just kidding, Jack" Hiccup explained with a soft smile.

Jack nodded at that. "Good" he said with fondness in his eyes.

There was still an hour or so left before dinner, so the two of them split up to head towards their respective common rooms to find their friends and spend some time with them before it was time to eat. Jack was looking forward to telling his friends the story of how Hiccup and Toothless became friends. He was absolutely sure that they would love that and that they would appreciate Hiccup even more, just like he did.

* * *

Today had been a fairly uneventful day of classes and friends. He and Rapunzel had paired up together in art class to work on a detailed painting of the castle, while Mavis had begun painting a picture of Merida with her bow, which was already looking very beautiful. Afterwards, he had had Potions where he joked around with Fishlegs, Jack and the others. He had threatened Jack with retribution when he had played a prank on him by dropping some starthistles into his cauldron, which made the potion turn into thick, slimy goo that bubbled over and spread across his and Fishlegs' workstation. The idiot had been unable to contain his childish laughter fit that also spread to the other three Gryffindors and Hiccup couldn't keep a grin off his own face. However…he made sure that Jack knew that he was going to pay for this little stunt. Not that Jack seemed concerned. He actually appeared more amused than anything by that promise. It had made him a bit annoyed to notice McGowan and Levin glaring at him throughout the class, but he had ignored it and after cleaning up after Jack's prank, he even managed to brew a perfect batch that professor Creek complimented him on.

When Potions was over and they had ascended the stairs from the gloomy dungeon, he, Flynn, Jack and Rapunzel had Transfiguration next. They had broken into several hysterical laughter fits as they practiced turning rocks into dogs, which was quite a difficult transfiguration to perform. Luckily Hiccup caught on fairly quickly and he transformed his rock into a very cute black dog with green eyes that barked happily and ran around the classroom excitedly until he had to break the spell, because it started to knock over students and jump onto tables. Jack wasn't that far behind though, and he transfigured his rock into a small, white dog with thick fur and friendly brown eyes. Unfortunately it seemed to have taken on Jack's mischievous spirit as it immediately darted from the classroom and down the hallways. He and Jack instantly ran after it, chasing it through the corridors, unable to keep their loud, joyful laughter from echoing through the air. They got a lot of curious looks and laughs from other students as they rushed after the white dog with their wands out, trying to transform it back into a rock, and they finally managed to do so after about 10 minutes, when the dog ran into another classroom and had no way out.

As he and Jack made their way back towards the Transfiguration classroom, Hiccup found himself thinking that he was actually glad that he had told Jack the story of how he made friends with Toothless. Now that Jack and his three friends knew about this part of his life, he felt closer to them, as if their friendship had evolved. He had been nervous to share it with Jack, but now it had been a few days and it hadn't spread to the other students, so Hiccup felt reassured that he was right to trust Jack and that was a nice feeling. Fishlegs and Rapunzel had been surprised to learn that he had told Jack about Toothless, but they told him that they weren't worried that Jack would tell anyone. Apparently they trusted Jack too. Astrid had been less than happy when she found out about it. She'd told him that he didn't know Jack well enough to tell him such important information, but Hiccup had dismissed her worries and asked her to trust his judgment. After arguing for a little while, Astrid had reluctantly agreed.

As Transfiguration was their last class of the day, he, Jack, Flynn and Rapunzel went to the lake by their usual spot afterwards to wait for the rest of their friends and spend some time together. This had practically become a ritual of theirs now and they would do it almost every day, unless there were some other things they needed to attend to, such as Quidditch practice or homework that just couldn't wait.

When they reached the lake and sat down together, they quickly became occupied by a discussion on whose transfigured dog was cuter, his or Jack's. Of course it was his though, anyone could see that, but apparently Rapunzel and Jack disagreed, while Flynn supported him and said that Jack's white dog was too small. This caused an offended huff to escape Jack, much to Hiccup's amusement.

After a while, Mavis and Merida appeared and joined them. Merida seemed rather tired, and she told them that Earth Magic had been brutal today, as it was all one long lecture, which she really didn't appreciate. Mavis began to entertain them with a story about how one of the frogs in the Frog Choir had burped so loudly that it echoed through the entire room and ruined the whole song. This amused all of them and Jack had practically choked on his own laughter.

Hiccup saw something in his peripheral vision and he smiled fondly at Fishlegs, when his friend came nearer.

"Hey _Lǫngubak_*." Hiccup said, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Hi _Burlufotr_*." Fishlegs shot back with a grin and sat down between him and Rapunzel. She nudged Fishlegs' shoulder playfully.

"How was Ancient Runes?" Hiccup asked.

Fishlegs shrugged. "Eh…it was okay, I guess, but McGowan was a bit of a git today."

"What? How?" Hiccup asked. McGowan was one of those people that he and Fishlegs had had problems with several times during their years at Hogwarts.

"He just tried to get me to do his work for him again." Fishlegs said.

"Gods, he's such an idiot."

"Yeah, he's a real tosser." Flynn agreed with obvious annoyance lacing his voice.

"It's no wonder that almost no one in our House wants anything to do with him" Jack said and crossed his arms.

"Except Levin…other than that he always hangs out with those two Slytherins and that Hufflepuff" Merida said, furrowing her red brow a little.

"Yeah, well…I just told him that he needed to do his own work" Fishlegs shrugged.

Hiccup nodded and smiled at his friend. "Good. He needs to know that he can't just threaten people to get what he wants".

"Yeah, but unfortunately he moved on to someone else and they were too scared to say no" Fishlegs replied solemnly.

"It's unbelievable that he gets away with it…it's like the professors don't even see it" Jack rolled his eyes.

"They probably don't" Hiccup replied. "Most bullies are very good at keeping the truth from anyone who has any power over them".

"Yeah, I guess…it's just wrong" Jack said in annoyance. "I remember once in our third year that some short first year boy accidentally bumped into McGowan in the corridors and he just lost it and started threatening him and slammed him against the wall. The little guy was terrified".

Hiccup furrowed his brow. "That's just so pathetic...picking on someone who can't even fight back".

"Yeah, it is." Flynn agreed. "It was a good thing that me and Jack were around, because no one else was too eager to help him".

"I've always wondered why some people turn out like that…" Mavis thought out loud. "Always needing to threaten others and put them down"

Hiccup shrugged. "People who've always been strong often take it for granted and lose respect for it. They've never experienced what it's like to be stepped on, so they don't really have any empathy with people weaker than them…" He replied calmly, voicing something he'd thought about several times in his life. "And then…there are situations where they _have_ experienced being abused or threatened, so they focus all their energy on bothering others to appear strong, so they won't become targets themselves…"

"Sounds like you have some experience with bully types" Flynn concluded.

"I have" Hiccup replied but chose not to elaborate.

"Well, what you're saying definitely makes sense" Mavis said and nodded a few times. "It's a shame that it's not easier for the professors to spot and to intervene somehow…I mean, being bullied and maybe even threatened or beaten up…that can have serious consequences for people's lives".

Well, she didn't need to tell Hiccup that. He had plenty of experience.

"Yeah, it is…Unfortunately, some people will always have the need to bother others to make themselves feel powerful" he replied, now feeling a little solemn. Gods, he really didn't like bully types.

"It's just strange because, I don't remember him being like that in our first year…" Flynn said in contemplation and scratched the back of his head a few times. "He even told me once that he wanted to work with either children or animals when he grew up".

"What, seriously?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"Yeah…it's weird isn't it?"

"Well…Something could have happened to him that turned him into the bully he is now" Hiccup said and shrugged.

"Yeah, maybe…." Jack agreed. "But…we'll never know anyway".

"True" Flynn said. "But at least he didn't want to be a knight like Merida did"

"Hey, that's a perfectly legitimate profession, Rider" Merida shot back trying to maintain a threatening demeanor, but failing as a small smile graced her lips.

"Sure, it is, Curly" Flynn retorted. "Especially for a woman in our time"

"Well what did you want to be when you were younger that was so great then?" Merida challenged him.

"A dashing, brilliant masterthief…or a king" Flynn replied with a confident smile and Hiccup and the others chuckled, while Merida rolled her eyes.

"I wanted to be a doctor" Rapunzel said happily, her eyes wide. "I've always liked the thought of helping people heal".

"Well, I wanted to be a Yeti" Jack interjected with a proud smile, causing the others to laugh.

"Of course you did…living in some part of the Himalaya's surrounded by ice and snow, playing pranks on unsuspecting tourists…what could be more natural for you?" Mavis asked with a fond smile.

"True" Jack admitted and gave Mavis a bright grin. "What about you guys?" he asked Hiccup and Fishlegs.

He and Fishlegs shot each other a knowing glance, and Hiccup knew that his friend was aware of his predicament.

"Uhh, well…" Fishlegs started quickly. "There aren't really that many options in the archipelago…I mean…you can be things like a smith, a farmer, a healer, a tailor, those sorts of things…so there are options, but definitely not as many as here."

Hiccup appreciated Fishlegs answering the question for them and remained silent and just smiled a little. When he met Jack's eyes, he could tell that Jack had picked up on his reluctance to answer the question. But as usual Jack didn't ask when Hiccup was obviously uncomfortable with something and that was one of the things he appreciated immensely about their friendship.

"Or you could just be Viking warriors. Isn't that like a full time profession?" Jack joked.

"Not really, Jack" Hiccup said with amusement lacing his voice. "There aren't constantly wars and conflicts, so in between that you'd need something else to do. Anyway…we're dragon riders, in case you forgot".

"Well, that's probably for the best…after all, you're obviously too weak to be a warrior." Jack grinned at him. If anyone who wasn't his friend had said that, Hiccup would get the familiar sting of feeling inadequate, but since it was Jack, he was well aware that he was only trying to rile him up for fun.

"Oh really, Snowflake? Unlike you, of course?" he said dryly and raised an eyebrow at Jack.

"Of course! I mean, look at me…this is obviously nothing but pure muscle and ninja reflexes." he retorted, and Hiccup and the others chuckled at that comment.

"Right" Hiccup drawled. "I'm obviously no match for you, Snowball."

"I'm glad you've finally realized that, Hic."

"In case you didn't notice, that was sarcasm, S_nær Flekkr._" he told him, even though they both knew that Jack was well aware of this.

"What!?" Jack exclaimed, pretending to be outraged by this. "How dare you? I challenge you to a duel!"

"Seriously, Jack? You're challenging a _Viking_ to a duel?" Hiccup shot back with a smile. That would not end well for Jack.

"Oh, you're saying that I don't have a chance?" Jack said, seeming offended by this and crossed his arms.

"That's _exactly_ what I'm saying."

Jack got to his feet in a few swift movements and covered the short distance between them in a second. He leaned over and punched Hiccup repeatedly on the arm in a challenge.

"Seriously Jack?" Hiccup asked and suppressed a chuckle. He and Jack both knew that he could easily take him down, so he assumed Jack was just doing this to entertain their friends.

"What, are you scared, Viking boy?" Jack gave him a challenging smile.

Well…He needed to wipe that smug smile off his friend's face now. Hiccup jumped to his feet, snapped Jack's arm behind his back and forced him down on his knees. He smacked Jack's face into the grass, still holding his arm in a tight grip. Jack squirmed, trying to break free, but there was no way he could do that.

The others roared with laughter at the sight of Jack being overpowered immediately, especially Merida and Flynn, who always seemed to take great pleasure in seeing Jack being put in his place.

"Do you surrender?" he asked Jack in amusement, as he loosened his grip on him enough for Jack to lift his face from the ground.

"Never!" Jack shouted.

Hiccup didn't reply but just smacked his face down on the ground once again. Jack kept struggling, squirming a lot, but it wasn't difficult for Hiccup to hold him in place at all. After a few moments, he let Jack lift his face again.

"What about now? Do you surrender?"

"Fine!" Jack exclaimed and pouted. "I surrender…you stupid Viking"

Hiccup couldn't contain his laughter. He let go of Jack and took his seat on the blanket.

Jack scowled at him and plopped down on the ground across from him.

"Wow Snowflake, you just got your ass kicked" Merida laughed, clearly loving this.

"Well you would have got that too, if you went up against a bloody Viking" Jack shot back and crossed his arms defiantly. Hiccup chuckled at that.

"Even more reason not to do that, Jackie" Flynn interjected with an amused grin on his face. "That was a stupid idea".

"Yeah, well…next time I'll just ambush him somehow, so he doesn't have time to react" Jack smiled evilly and rubbed his hands together.

"Please, like that would ever happen" Hiccup said and did a dismissive wave.

"Uh, Hiccup?" Fishlegs suddenly said, interrupting their banter with uncertainty in his eyes.

"Yeah?" he replied hesitantly, sensing that this was going to be about something he wouldn't like.

"I forgot…Someone sort of gave me a note to pass on to you. Should I just read it as usual?" Fishlegs asked.

Hiccup sighed. It really bothered him that people had begun to approach Fishlegs and Rapunzel too about him. Sure, he didn't like strangers approaching him, but it was better to just keep it contained to himself instead of his friends as well.

"Yes. Thanks" he replied with a small smile.

Fishlegs instantly took the note out of his pocket and unfolded it. Rapunzel scooted closer to him and looked at the note as well, reading the words on the page with interest in her eyes. She grinned widely.

Oh no…this was going to be bad. He just knew it.

"What's so funny?" Flynn asked with a smile tugging at his lips. "Amusing fangirl mail?"

"Actually…try: fan_boy_ mail" Rapunzel said and giggled. The others around them chuckled.

"What?" Hiccup asked in disbelief, needing to hear it confirmed.

Fishlegs handed him the note and he quickly took it and scanned the words written on the crinkled piece of paper. He felt a little blush warm his cheeks as he read the complimentary message. He looked at the name, and sure enough, it was from a guy, and Hiccup felt quite conflicted about that. It wasn't just any guy though. Hiccup knew him. Well, he didn't _know_ him, but he was aware of who the Hufflepuff was and they had even exchanged a few words in classes through the years. Well, this was…interesting.

"Huh…I didn't know he was gay" Hiccup said and met Fishlegs' eyes.

"Who?" Merida asked, leaning forward in anticipation.

"I can't really tell you that." Hiccup said and meant it. This was a private matter, and he wasn't going to share the guy's identity, since he didn't know if that would somehow be uncomfortable for the Hufflepuff.

"Aww, come on Hiccup." Flynn said and raised one of his eyebrows.

"Nah, it wouldn't be right…I don't know if he'd want people to know that he's gay." Hiccup explained softly.

"Well…fanboy mail. That's impressive, Hic" Jack's amused voice said, not just teasing him but also changing the direction of the conversation, which Hiccup was quite grateful for.

"Okay?" he said questioningly. An amused smile spread across Jack's lips. Hiccup just knew that that snow-loving idiot was going to use this against him in future banter.

"I've never gotten fanboy mail. What about you, Flynn?" Jack asked.

"Only once." Flynn replied, which instantly caused Merida, Mavis and Jack to look at him in disbelief.

"What? And you never told us?" Merida asked. "That's definitely important information" she added with an amused smile.

Flynn shrugged and grinned at them.

After having spent some time together by the lake, talking, laughing and shooting funny insults at each other, they split up and headed towards their respective common rooms before dinner. When he, Fishlegs and Rapunzel reached Ravenclaw Tower and entered through the portrait, his two friends slumped down in two of the soft, blue armchairs by the fireplace. There were a few other Ravenclaws in the room and they all waved or smiled at him, as he quickly walked through the room and up the creaking staircase towards their dormitory to grab one of his other sketchbooks and some more charcoal pencils. He found what he was looking for in his nightstand and put the items into his black satchel, when suddenly he jumped in surprise, as he heard tapping on the window. He snapped his head towards the sound and saw his dad's black owl sit outside the window with a letter in its beak. He smiled to himself and quickly covered the short distance to the window and opened it. The black owl jumped onto his arm and he gently took the letter from its beak. It let out a content hoot, spread its wings and flew out of the open window, taking off into the brisk evening air.

Hiccup plopped down on his bed and opened the letter. His dad's uneven runes filled the piece of paper, and he quickly took in the written words, eager to find out how everything was going at home. He was relieved to find out that there hadn't been more troubles with the hostile tribes, since his dad's last letter, and he felt a smile tugging at his lips when he read that the twins, Snotlout, Gobber and everyone else he knew back home was doing well, and that there were no problems with the dragons either. However…his relief and happiness were short lived, as he continued reading the runes. His dad made it clear that when he, Fishlegs, Astrid and Rapunzel came to Berk for the holidays in December, there would of course be plenty of time to celebrate _Jól_* and have fun, but Hiccup would also need to get more chiefing lessons as well. He frowned and then sighed to himself, as he folded the note and put it in one of his pockets. He knew that he couldn't avoid it, but it just served to remind him painfully of his future responsibilities and how he would probably never be ready to be a leader. To put it mildly, he didn't have any confidence in his abilities to rule an entire Viking tribe and he was afraid that the decisions he would make could potentially end up hurting the people he cared about. He felt the familiar presence of melancholy wash over him and he knew that he needed to be alone for a while right now.

He quickly got to his feet, adjusted the satchel to hang comfortably from his shoulder and descended the staircase into the large common room with the dome ceiling. He spotted his friends still sitting in some of the blue armchairs by the fire, apparently discussing something amusing, as Rapunzel let out a bubbly laugh and covered her mouth with one hand. When they spotted him, their smiles quickly disappeared.

"What's wrong?" Rapunzel asked him.

"I got a letter from my dad" Hiccup began softly.

"Oh?" Fishlegs said questioningly, observing him intently with worry written all over his face.

"Yeah. When we come back for the holidays, he wants me to get more chiefing lessons" Hiccup explained quietly, not wanting any of the other Ravenclaws in the room to hear him. He really didn't need anyone else knowing about this.

"I'm sorry Hiccup…I know how all of this makes you feel" Rapunzel said and by the look of regret on her face, Hiccup could tell that she really wished that she could help him. Both Rapunzel and Fishlegs were well aware that he had trouble with his future role in the tribe, and that his dad's attempts to prepare him for it only served to make him feel worse about it.

"Is there anything we can do for you?" Fishlegs asked, leaning forward a little, also eager to do something to help. Hiccup really appreciated the offer, but he didn't know what they could possibly do.

"No, not really…but thanks…both of you" He said and gave them a soft smile. They really were great friends, always ready to listen and to help, whenever he needed it.

"I just need to be alone for a while and think" he added.

His friends both nodded slowly in understanding, but their eyes were still full of concern. He knew that Fishlegs and Rapunzel didn't like it when he became all solemn and retreated outside to be alone, but they were aware that that was his way of dealing with things, so they reluctantly let him have his space and he was grateful for that.

"Okay…if you want to talk some time, you know we're here for you…" Rapunzel said warmly and quickly got to her feet and wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug. He let the friendly gesture comfort him a little, but it wasn't enough to banish his dark thoughts.

When he and Rapunzel pulled apart, she sat back down in the chair.

"And…let us know if you change your mind and there's actually something we can do" Fishlegs added.

"Thanks guys…and don't worry. I'll be okay…I just need some space" he told them.

* * *

Dinner in the Great Hall was a very mixed experience today. Jack had felt content and happy, as he was laughing and joking around with his friends, while enjoying a delicious meal consisting of roast chicken, potatoes and steamed vegetables, despite the fact that his three Ravenclaw friends were absent. This didn't worry him too much though. Even though they were usually there before himself and his Gryffindor friends, dinner had only just started so they would probably be here in a minute.

As the meal in the Great Hall had continued though, Jack had grown concerned. He had spotted Fishlegs and Rapunzel enter the hall and sit down by the Ravenclaw table, but Hiccup wasn't with them.

Jack was worried to say the least. He kept shooting glances at the Ravenclaw table where Rapunzel and Fishlegs were speaking to each other and eating their dinner quietly. Where was Hiccup? With the exception of that evening in the library when he had first spoken to him, Hiccup usually didn't skip dinner.

His friends had quickly noticed that something was wrong, and he explained that Hiccup was nowhere to be seen, which made him concerned. His three friends tried to reassure him that everything was probably fine, but it didn't really help him. As soon as Rapunzel and Fishlegs left the Hall, Jack quickly told his friends that he needed to talk to them and followed them through the exit.

He quickly caught up with the two of them. They spotted him and smiled as he approached.

"Hey guys" he told them and gave them a small wave. "Where's Hiccup?"

Fishlegs and Rapunzel shot each other a brief look and remained silent. Jack didn't like that at all. It was obvious there was something wrong.

"Well…" Rapunzel started hesitantly, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. "He sort of got a letter from home and it put him in a bad mood"

"Where is he now?" Jack asked, as he felt the concern grow within him.

"Outside somewhere. He said he needed to think for a while and he always does that outside" Fishlegs explained, his eyes seeming sad. Well that was to be expected. He and Hiccup were very close friends after all, so Fishlegs was probably worried but also wanted to give Hiccup his space.

"Okay...I just wanted to know" he told them and they nodded in response. "Thanks for telling me. I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?" Jack said and shot them a smile, before turning around to join his friends in the Great Hall again.

He remained quiet for the rest of the meal and when he and his friends were back in the Gryffindor common room, hanging out and talking, he had trouble focusing. As he sat comfortably next to Mavis in one of the soft red couches close to the fireplace with his best friends around him, as well as Jim, Liam and Harry, he really should have joined the conversation taking place and enjoyed the company of his friends. However…his thoughts kept drifting towards a certain guy he knew.

What had been in that letter Hiccup had received and why had it put him in a bad mood? Jack was really hoping it wasn't something serious.

"Jackie!?" Flynn's voice suddenly pulled him brutally out of his thoughts and he jumped slightly at the loud sound and lifted his head to meet his friend's eyes.

"Yeah?" he asked in confusion.

"You've been quiet pretty much all through dinner and now you're completely distracted…what's wrong?" Flynn asked in obvious concern, leaning a little forward in the armchair he was sitting in.

Jack quickly looked around them to see if any Gryffindors besides him and his friends were close by to hear him. Luckily there weren't. He sighed. "I'm just a little worried about…Hiccup" he told them. His three best friends nodded slowly in understanding, while Jim, Harry and Liam furrowed their brows in confusion.

"Why?" Liam asked him. Jim, Harry and Liam had all met Hiccup and talked to him a few times now that Jack and Hiccup were such good friends, but they didn't really know him.

"Rapunzel and Fishlegs told me that he was in a bad mood and he had gone outside to think" He explained.

"Well, I'm sure he's okay, Jack" Mavis said softly, watching him with reassurance in her eyes.

"Yeah, it's probably not anything serious" Merida added and gave him a small but warm smile.

"Maybe…" Jack said in contemplation and made a decision. He knew he wouldn't be able to focus on his friends anyway until he found out what was going on, so there was really only one thing to do.

"I'm going to go outside and check on him" he told his friends and began walking towards the exit of the common room without giving them a chance to reply.

"Jack, are you sure that's a good idea? He obviously wants to be alone?" he heard Merida's voice say from behind him, so he stopped in his tracks and spun around.

"Yeah, I know, I know…but…I'm just going to go find him and offer him to talk. If he just wants to be alone, I'll leave".

Merida nodded in response, clearly satisfied by that.

As soon as he had left the common room and was on his way down one of the staircases, he heard a voice behind him.

"Jack?"

He turned around to face Abbey, who had apparently followed him out of the common room.

"What?" he said coolly, not bothering to hide his annoyance with her. After what Hiccup had told him about her, he didn't want to be around her.

"Did you think about what I asked you?" she said, wringing her hands. She had clearly sensed his annoyance.

"It's never going to happen, Abbey" he said and began to walk away briskly, eager to put some distance between them.

"It's because of Haddock, isn't it?" she asked, raising her voice.

He stopped dead in his tracks. "What?" he asked.

"He's lying, you know" Abbey said and crossed her arms.

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked her. He didn't like where this was going at all.

"Whatever he's saying about me…it's not true"

"Oh _really_?" Jack raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, really. He's always disliked me for no reason" she said, her voice laced with faint irritation.

Jack shook his head slowly. If she was seriously thinking that he would fall for this, she had another thing coming. What kind of weird strategy was this anyway? Trying to get him to like her by saying bad things about his friend? In what universe would that ever work?

"You _really_ don't know Hiccup _at all_, do you?" he chose to reply.

"What do you mean?" she asked in obvious confusion, furrowing her brow.

"He _always_ has reasons…for everything he does. He's like…the most rational person I know" Jack explained.

"So you're actually going to choose to listen to a lying cripple?" Abbey said and crossed her arms defensively.

The anger whirled inside his gut. He covered the distance between him and Abbey. "_Don't_…ever call him that" he whispered. His friend's ego was bruised already, and even though Jack didn't know what had happened to him in his past, he was determined to do whatever he could to protect the guy from more damaging blows to his self-esteem.

"Well, it's true Jack, whether you like it or not" Abbey said, like he was a child who wouldn't accept some harsh reality.

"You know what, Abbey? Don't bother lying about Hiccup to me, okay? You know why?" he asked, wanting this conversation to be over as soon as possible. He was growing more and more irritated.

When Abbey remained quiet, observing him with a mix of annoyance and confusion in her brown eyes, he continued.

"Because I'll _always_ choose him over you"

* * *

As Jack stepped outside the main entrance of the castle, the evening air was brisk against his pale skin. There wasn't a single cloud in the night sky, and he took a brief moment to just watch the dark blue heavens that were illuminated by thousands of bright, shining stars and a beautiful full moon that bathed his surroundings in a soft, gentle glow. The peaceful surroundings managed to calm him down a little, which was good. He needed to be calm right now, so he could be there for Hiccup, if he wanted to talk about whatever was bothering him. When he decided to walk towards the lake, finding it the most likely place to find Hiccup, he took out his wand from the pocket in his blue hoodie.

"Lumos" he said and the wand lit up, covering the ground ahead of him in the pale light, so he could easily make his way to his destination without stumbling over roots or rocks. As he walked across the soft, wet grass, the chilly wind caressed his skin and the gentle sound of the breeze rustling through the leaves in the trees reached his ears. This night seemed so...calm and peaceful, and yet he was anxious. He wanted to locate Hiccup, so he could see him for himself.

When the lake came into view, Jack began scanning his surroundings. It was so dark that Hiccup could practically be anywhere, but suddenly he spotted a faint warm light from somewhere next to the massive dark body of water. He smiled to himself. That had to be Hiccup. He walked with eager steps towards the lake, wanting to reach his friend as quickly as possible.

Soon Jack spotted just the person he was looking for. Hiccup sat with his back to a tree, a lit lantern on the ground illuminating his face with a warm glow. He held his sketchbook, tracing his charcoal pencil across the paper. Typical Hiccup. He was almost always sketching when he needed to relax or take his mind off things.

Jack approached him, the autumn leaves and twigs cracking under his feet. It didn't take long for Hiccup to notice him. His friend lifted his head for a moment, registered who it was and lowered his gaze to his sketchbook once again.

"Hey Hic…what are you doing out here?" Jack asked gently.

"Nothing…I was just thinking" Hiccup replied without much emotion, causing Jack to roll his eyes. Of course he was.

"You do that waaaay too much" he complained jokingly while throwing his hands up in frustration. It earned him a small smile from Hiccup, who kept his eyes on his sketchbook and continued to move his pencil across the page.

"I know" Hiccup simply answered, not bothering to give Jack any of his usual sass and sarcasm.

Jack frowned. Now it was definitely confirmed that Hiccup was in a bad mood. He didn't just give in to his comments like that. He would always have a quick-witted reply ready to shoot back at him. Jack had a strange, growing feeling in his gut that told him he needed to protect his friend. He wanted to shield him, wanted to make his problems disappear.

When Hiccup looked up at him, he felt a slight pang of worry in his chest. His eyes were not sparkling with wit and mirth like Jack had gotten used to. Hiccup seemed melancholy, sitting slumped against the tree trunk. Well that wouldn't do at all.

He sat down clumsily in front of Hiccup, not caring that his trousers became wet from the moist grass. He crossed his legs and rested his arms on them. Hiccup didn't look at him now, and Jack didn't like the silence that had descended on them. It was an unnatural, unwelcome presence.

"Hiccup…is something wrong?" he asked, not wanting to pry too much, in case Hiccup actually wanted to be alone. Jack wanted to be there for him, but he would always respect that Hiccup needed his space sometimes.

"Yes…but I can't really talk to you about it" Hiccup sighed.

Jack would be lying, if he said that it didn't hurt a little to hear those words. He wanted Hiccup to trust him, to know that he would be there for him when he needed it.

"Okay…" he started uncertainly. "Well…Look, Hic…I know it's difficult to tell someone about your problems…trust me…but I'm here for you, if you need someone to listen. I would never judge you or tell anyone about it" Jack reassured his friend sincerely. He meant every word and he really wanted Hiccup to understand. Sure, he was a mischievous carefree prankster most of the time, but he was also a trustworthy friend.

"I know Jack…but it's more complicated than just that" Hiccup replied with a trace of sadness in his voice that almost made Jack wince.

Jack sighed and became quiet. Then he made a decision. He couldn't really expect Hiccup to open up to him, unless he did the same thing…so he would tell him something that only his three closest friends and his family knew about. He would show his friend that he could trust him with anything. Jack's stomach was instantly protesting to what he was about to do. It formed large knots that twisted and turned. His body was warning him that this was dangerous emotional territory that could end up hurting him. He didn't listen though. He needed to do this.

"Hiccup…can I tell you a story?" Jack asked, smiling softly and expertly concealing his own discomfort. Hiccup's eyes sparkled with a mild interest.

Well, that was better than nothing.

"Of course" Hiccup replied.

Jack nodded to himself for a few seconds to mentally prepare himself for what he was about to do. This wasn't going to be easy. Talking about it reminded him of the guilt and the grief that he would rather forget. He wouldn't back down now though. It was time for Hiccup to know.

"When I was 10 and Emma was 5 we got new ice skates for Christmas. We begged our parents to take us ice skating the next day, but they were busy and told us that we had to wait, so…we decided to sneak out and go to a large pond nearby to skate by ourselves. I was holding Emma's hand the whole time and everything was fine, until she begged me to let her skate by herself for just a little while. I thought it was okay, because it was only going to be for a brief moment and I would be right there to keep an eye on her…and…at first it was fine…but then…the ice started to crack under her feet" Jack explained and when he met Hiccup's eyes, he saw them widen for a moment.

"I took my skates off and approached her slowly, trying my best to walk carefully, so the ice wouldn't crack under me too…she was so scared and I tried to convince her that she would be okay, but she didn't believe me…When I was close enough to her, I threw myself at her and pushed her out of the way. She landed on a thicker patch of ice, and she was finally safe. I was so relieved…but then the ice budged underneath me and I fell into the water" Jack told his friend. Hiccup bit his lip and furrowed his forehead.

"I was sure I was going to die, but suddenly I was heaved out of the water and pushed across the ice. I tried my best to get up but everything was hurting so badly…I just couldn't…and then I heard the screams…When I looked at the water, my parents were in there…Emma told me later that my mum had dived head first in the water to get me out and my dad had followed her…They were trying to get out but the ice was cracking all around them every time they tried to pull themselves out…and then…my mum's muscles cramped from the cold and she couldn't keep herself afloat anymore. My dad tried his best to help her but he couldn't keep holding both of them up, so…" Jack said, doing his best to keep his voice steady, but he knew that he sounded pained. Hiccup kept watching him in silence, but those eyes were filled with sadness now, and Jack had no doubt that Hiccup already knew how this story was going to end.

"I screamed at Emma to run and get help and she did, but it was too late…They drowned right in front of me…Afterwards me and Emma were taken in by the authorities because we had no other living family" he finished and broke eye contact. This opened up old wounds that he tried his best to move on from.

"Jack…" Hiccup said, almost a whisper. Jack met his friend's eyes and saw the understanding, the empathy, the pain that shone in them. He felt a little relief wash over him. Hiccup understood.

"I'm so sorry…" Hiccup continued, still speaking quietly, his voice brimming with concern. "I'm sorry you had to go through that".

Jack gave his friend a small smile. "It was a long time ago...But it still hurts" he said, trying his best to keep his voice under control. "If we hadn't snuck out, they would still be alive…If I had known magic back then, I would have been able to save them…It was our fault they died." He finished, his vision blurring as unshed tears invaded his eyes, taunting him with their warm, stinging presence. He wiped his eyes with one of his sleeves, _refusing_ to cry in front of Hiccup. It was so rare that he ever cried, but if he didn't count the retelling of the nightmares to Mavis, he had only ever told this entire story twice…once to the authorities after it happened and once to his three best friends. It was painful for him to talk about, so he usually avoided it.

"It was never your fault" Jack heard Hiccup's gently voice say, and he was touched by the level of emotion in it…but he had heard those words and words similar to them many times before, and it never relieved him of the guilt and the grief swirling inside him.

"Yes it was…but I've learned to live with it. We were only kids…we couldn't have known what would happen…but it was our fault nonetheless. Nothing can ever erase that" Jack stated bitterly, still not meeting Hiccup's eyes. He felt more tears blur his vision and he rubbed his eyes with his hands to stop them from falling. He took a few deep breaths and willed them away. He needed to pull himself together now.

Jack had expected Hiccup to continue trying to reassure him that it wasn't his fault his parents died. He was used to people doing that, and he understood why they did it. They just wanted him to feel better, but it was also frustrating because it had kept him from taking responsibility for a long time. He had needed to take responsibility to begin moving on.

Hiccup didn't reassure him though. He suddenly moved to Jack's side and pulled him into a warm hug.

Jack was too stunned at first to react, stiffening at the unexpected touch. After a few seconds, he reached his arms around Hiccup and hugged him back. Hiccup's warmth enveloped him and it was safe and comforting, like his doubts were melting away. Jack didn't even manage to think about it, before he rested his chin on Hiccup's shoulder, the soft fabric of the green shirt brushing the lower half of his face, as he breathed in the scent of his friend. Hiccup smelled of pine and rainfall, and Jack smiled softly to himself. His hands grabbed fists of Hiccup's shirt, holding on to the fabric tightly, not wanting to let go just yet. He could feel Hiccup's surprisingly strong arms wrapped around him, and he found that he didn't mind this long hug at all. It should be awkward. It should be wrong and weird, but somehow it wasn't. Jack was perfectly comfortable like this, and even though he couldn't see Hiccup's face, he knew that he was too, due to the lack of tension in his body. Hiccup's soft brown hair tickled his cheek when he leaned against the side of Hiccup's head.

The warm feeling that was slowly spreading through Jack's body was perplexing to say the least. It left him scrambling for an explanation. How was it possible that all the loving, supportive words and hugs in the world had never been able to comfort him in moments like this…had never been able to relieve him of the pain…but Hiccup's touch was slowly dwindling the dark emotions raging inside of him, replacing them with an comfort. Jack couldn't explain what was happening in this moment. At the back of his mind some vague, intangible concept was poking at him. Something he couldn't figure out.

Hiccup broke the contact between them, pulling himself a few feet away, sitting across from him. Jack missed the warmth that had surrounded him like a soft, thick blanket, shielding him from the world, and he caught himself wishing Hiccup hadn't let go just yet.

When Jack looked into Hiccup's eyes once again, he could see something new there. A sort of determination. That was a good change he thought to himself and felt relieved that he had managed to remove some of the defeat from his friend's eyes.

* * *

The empathy and sadness swirled inside him. He had been shocked to hear Jack share the story of how his parents died. His friend had watched his parents being pulled out of this world right in front of him and had to live with the guilt of knowing that if he had done just one simple thing differently that day, they would still be alive. Hiccup was no stranger to the sharp stabs of guilt, but he hadn't experienced anything that could ever compare to what Jack had felt and was still feeling. He had desperately wanted to soothe his friend's pain and chase his demons away. That look on Jack's face as he spoke of how it was his fault that his parents died, the way his usually happy eyes filled with unshed tears…Hiccup hated seeing Jack like that and he felt the need to protect him, to help him, to ease his mind. When words didn't manage to quell his friend's guilt and grief, he had turned to physical comfort. It was very unusual for him to initiate, but he knew just how soothing it could be sometimes. Luckily it had seemed to work as Jack relaxed. Hiccup had also found comfort in the warmth and closeness between them. Jack's familiar scent, his soft white hair against Hiccup's cheek, his arms around him…It had been calming for both of their minds.

Hiccup looked at the ground in nervous contemplation. Was he really going to do this? It had only been a few days since he confided in Jack about Toothless, and that had been difficult enough…it was insane to open up even more already…right? He needed to protect himself…needed to keep those walls up.

He met Jack's eyes again. His friend smiled softly at him and Hiccup felt his resistance being washed away. How did Jack manage to _do_ that?

He quickly became a little nauseous as he made up his mind about what he had to do. Jack had trusted him with the most painful part of his background and now it was time that he did the same.

"Jack…" Hiccup said hesitantly. Jack merely nodded slowly a few times, encouraging him to speak.

"Do you ever feel like you can't meet someone's expectations?" he asked him, a trace of bitterness lacing his voice, unable to keep it away.

Jack frowned at the unfamiliar tone. "It happens once in a while…but not often" he admitted and shrugged.

Hiccup was silent for a while, as he was considering how to explain this to his friend.

"Whose expectations aren't you meeting?" he heard Jack's gentle voice ask.

"My father's"

"Why?" Jack simply asked, sounding very confused.

"He has certain…expectations about what my future should be like. It's pretty much all planned out, but those expectations are very different from what I want" Hiccup explained softly, still not looking Jack in the eye but watching a tree root intently. He was aware that this was another defense mechanism of his…one of the many in his arsenal. This was a sensitive topic for him, and it was going to be difficult to explain it to Jack.

"You shouldn't spend your life unhappy just to please your dad" Jack said softly and Hiccup appreciated the words.

"I know" Hiccup replied, almost whispering. "But it's complicated".

And that was the simple truth. Almost all his life he had been a failure and a disappointment. His ego had been bruised and broken time and time again, and now people were expecting him to be the future leader of a whole Viking tribe…to be confident, to be wise and brave, to be able to make tough decisions that affects everyone on the island, to be an example for all other Vikings…and he wasn't sure at all that he would be able to do that…He was terrified that he would be an unfit leader.

"Hiccup" Jack's voice was soft and soothing and somehow it made Hiccup feel a little better. "Look at me".

Hiccup sighed. He really didn't want to right now. He felt vulnerable and exposed when he let people look into his eyes, when he was in a melancholy mood. Hiccup slowly looked up nonetheless.

A ghost of a smile graced Jack's lips and his eyes softened.

"Don't live your life for someone else. You say it's complicated, and I'm sure it is….but you have to ask yourself one thing…is this _your_ life or your dad's life? No matter what happens, don't you think he wants you to be happy?...and even if you actually do disappoint him, he's a grown man. He'll get over it…We _always_ try to plan life out, but unexpected things happen, and we adapt and move on…You have a choice, Hiccup…you can _choose_ to be happy" Jack spoke calmly, looking him in the eyes.

Hiccup broke the eye contact again, trying to shield himself somehow from his friend's intense gaze. He felt very insecure right now, talking about this with Jack. It was deeply personal and it was an unfamiliar experience sharing this part of himself with someone new. The ones who already knew this, were people who had been in his life for many years.

"I really wish you could tell me what's going on" Jack said in equal measures of concern and resignation, and Hiccup understood how he felt. It must be quite difficult for Jack to be his friend sometimes…never quite knowing everything…being kept at arm's length…but it was all Hiccup could do. It was safe and familiar to not let people in…that way people couldn't betray your trust or take advantage of you.

"I do too, but I can't. Not yet anyway" Hiccup replied quietly and he felt the guilt poke at him. Jack was such a great friend to him and yet…he couldn't fully let him in. He really didn't feel comfortable telling Jack about his future responsibilities, everything that he was supposed to do and be as a Viking leader…that as well as his confused sexuality, his phantom pains, that Toothless was actually here on the grounds, as well as a lot of dragon knowledge were big secrets that he _needed_ to keep guarding.

Hiccup found Jack's familiar eyes looking intently at him.

"It's okay" Jack answered reassuringly, giving him a warm smile to show him that he really meant it. "You can tell me whenever you're ready".

Jack reached out his hand and squeezed his shoulder. The touch was warm and comforting and lingered on his shoulder for a while. Hiccup truly appreciated the affectionate gesture. It made him feel better.

"Thanks Jack" he said. A small smile began to tug at the corners of his mouth.

"Look…just for the record…I think you're such a great person, Hic…And you've done a lot more with your life already, than most people here will ever do…it's just…such a shame that you can't see that" Jack said. Hiccup saw nothing but sincerity in those eyes.

He felt a tug of fondness and made a decision. He wanted to get it over with, before he could change his mind. "Jack…" he said hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Can I tell you a story?" Hiccup asked him, repeating Jack's own words.

Jack smiled fondly at him. "Of course" he mimicked Hiccup's answer.

Silence passed between them. Hiccup fidgeted, tugging at his braids, while he was mentally preparing himself to tell Jack about something that was quite painful for him to talk about. Jack let him take his time.

"Jack, what do you think of, when you hear the word "Vikings?" he asked his friend, and Jack's forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"Well…big, burly bearded guys with helmets and axes"

"Exactly…and that's true for most Vikings…they're big, strong and brave and they know their place in the tribe. They defend the tribe at all costs…against dragons, against enemy tribes, against anything that threatens their society, and they are never afraid of a fight…of pain…of death…in fact, the best death is dying in battle, so you can journey to Valhalla, the greatest honor there is for a Viking…" Hiccup quietly explained.

He could tell that Jack didn't know where he was going with this, so he decided to jump straight to it.

"I was always different." He started speaking again and he forced himself to keep eye contact with Jack and to make sure his voice was steady.

"I was short and scrawny and clumsy…I was hopeless at fighting of any kind, since I could barely lift an axe or a sword properly and my coordination was all over the place. I caused a mess wherever I went, accidentally ruining things all the time. The other Vikings usually tried to avoid me and they were sure to let me know that I was completely useless and a failure…That I wasn't a real Viking…no one wanted to spend time with me or get to know me…" He explained quietly, keeping himself still and leaned against the massive oak tree behind him. Jack's eyes softened in obvious concern and empathy.

"Now…my dad is a real Viking…he is big, he is strong, he always puts the tribe before himself…everyone looks up to him. He was always disappointed in me. Every time he looked at me I saw frustration, hopelessness, distance…I was never the son he wanted, that much was clear. We were practically strangers for many years. He rarely spoke to me, and I tried to keep away from him to avoid feeling like a failure. I thought our relationship could never get any worse, but I was wrong…when I did well in the dragon killing classes, my dad became so proud of me. He was practically beaming with hope and joy every time he looked at me. I had never experienced that before, and it felt good to get his recognition…but it was a brief time of peace. Like I told you a few days ago, I became the best in dragon class, and the best student had to kill a dragon in front of the whole village. When I couldn't do it and Toothless came to my rescue, and my dad found out about everything…about how I'd spared him, trained him, made friends with him…he was furious and that look of pure disgust he gave me, I'll never forget…Right before he and the other Vikings sailed away in search of the dragon nest to kill all of them, he told me that I wasn't his son anymore" he told Jack solemnly. Those words had hurt so much and it really wasn't easy repeating them. He tugged slightly on one of his braids, taking a little comfort in the familiar act.

He sighed in relief when he finished the first part of his explanation, feeling a little lighter now that he had gotten it off his chest. Jack winced at his words and looked at him with those caring eyes.

"Since Toothless and I defeated the Red Death my dad has actually been proud of me. He told me he was wrong, that he should have never treated me so badly…as did the rest of the village. I was suddenly a hero, and everyone wanted to speak to me, to hear my opinion on things, to get to know me all of the sudden. Since then I've been Berks authority on dragons, and everyone still comes to me for advice on dealing with them and training them. I'm even the leader of the Dragon Training Academy...but I was always a disappointment and a failure until a few years ago when all of this happened. Now my relationship with my dad is finally a lot better…and I might actually have to break it again if I want to be happy" Hiccup finished. His heart was beating a little faster now, as this was unfamiliar territory for him…he wasn't used to letting people in on his emotional damage and even though he knew he could trust Jack, it was still an anxiety inducing experience.

"Hiccup, I…I'm not sure what to say…that was…it…" Jack obviously struggled to explain how he felt about all of this. Hiccup remained quiet and let him gather his thoughts. After all…he had just told Jack some heavy stuff that he probably needed a few moments to process.

"That must have been terrible…" Jack settled on, his soft voice filled with a gentle sadness. "Everyone treating you so horribly, constantly telling you that you weren't good enough…that you weren't worth anything…no wonder you can't take a compliment." Jack finished quietly, his eyes brimming with concern and fondness.

Hiccup smiled softly at his friend. "Yeah well…at least it got better. Everyone looks up to me now" he explained. "They all admire me for my relationship with Toothless, for my knowledge about dragons, for my battle with the Red Death…but I'm not sure what will happen, if I choose my own path instead of following the one's that's already planned for me" he finished uncertainly and began fidgeting with the hem of one of his sleeves. This was still very uncomfortable and he felt self-conscious.

"I'm sorry Hiccup…I had no idea that you had all those expectations looming over you" Jack replied, still watching him very intently.

"How could you possibly know? I never told you" Hiccup merely said, shrugging and dismissing Jack's worries. He had in fact been very careful _not_ to let Jack in on this particular part of his life…but now that door had been opened.

"What about Fishlegs? He wasn't your friend back then? And Astrid?" Jack asked, seemingly still trying to process the fact that Hiccup had been completely alone for most of his life.

"No, they weren't…Fishlegs and I became friends when we started here at Hogwarts, but back home we would always go our separate ways, because his parents didn't want to let him have anything to do with me…and Astrid…she kind of really disliked me back then. She thought I was weak and not a true Viking…just like everyone else" he replied and briefly thought about how it was actually a little strange that he and Astrid had grown so close now, since their relationship had been so troubled in the past.

"Hiccup…how…" Jack started, shaking his head slowly and seeming completely baffled, trying to find the right words. "How do you _not_ hate other people now? You had no one to turn to…no one to tell you that you were good enough just the way you were…no one to really talk to…almost every experience you had with people was a bad one…I just…I can't imagine living like that. At least I always had my parents and Emma and Jamie…and when I lost my parents, I still had my sister and Jamie, and then I found North and Anna. I was never alone" Jack said softly and his friend seemed almost hurt by the thought that Hiccup hadn't had those things.

Hiccup shrugged and sighed deeply. He wasn't really sure what to say to that…why didn't he hate people in general now? He thought about it, while Jack watched him in silence.

"You get used to being alone I guess…and…I don't know why I don't hate people now…maybe it's because I know we're _all_ flawed in one way or another…Pretty much everyone on Berk has apologized to me afterwards…told me how much they regret how they acted towards me and even though that doesn't erase everything that happened, it still makes me feel better" he chose to reply.

Jack nodded slowly. "Look…" he said. "I know you can't tell me everything yet, but…just know that I'm here for you, okay? You can come to me with anything"

As he took in Jack's words, a gentle affection flowed through his veins. He appreciated Jack's concern. He was an amazing friend and Hiccup did feel a little guilty for ever doubting that. But questioning people's motivations had become like second nature to him. "Thanks Jack…you're a really great friend" he said.

The two boys sat in silence for a while. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but an air of understanding between them. They didn't need to speak right now but simply enjoyed each other's presence in the soft glow of the lit lantern. They had shared something painful and personal with each other this night and it had deepened their friendship significantly.

* * *

**Author's note:**

Translations:

Lǫngubak: Means "Fishbelly" in Old Norse.

Burlufotr: Means "Clumsy Foot" in Old Norse.

Snær Flekkr: Means "speck of snow/Snowflake" in Old Norse.

Jól: The Vikings' celebration of the days becoming lighter and milder, as well as fertility and peace, where they drank, ate, prayed- and sacrificed to the gods for the upcoming year to be a good one.

Þǫkk: Means "Thanks" in Old Norse. Is pronounced "Thokk".

Svatr: Simply means "Black" or "Blackness" in old norse.


	9. Still to come: the worst part

Hiccup let out a yawn, as he walked along the stone corridors on his way to Transfiguration. The afternoon sun streamed through the large arch windows, illuminating the old passageways in a mild glow._ Gods, I wish I could sleep some more. But that's the price of keeping Toothless nearby. I'll happily pay that price. _He tried his best to smile politely and greet all the students who were saying hi or waving at him. _I wish they would go back to ignoring me like before I was popular._

Usually he met up with Rapunzel somewhere along the way if they had had different classes before this, but today she had been excused from Transfiguration. She had volunteered to help their art professor prepare for a big project that all the art students should participate in next week. Jack and Flynn would be there though. Transfiguration had become one of the most amusing classes in his schedule, since Jack and Flynn were always challenging each other to 'laugh offs', where the goal was to get the other to laugh first.

When the entrance to the Transfiguration classroom came into view, his whole body froze. A limb that was no longer there moved toes that no longer existed. A sudden jolt of pain shot through them. _Oh no. Gods no. Not now. Not here._

He didn't have to think twice to know what this was. The unnerving feeling of having his missing limb back and the zaps of pain were all too familiar. His eyes darted back and forth from the doors to the classroom and down the corridor. _There's no way I'm going to make it back to the common room or somewhere else I can be alone_. He sighed in resignation. Luckily there weren't many students in the passageway right now. That was good. _Not many people around to ask questions._ He began taking one step at a time, pained hisses escaping his lips despite his best efforts to restrain them. It felt like every nerve in his missing limb constricted in painful spasms.

He desperately tried to avoid scrunching his face in pained expressions. He didn't want curious looks from anyone. He slumped down on a chair, already exhausted as a result of his sleep deprived state and the pain combined. Why did this have to happen now? The gods must hate him…they must absolutely _loathe_ him for this to happen…for one of his most vulnerable sides to be exposed right now among other people. This always happened at night, so why was it suddenly changing? He rubbed his temples, trying his best to block out the stabs of pain. It was no use though. He bit his lip hard in frustration and felt the slight sting._ Gods, how am I going to get out of this mess?_

He sensed movement out of the corner of his eye, as a flash of white appeared. Just his luck. Jack was probably going to notice that he seemed off.

"Hey Hic." Jack said and Flynn shot him a friendly "Hey", as his two friends sat down next to him. He didn't meet their eyes. It was easier to pretend that nothing was wrong, if he could avoid eye contact.

"Hi." he forced himself to reply. He tried his best to sound casual, but he knew he had failed, as soon as the words left his mouth. He sounded way too tired and strained to pass as 'casual'. Great. Now there was going to be questions. Jack was not going to let it go, he somehow just knew it.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked. Hiccup still didn't look at him but he could hear the concern in Jack's voice.

"Nothing." Hiccup replied and clenched his jaw. He didn't want to talk to Jack right now…or anyone else for that matter. He needed all of his focus to deal with this unnerving, agonizing pain that continued its insistent throbbing sensations. He needed to restrain the urge to cry out and scream in equal amounts of pain and anger.

"That's not true. What's wrong?" Jack said, and Hiccup could practically hear his friend's mind racing, trying to come up with scenarios as to why he was acting this way. He feared his last resolve would crumble, if he looked into those comforting blue eyes.

"Nothing, Jack." he said, his voice firm. He began scratching his good leg hard under the table as a way of busying himself, digging his nails into the skin, trying desperately to take just a little of his focus away from his missing limb. He knew that none of this was Jack's fault. He knew that he should probably just explain things to him, but he didn't. He couldn't. All he could do to get through this was to keep others away. He couldn't handle their questions, their concerned words, their curious eyes, even though he knew they meant well. It was too much right now.

"Come on, you can tell me. Maybe I can help." Jack said soothingly. Hiccup knew Jack was just being his usual, caring self. He knew it, but he couldn't shake the need of getting him to back off.

"Leave…it…alone." he said slowly. He didn't bother to conceal the annoyance in his voice. Gods, he was weak right now, and it was pathetic that he took it out on his friend…but Jack needed to back off. Right now.

"Come on, Hiccup…something is obviously wrong." Jack said and his voice had taken on an authoritative tone that Hiccup had never heard him use before. Great. Jack wasn't letting it go. He was trying to claw his way in but this was too personal. He needed to be alone. Now. He needed to find some way of dealing with this.

He got to his feet again and a sharp jolt shot through the missing limb. He bit down on his bottom lip and choked a pained hiss. It took all of his willpower to push it down and try to appear somewhat normal. By some luck, he managed to make it to one of the tables in the back. With every step, his missing foot reminded him that he was never going to be truly rid of it. He vaguely heard Jack call his name, but he ignored it and shoved away the sinking guilt. He needed to get through the next 45 minutes somehow. He had to focus...but then what? He would need to somehow make it back to the common room or somewhere else, where he could have some privacy while he dealt with this. Right now, he wasn't at all sure that he could make it by himself. At that thought, a sudden nausea rose within him.

He mentally thanked the gods that the class today was a lecture with no practical exercises. If he'd had to get the professor's attention and get himself excused from doing the exercises, he would not only draw the attention of Jack and Flynn but also get that familiar, hated sting of feeling weak and inadequate. He did his best to pay attention as Professor Hyde drew some illustrations on the blackboard, but the jolts of pain kept breaking his focus. Throughout the class, he avoided looking at Jack and Flynn. He didn't want to see their concerned expressions. When there was five minutes left, he quietly stuck his textbook into his satchel and slung it over one shoulder. He needed to be ready to leave. Being trapped in this classroom suffocated him.

As soon as Professor Hyde dismissed the class, he hurried out into the corridor, hissing with every step. He tried his best to avoid contorting his face in pain but failed. He only made it a short distance down the corridor, hobbling in pain, before his legs were about to give in. Thankfully, there weren't many students out in the hallways yet to see him like this. He spotted the rarely used corridor to the left and used his last energy and willpower to limp a little way down that passageway. He slumped down on the floor, leaning against the cool, stone wall. He closed his eyes and stretched out his legs. It helped a little, but the sharp, insistent throbs kept on pulsing through his non-existent foot. His missing limb had a sick, twisted life of its own, despite his awareness that it wasn't real. He knew it was his brain getting pain signals all mixed up as a result of the amputation. But that didn't help. The pain was real.

"Hiccup?" he heard a familiar voice say hesitantly from somewhere in front of him. He kept his eyes closed tightly and sighed in defeat. Of course Jack had found him. A part of him was relieved that his friend was here now but another part was worried. "Hi Jack." he replied quietly, still keeping his eyes closed. He could hear Jack plopping his bag down on the floor and approach him.

"Heey." Jack said soothingly. "Look at me, Hiccup."

Hiccup forced himself to open his tired eyes. Jack had crouched down to face him and Hiccup stared into his friend's worried gaze.

"What's going on, Hiccup? Please tell me." Jack pleaded with him. His nose and forehead wrinkled in concern, marring his usually carefree face. _I'm such an idiot for putting that look on his face._

Hiccup sighed in resignation but it was cut short. A sharp jolt of pain shot through him, overpowering the other pulsations. He hissed loudly, biting down hard on his lower lip to keep himself from crying out. The familiar metallic taste of blood seeped into his mouth, coating his taste buds. He forced himself to take some deep breaths to calm his frantic hearbeat.

"You're in pain." Jack said quietly, eyes softening with worry.

"Yes." Hiccup replied. There was no turning back now. He would need to trust Jack with this. The choice had been taken out of his hands.

"How bad is it?" Jack asked.

"Very." Hiccup said and closed his eyes again, finding the darkness comforting.

"What can I do to help?"

"Take the painkilling potion from my bag…"

He heard the urgent rustling of Jack going through his satchel. He felt the brush of tingling skin and something cold being placed in his palm. He opened his eyes and took the lid off the potion. He downed it in one quick go.

The loud sounds of students rushing through the corridors began to fill the air. Tension curled tightly around his chest. They were all on their way to their next classes, and he really hoped that none of them would come down this passageway.

"There." Jack said with a smile. "You're going to be better in a minute."

Oh, how Hiccup wished that was true. "No." he said and clenched his jaw.

"What?" Jack asked, furrowing his forehead. He looked him over, like he was searching for some obvious injury he had missed.

"It…it only takes the edge off." he explained, getting more and more tired by the minute. He was struggling now to get words out.

"Then you need to get some more." Jack argued.

"Won't help." he replied and let out a sigh. He wished he could go to sleep and wake up when the pain was gone.

"Hiccup, just tell me what's going on?" Jack had leaned forward and gave him a squeeze on his shoulder.

Hiccup stayed silent while the noises of students in the hallways began to die down, signaling that classes were about to begin. Good. That was good. The fewer people around him, the better. He knew he could trust Jack, but this was about more than trust. It was about how difficult it would be to tell him about this, because it made him feel so pathetic and weak.

"Do you know what phantom pain is?" Hiccup asked quietly, meeting Jack's concerned gaze with his dull eyes.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jack's eyes widened. So he did know. Good. Hiccup felt a slight relief wash over him. He probably wouldn't have been able to explain the whole concept properly in his current state.

"I'm so sorry Hiccup…I'm sorry…" Jack spoke softly.

"Not your fault."

"We need to get you away from here. I'll help you get to the common room." Jack said, looking up and down the corridor. Hiccup nodded mutely. Jack swiftly got to his feet, picked up both their bags and slung them over his shoulders. He reached out his hand for Hiccup to take, and he pulled him to his feet. Hiccup couldn't restrain the wince that contorted his face. Jack placed his arm around his waist. "Just try not to put too much pressure on the bad leg. I'll help you." he said. Hiccup nodded in confirmation, and then they began their slow and clumsy walk down the corridor.

Hiccup was grateful the hallways were deserted now. He didn't want anyone to see him like this. Jack's firm grip on his waist as well as the painkilling potion had managed to relieve the pain enough for him to be able to hobble along, as they made their way towards Ravenclaw Tower. It felt like an eternity, before they reached the familiar portrait by the Ravenclaw common room. Hiccup mumbled the answer to the riddle, and the portrait swung open, revealing the large common room in blue and grey nuances with the high dome ceiling painted like the night sky.

"Wow…I've never been in here before." Jack said, sounding impressed, holding Hiccup tightly by the waist to help him limp towards the staircase leading to the dormitory. "It's very different from the Gryffindor common room."

Hiccup gave him a weak smile in return, not able to focus on chitchat right now. Jack efficiently helped him limp up the old, creaking staircase and sweet relief flooded Hiccup's system when he spotted his bed. The pain wouldn't go away by lying down but it would help.

Jack assisted him all the way to the bed, making sure to support him properly, so he wouldn't fall. When he let his body rest against the soft mattress, his missing limb let its painful grip loosen just a bit. "Thanks Jack." he mumbled as his eyelids slid down.

"Any time…" Jack almost whispered, like he didn't want to disturb him.

"Please don't tell Fishlegs and Rapunzel…or Astrid. They'll only worry." Hiccup didn't like keeping secrets from his friends, but he didn't want to cause them any distress, and there wasn't anything they could help him with anyway, so it would just make them feel frustrated and helpless.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to keep it from them?" Jack asked. His tone revealed that he didn't agree with that.

No, he wasn't sure at all, but that was how it had to be right now. "Yes. I can handle this by myself." he found himself saying. Which was true in its own way.

"Well, they're going to know that something is wrong when neither of us come to class?" Jack argued.

Hiccup sighed and opened his eyes again. Jack stood by the side of his bed looking down at him with those concerned eyes. "Right…I guess there's no way to keep it from them then…" he said, slightly breathless from the pain.

"Is it really so bad for them to know?" Jack asked him.

"I just…prefer dealing with this alone." Hiccup said.

"Well, I'm not leaving." Jack shrugged.

"What?" Hiccup blurted out. What was he talking about?

"I'm not leaving, Hic. I'm staying here. Someone needs to keep an eye on you right now." Jack explained with his hands on his hips to show his determination.

Hiccup sighed. He understood that Jack was concerned and he _did_ appreciate it. He would do exactly the same thing if the situation was reversed. But he couldn't shake off that slight pang of frustration, of once again feeling like someone who needed to be watched over.

"How long does this usually last?" Jack asked when Hiccup remained silent.

"A few hours." he said and a yawn forced its way through his lips.

"Okay. I'll go to Headmaster Lunar and explain the situation, and then I'll get both of us excused from classes for the rest of the day."

Hiccup opened his mouth to argue but Jack apparently predicted this and quickly spoke first. "And _don't_ even bother to try and talk me out of it." Jack said and pointed a finger at him.

Hiccup knew when he had been beaten and he could tell from the determined look in Jack's eyes that there was no use in arguing with him. He didn't have the energy anyway, he was doing all he could to deal with the pain signals constantly jabbing through his non-existent limb.

Jack left the Ravenclaw tower with the promise of returning as quickly as possible. Hiccup just lay motionless on his bed with closed eyes, as he tried to force his body to relax. He inhaled and exhaled slowly and deeply, focusing on his breathing. It always seemed to help a little when he got that under control. When Jack returned, he let him know that they had been excused from classes for the rest of the day, and that Professor Lunar told him to feel better soon. Hiccup was relieved that he didn't have to go to any classes as long as he felt like this, but at the same time he hadn't expected the headmaster to say no. Professor Lunar knew that he had a prosthetic, so it wasn't that big of a leap to conclude that he also had phantom pains.

Jack sat down on the edge of the bed. "How often does this happen?" he asked hesitantly, like the question might unsettle him.

"Not that often anymore…maybe…twice a month." he said.

Jack nodded slowly. "Why doesn't more painkilling potion help?"

"I don't know, Jack. It's just…phantom pains are very different from person to person and there aren't any treatments that work for everyone…there's a lot of things that's still not understood about it." he replied. Gods, it was difficult to get that many words out. The pain and the fatigue were like rocks pressing down on his chest.

"And you always deal with this by yourself?" Jack asked with raised eyebrows that clearly showed he didn't like that idea at all.

"Yeah…"

"That's just…stupid, Hiccup. Seriously, how have you been able to do that? You couldn't even walk when I found you." Jack asked, gesturing wildly with his hands.

"It…usually happens at night…when I've taken off my prosthetic." he explained.

"Oh…so you just lie on your bed in pain while everyone is sleeping?" Jack asked with a trace of disapproval in his voice that Hiccup wasn't used to hearing.

"Uhm, yeah…"

"Seriously Hiccup, how can someone so clever be so stupid?" Jack replied and shook his head slowly.

"Why should I wake up Fishlegs, when he can't do anything about it anyway?" he argued. He had considered waking up Fishlegs several times, when he'd had those painful nights but his friend wouldn't be able to help him.

"He would want to know, Hiccup…and it might help you to have a friend by your side."

Hiccup shrugged and stared at the ceiling. He wasn't sure if Jack was right or not. On one hand, it would be nice to have someone be there for him, when this was happening. On the other hand, he didn't like people seeing him like this and it might only worry and frustrate his friends.

"Do Rapunzel and Fishlegs and Astrid even know you have phantom pains?"

"They know…I just don't tell them when." he said, still staring at the ceiling.

He heard Jack sigh. "From now on, you're not dealing with this alone. I won't let you."

Hiccup wasn't sure how to respond. He knew he couldn't sleep until the pain subsided but he desperately wanted to. He wanted to retreat into the safe world of dreaming, where he could get relief.

"Look…" Jack continued. "You should really be able to ask for help, when you obviously need it. Bloody hell, Hiccup, I'm your friend. Rapunzel and Fishlegs are your friends…and Astrid. We all just want to help you and be there for you. You could have just told me in class that you were in pain, and I would've helped you get back here immediately, so you didn't have to sit through the whole thing." Jack explained with frustration in his voice.

"I know." Hiccup said softly and glanced at Jack. He really was an incredible friend. Jack would have ditched class and risked getting detention to help him back here, and he insisted on staying by his side now.

"So why didn't you just tell me? And why don't you want me to tell the others?"

Hiccup didn't answer. The familiar guilt swirled inside him.

"Come on Hiccup, you can trust me, can't you?" Jack asked, his eyes pleading with him to let him in, to trust him with this. Why was it so difficult to resist that look? Jack had some kind of special ability to break down his walls quicker than anyone ever had. It was unnerving.

"It's…you probably won't understand but…I don't want to seem weak or helpless." he said. There. It was out there. There was no taking it back. By Thor, how he hated feeling so vulnerable.

"_That's_ what all the secrecy about being in pain is about? You think we'll see you as weak?" Jack asked with shock filling his eyes.

"No…I don't know. I just don't want that feeling…"

"What feeling?"

"That feeling…being useless…helpless…unable to take care of myself" Hiccup clarified.

A few moments of silence passed between them. Hiccup could tell puzzle pieces clicked into place in Jack's mind.

"Look Hiccup…I understand, okay?" Jack began. "Everyone's always told you you weren't worth anything and you couldn't do anything right or defend yourself if your life depended on it…so it makes sense that you're trying to fight all your battles alone now…but…we're your friends. We care about you. We would never think you were weak" Jack explained with a sad smile. The words soothed Hiccup's mind.

"I know…but I do." he replied, almost a whisper.

"Well, you need to pull yourself together then and get those stupid thoughts out of your head. I don't know how bad the pain is, but…you're _not_ weak for being affected by it, you're only human."

"I know…" Hiccup rubbed his eyes.

"So why do you insist on doing all of this alone?" Jack asked him.

Hiccup took a few moments to gather his thoughts. "I just…I'm able to defend myself now…to take care of myself…except for this…this is…I can't help it, I can't control it…"

"I know." Jack replied with a soft sigh. "But there's nothing wrong with that. No one can control everything…and no one can do everything alone. Please just…trust me with this from now on, okay? If you're in pain just let me know. I don't have to tell the others if you don't want me to. I still think you should let them know, but I get that you have your reasons…but you have to get some help somehow, when it gets too bad." Jack told him. Hiccup only saw sincerity and concern in his eyes.

"Jack…I can't let you do that." he said.

"Why not?" Jack asked and crossed his arms. He was clearly not giving up on this.

"It's not your responsibility." Hiccup shrugged and stretched his legs out on the mattress.. He didn't want to be a burden for anyone. He'd had enough of that in his past.

Jack scoffed. "It's not about responsibility, Hic. You're my friend and I want to help you, it's as simple as that. I don't like my friends being in pain."

"Yeah, but-"

"Hiccup." Jack said in a stern manner that was very out of character for him. "From now on…when you get phantom pains, let me know and I'll help you."

"I can't wake you up in the middle of the night, because I'm in pain, Jack. Besides, you'll get detention if you wander around the castle at night." Hiccup argued. He wrinkled his face, as the pulsations in his missing limb kept torturing him. Gods, how he just wanted it to _stop_.

"Sneaking around is one of my specialties, Hic…and you _will_ let me know from now on." Jack insisted and reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object.

"What's that?" Hiccup asked.

"It's enchanted. Me and Mavis both have some serious nightmares once in a while, and we use it and one like it, whenever one of us wake up and need someone to talk to. When you click it the matching one set off a noise. Not loud enough to wake up the whole dormitory of course, but enough to wake up the person next to it. And you can also spell out a message on it. So if you're in pain in the middle of the night, write the answer to the riddle from the portrait, and I'll be here. When it happens again, you better let me know." Jack said. The look of pure determination in his eyes told Hiccup it was no use arguing.

Hiccup reached out and closed his fingers around the small object, taking it from Jack. The brush of skin tickled his hand. "I don't even get a say in this, do I?" he asked with the faintest ghost of a smile.

"Nope." Jack smiled with satisfaction.

Hiccup rubbed his eyes with one of his sleeves. "Fine." he replied, resigned to his fate of having Jack watch over him next time those horrible, familiar pains would jab through his missing limb. He was touched by Jack's insistence to help him though…even if he didn't like people seeing him like this.

Silence descended on them. Hiccup watched Jack stare at a particular spot on the wall for a while, clearly in contemplation.

"Hic…?" Jack asked, sounding uncertain.

"Yeah?" he replied, not sure he would like where this was going.

"I don't know if you're comfortable answering this, but…how much of…your leg is actually gone?" Jack asked, looking like he was afraid he was asking something inappropriate.

That was a strange question…but on the other hand it made sense for Jack to have wondered about that. After all…he had never seen his prosthetic. Hiccup pointed to the place where his prosthetic met the rest of his leg and Jack nodded in response.

"So it _is_ actually some of your leg too and not just the foot?"

"Yeah…I just don't like saying prosthetic leg or missing leg, because it makes it sound like the whole thing is gone…when it's really only a bit of it…"

"Yeah, you're right…it does kind of sound like that." Jack agreed. "Anyway…try to get some rest, okay? I know you can't sleep right now, since the pain is too much, but just try to relax…I'll stay here."

"Okay." Hiccup replied, not bothering to argue. Just having this conversation had been exhausting. Hiccup closed his eyes and focused on keeping his breathing steady. Jack remained by his side, sitting quietly on one of the corners of his bed. His presence was soothing and comforting.

* * *

Jack sighed softly to himself and leaned back on one of the bedposts. He had been disturbed and worried to find out that Hiccup suffered from phantom pains. It was pure luck that he had spotted Hiccup sitting in the empty corridor, while he was on his way to his next class. He didn't want to think about what could have happened, if he hadn't found Hiccup there. Flynn had been there too but Jack had told him to get to class, because he knew Hiccup wouldn't want all the attention. Hiccup had made it clear in Transfiguration that he didn't want to let people in on what was going on with him.

Now, he was sitting on Hiccup's bed. He had stayed by his friend's side for about two hours, while Hiccup tried to relax and ignore the pain. They exchanged a few words here and there, but Hiccup wasn't talkative. When Hiccup finally drifted off into the sleeping world, Jack had been relieved that he got some rest. Being in pain was exhausting, and it had definitely taken its toll. He had seemed so fragile and it was very unsettling to see him like that. He was usually strong and capable. While he watched Hiccup sleep, his chest rising and falling evenly, his lips slightly parted, Jack thought about everything Hiccup told him that night about a week ago. He had been disowned by his own father after an entire life of being an outsider. No one ever bothered to get to know him. Jack couldn't comprehend what sort of emotional damage that must have inflicted. Hiccup's self-esteem problems must definitely have started with these fragile, devastating moments of childhood…always being told he wasn't good enough, that he couldn't do anything right, that he wasn't really one of them. It was no wonder that he tried to do everything by himself now. After a while, Jack had begun to occupy himself by flipping through some of Hiccup's sketchbooks, observing all the beautiful, detailed drawings in them. Currently he was letting his eyes take in an amazing drawing of Toothless lying in the sun relaxing, the mild rays illuminating his black scales and his face in peaceful folds.

Hiccup caught his attention, when he began turning in his sleep. Jack put down the book. Hiccup's forehead was furrowed and he mumbled in distress. "_Brenna hamr..._"

If it wasn't because his friend was obviously in distress, Jack would have found it amusing that Hiccup actually spoke Old Norse in his sleep. More than ever, he wished he understood the Viking language. "Sshhh…Hiccup….just relax…you're okay, you're okay." Jack said soothingly to his friend. He scooted closer to Hiccup.

Hiccup kept squirming in his sleep. "_Brenna hamr_…" he muttered, along with a string of pained noises. Jack mentally noted the words, hoping he could remember them later to tell Hiccup about it and get him to translate it.

"Hiccup…calm down. I'm here with you…I'm right here." Jack continued to soothe him. "Don't worry, just relax…I'm right here."

Hiccup mumbled some words that Jack couldn't hear properly, but he was sure it was more Old Norse. Little droplets of sweat appeared on Hiccup's forehead. Jack leaned in and gently wiped them away with his sleeve. "Hic, just relax…Nothing's going to hurt you, okay? You're safe here."

Hiccup's squirming slowly ceased and the wrinkle in his forehead smoothed out. Jack let out a relieved sigh. Hiccup's face was once again in peaceful folds, not a trace left behind from the anxiety he had been engulfed in. Jack scooted closer to his sleeping friend. He reached out his hand and gently stroked Hiccup's brown hair a few times, feeling the soft locks tingle his fingertips. He wasn't sure why he did it. He somehow just wanted to do _something_ to reassure himself that Hiccup was okay now. When Jack had last had a nightmare about his parents' death, Hiccup had told him that he knew what it was like to have recurring nightmares. Maybe this was one of those nightmares.

After a little while of keeping an eye on Hiccup, Jack went back to look at the drawings in the sketchbooks, while his friend slept. When Hiccup woke, he drew attention to himself by slowly sitting up.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked.

"Better…" Hiccup said and rubbed his eyes.

"Good." Jack replied, his lips twitching. The twisted worry in his gut loosened.

"How long was I asleep?"

"About three hours".

Hiccup nodded slowly. He seemed to be in a much better state now. He didn't look as fragile anymore, he didn't have trouble speaking and his face wasn't marred by exhaustion.

"Are you still in pain?" Jack asked.

"No…just a little tired." Hiccup shrugged with a small smile.

Jack nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. That was good…the pain was finally over. "You had a nightmare."

"I did?" Hiccup asked and let out a yawn. He didn't seem too bothered by that information.

"Yeah…you don't remember?"

"No, not really." Hiccup shrugged.

"Well, you were sort of…speaking Old Norse" Jack told him.

"What? Can you remember what I said?" Hiccup looked confused now. Maybe he usually never talked in his sleep? Or maybe it was just rare that he spoke Old Norse while dreaming.

"I could only really hear some of it…_brenna hamr_?" Jack explained and hoped he was pronouncing it correctly.

Wrinkles dug into Hiccup's forehead. He looked away from Jack and out the window.

"What does it mean?" Jack asked, watching Hiccup for any kind of reaction he could try to decode.

Hiccup remained silent for a few moments. "Burning skin." he replied quietly, still not looking at Jack.

Well, that wasn't good…

"Do you have any idea why you would say that?" Jack asked, eager to know what was going through Hiccup's mind.

Hiccup trained his eyes on him. "There are two possibilities I guess…but I was probably dreaming about the time I fell into a sea of flames."

"I thought you were unconscious when that happened?" Jack asked, scrunching his face in confusion.

"I wasn't unconscious the whole time. I remember…tiny fragments." Hiccup explained, still seeming to be contemplating something about this dream of his.

Jack nodded. "That would make sense…What's the other possibility?"

"That I was dreaming about the phantom pains."

"Why? Does it feel like burning?" Jack asked. He had no idea what phantom pain felt like and Hiccup hadn't had the energy to explain it to him.

"Sometimes it does." Hiccup shrugged.

"Do you want me to tell Rapunzel and Fishlegs about the pains? Or…do you want to do it yourself?" Jack asked his friend, eager to help him with anything he needed. He knew their friends needed to be told _something_ about what had happened.

"You can tell them, if you're okay with it…I don't really feel like talking about it anymore."

Jack nodded. "I'm guessing you want to stay up here for the rest of the day?"

"Yeah…Well…I don't want to but…if I don't rest after something like this…It can trigger more pain." Hiccup explained.

"Yeah…we can't have that, Hic." Jack said. "Well…just try to get some more sleep or at least just stay in bed, okay? I'm going to go calm our friends down…they're probably all really worried."

Hiccup nodded and lay back down. "Thanks Jack" he said with a warm smile twitching his lips.

"No problem at all, Hic…" he replied fondly. When he left the Ravenclaw tower, he felt uneasy. He wanted to be by Hiccup's side but he knew he couldn't stay there all day. He needed food, he needed to explain the situation to their friends, and he also had the feeling that Hiccup didn't like being watched. He met a few people he knew on the way out to the castle entrance, and he waved and smiled at them, even though his thoughts were still occupied with concerns about Hiccup. He really was something else…always trying to do everything by himself. As he exited the magical castle and felt the chilly autumn wind on his face, he began making his way towards the large body of water, where he would most likely find his friends. His shoes scraped across soft grass and he took a deep breath and let the brisk air reach his lungs.

Just as he had expected, he quickly found the people he was looking for. His three best friends as well as Rapunzel and Fishlegs were all sitting together next to the clear, blue lake, seemingly occupied by a serious conversation, by the looks on all their faces.

As he came nearer, Rapunzel spotted him and said something to the others, who looked his way as well. When he was by their side and had sat down next to Flynn, Rapunzel wasted no time in starting to interrogate him.

"What happened to Hiccup? Is he okay? Flynn told us something was bothering him and that you found him sitting in one of the corridors and stayed with him, but none of you showed up for the rest of the classes? You had us worried sick! Where is he now? Did something happen? Did-"

"Rapunzel!" Jack said. "I can't really answer _anything_ if you don't give me some time to actually speak."

"Right…" Rapunzel said sheepishly. "Sorry…I'm just worried."

"Hiccup's just having some trouble with his leg, so I helped him back to the dormitory and stayed with him." Jack said, not wanting to divulge the fact that Hiccup had phantom pains. That wasn't something he had the right to tell his friends, and Hiccup had been very clear that he didn't want to worry anyone.

"Should we go back there and keep him company?" Fishlegs asked him, fidgeting with one of his sleeves.

"Nah, he's getting some sleep now." Jack said. That fact seemed to make the others relax, especially Rapunzel and Fishlegs.

"That's good…" Fishlegs nodded slowly. "We were really worried but we had no idea where you were…usually when something's bothering Hiccup, he goes outside."

"Yeah, I know, but he couldn't really do that and it was better if he got some rest." Jack explained.

"True…I'm just relieved he's okay." Fishlegs said and Rapunzel nodded eagerly.

"He's okay. Don't worry." Jack confirmed with a warm smile. _They are great friends. Always so concerned with Hiccup's wellbeing. _

Jack remained with his friends by the lake for a few hours, before it was time for dinner in the Great Hall. Rapunzel and Fishlegs told him that they would bring Hiccup some food, which was good. Hiccup hadn't eaten since breakfast and he needed to get some sustenance. Jack didn't see Hiccup again that day but he wasn't worried since Rapunzel and Fishlegs were both there to keep an eye on him.

When he sat among his friends by the Gryffindor table, he realized how hungry he was. While eating a plateful of delicious food, he listened to some banter between Merida and Flynn. Flynn was convinced that Merida's patronus would be an Africanized honey bee, because _"they're ill-tempered and aggressively chase their victims for miles"_. That comment did not go down well with Merida. He stuck his fork in and out of a potato. He hoped Hiccup would hold up his end of their deal and let him know the next time he had those phantom pains._ He really shouldn't be going through that all alone. He's been alone enough in his life._

* * *

Fishlegs entertained him and Rapunzel with random knowledge about the Battle of Hogwarts on their way to classes. Fatigue and pain no longer weighed him down. Toothless had instantly sensed what was wrong with him yesterday, when Hiccup came to visit him. His scaly best friend was observant and sometimes it fascinated him just how much Toothless knew and understood about him. Only a limited number of students were passing them by in the hallways, as the majority was still at breakfast. The three of them liked the peace and quiet. The rush and noise of the packed corridors when every student were on their way to class was a stressful affair and best avoided. As he listened to Fishlegs blurt out facts about which kinds of magical creatures participated in the Battle of Hogwarts, he suddenly felt a hand close around his wrist. He spun around, surprised at the contact and came face to face with a pair of familiar eyes.

"Oh. Hi Astrid." he said, giving her a warm smile and a little wave. Astrid let go of his wrist. They hadn't been able to talk much in the last week, so it was nice to see her.

Astrid smiled at him, pushing her fringe away from her eyes. Hiccup glanced over his shoulder at Fishlegs and Rapunzel who were watching him and Astrid.

"Hey Hiccup. Can we talk?" Astrid asked, hesistance shining in her eyes. _Why is Astrid hesitant? She's never hesitant. Does she need his help with something? Or have I done something to annoy her?_ Astrid's smile contradicted that last idea.

"Uhmm, yeah. Sure." he said and turned to Fishlegs and Rapunzel. "Just go ahead guys…I'll be there in a minute, Fish…See you later, Rapunzel." His friends nodded, before saying goodbye to Astrid and him.

Astrid's hands rested by her sides. She didn't look at him anymore and an awkward silence descended upon them. _This is weird._ When he and Astrid talked, it was usually uncomplicated and easy, unless he had pissed her off. But that was a rare occurrence. _What is going on with her? Why does she look so tense and uncertain? Is she about to tell me something horrible? _His stomach tightened and his heartbeat clicked faster and faster behind his ribs.

"Look Hiccup…" Astrid began with a determined look on her face. But her voice betrayed her. It sounded unsure and awkward. Like it wasn't her voice at all. She looked him in the eye. "I'm not sure how to say this, but I just need you to know."

"Okay…" Hiccup replied. He was dying for answers but at the same time he wished this conversation could be avoided. He tugged on one of the braids in his hair.

"I sort of…I know I haven't always been great to you, Hiccup. Before you made us see that we were wrong about the dragons, I didn't stop people when they bothered you. I didn't defend you when others said bad things about you…but I should have…" she explained with an almost defeated look marring her features. She broke eye contact and looked at the stone floor.

Hiccup took a deep breath and the tension seeped out of his body. _Ah. Delayed guilt. That makes sense._ It had happened to most people on Berk, and Hiccup had lost count of how many Vikings had apologized to him in the last couple of years, regretting how they had treated him. There was no need for Astrid to apologize though. She had more than made up for it by being a great friend.

When he chose to remain silent for now, Astrid met his eyes again and continued. "I should have seen what a great person you are, but I was blind to it. You've always been clever and kind and funny, but I never noticed it before. We always thought you were a coward, but you turned out to be braver than any of us. You turned out to be able to do more than any of us could have ever imagined…and no one could have done it but you. What you and Toothless have and what you've achieved…It's amazing…and…you're amazing" she said, fondness filling her eyes.

As quickly as the tension in him had left, it returned. Hiccup's mind was going into overdrive now. _It's nice of her to apologize but...why is she telling me I'm amazing?_ They were close friends but Astrid wasn't one for such affectionate words. It left him scrambling for an explanation. "Thanks Astrid." he chose to say and gave her a smile to show he was touched by her words.

"I…" Astrid began but stopped herself. She broke eye contact and took a few calming breaths.

_There is more?_ He could tell Astrid was mentally preparing herself for something difficult, and he did _not_ like emotional surprises. He didn't do too well at handling them, always struggling for the right words to say and trying to decode his first instinctive reactions and what they meant. _Oh, this is going to be horrible._ The anxiousness spread in his gut. Astrid must have something really upsetting to tell him, since she actually needed a moment before she spoke. She never needed that.

Astrid lifted her head again._ Okay, this is it. _Whatever it was that Astrid had so much trouble saying was going to be revealed now. He was hoping it wouldn't tear his world apart.

"I like you Hiccup…as more than a friend and…I want to be with you…I should have noticed you before, should have done something, but I didn't, and I regret it. You're such a great guy, and I can't help but like you. I kept it to myself, because I wanted to be a good friend to you, but now…" Astrid sighed. "It might be selfish, but now that all these girls are suddenly throwing themselves at you, I just…I don't want you to find someone before I even had a chance to tell you how I feel." she said quickly, almost stumbling over the words. Her eyes filled with nervous anticipation, but Hiccup couldn't breathe right now, let alone give her any kind of answer.

Okay…

He had not been expecting that. He could tell she was about to say something important, something that could change things between them and potentially upset him, but he did _not_ see that one coming. _Astrid likes me? She wants to be with me? How long has she felt that way?_ This new information was surreal. He couldn't possibly decipher how he felt. He couldn't even form a proper sentence.

"Look…" Astrid's voice cut through his thoughts. "I know you, Hiccup. You have trouble dealing with these kinds of things…so I'll leave you to think about it for a few days, and then I'll find you again and we'll talk…I'll give you some space, okay?" she said, now sounding oddly calm. He met her eyes and nodded mutely, his mind still in pieces from this unexpected turn of events.

She smiled softly at him, and began to walk away. She changed her mind a few seconds after and spun around. Astrid continued to approach closer than they had been before. His mind went quiet. His heart galloped in his chest. She leaned in. Her breath warmed his face. Her lips slid onto his, pressing softly on his mouth. Before he could understand what was happening, Astrid disappeared down the corridor without looking at him. The kiss left a tingling sensation on his lips. He touched his mouth with his fingertips.

"What just happened?" he said to himself. He stared down the corridor where Astrid had left, unable to move at the moment. What was he supposed to do now? He desperately needed some time to think about what had just happened, but he had a class to get to. Oh, Odin's beard, how was he going to concentrate now that Astrid had dropped all of this on him?

The nauseau crawled into his stomach, as he headed underneath the castle to the dungeons. He was going to have to tell Fishlegs and Rapunzel about this. But he needed to separate himself from this situation for a while first. Besides, he only had his next class with Fishlegs.

When he entered the large, oval classroom, Fishlegs was already there. He slumped down in a chair next to him and Fishlegs jumped at the sudden movement.

"Don't worry, I'm not an axe murderer or anything." he joked half-heartedly, his mind still partly numb and confused from the encounter with Astrid.

"I know that!" Fishlegs huffed. Then his eyes narrowed.

_Oh great. He already knows something unusual has happened, just by me saying a single sentence. He knows me too well._

"Are you okay? Did something happen with Astrid?" Fishlegs asked. _Aaaand there it is._ What he wanted was to pretend this thing with Astrid had never happened. He wanted to be in denial and forget about it as long as this class lasted.

"I'm fine…errr, something did happen, but I want to wait to tell you about it until later." he said.

Fishlegs nodded and gave him a soft smile. "Okay, that's fine. We'll talk about it later." he said, pulling his textbook out of his bag.

"Thanks." Hiccup smiled. _Fishlegs is always so understanding. Some people would try to force it out of me. But he trusts me when I say it can wait._

Even though he had intended to push his encounter with Astrid out of his mind, his thoughts kept wandering in that direction as he and Fishlegs waited for Jack and the others to arrive. When they were younger, he had had a crush on Astrid for years, but he hadn't thought about her like that for a long time. Now, it seemed, it was time to re-examine his feelings on the matter.

* * *

The warming rays of the morning sun encased him in a comfortable bubble of relaxation. Breakfast had been uneventful but the pancakes and tea warmed his belly from the inside out. He listened to Mavis and Merida talk, while they made their way towards the dungeons. There weren't that many students in the corridors yet but there were several people he recognized. He smiled and greeted friends and acquaintances.

Mavis had insisted they went to class now, since they were done eating and there was no use just hanging around the house table that was filled with tired zombie-Gryffindors. Their house wasn't exactly known for being early risers, on the contrary. Flynn had forgotten to bring his textbook with him, so he needed to go back to their dormitory first to get it, and they had agreed to just meet up at class.

Mavis and Merida were occupied by their discussion on how to deal with Merida's mum and her lack of enthusiasm towards Merida's love of Quidditch, when Jack spotted a familiar person ahead. Two familiar people actually. A warm smile spread across his face and his drowsiness subsided when he recognized Hiccup's back. His smile melted away, when he noticed something was wrong. He could only see Hiccup from behind, but his body seemed awkward and tense. The look on Astrid's face as she spoke to him was soft and gentle. He glanced at Merida and Mavis who were still busy talking and hadn't seen the two familiar people in the distance.

He watched Astrid as she walked away briskly. He wondered what they could have been talking about that could have made Hiccup nervous. He was never nervous around Astrid. His thoughts were interrupted when Astrid only took a few steps forward before going back to Hiccup. She leaned in towards him.

Jack stopped breathing. Astrid closed her eyes and locked their lips together in a gentle kiss. A moment later, she was on her way down the corridor among other students.

His feet froze to the floor. He stared at Hiccup's back. Invisible rocks slammed down on his chest. The sharp pang of jealousy twisted his insides in a tight grip. He wanted to rip Astrid's face off. His eyes widened in horrifying realization.

_No…no…no no no. This isn't true. This can't be true. This can't be happening to me. No. No no no...no. This is wrong. This is all wrong. This will ruin everything! Hiccup is my friend! He is a guy!_

His breaths sharpened.

That inexplicable warm feeling he got when he was around Hiccup. When Hiccup gave him one of those crooked smiles…when he laughed openly…when his green eyes would soften…the way every touch placed on him would leave pleasant, tingling sensations on his own skin.

_No…this is wrong. This is wrong!_

Among the panicked and scattered thoughts whirling in his head, one thing was painfully clear and unavoidable. _I don't want Astrid to have Hiccup. I don't want her to kiss him. I don't want anyone to kiss him. _

He lost control over his body. Nauseau flooded his gut and he wanted to throw up. He tried to take deep breaths but he couldn't get enough air. His lungs ached inside his chest. _How the fuck could I be this blind? _

"Jack…?" he heard a soft, familiar voice say, reaching through to his clouded mind. His heartbeat pounded inside his skull.

"Jack?" the voice said again. He used all his willpower to look at whoever tried to help his. He stared into Mavis' eyes. She had an almost frantic expression on her face. He could see Merida's wild hair in his peripheral vision.

"Jack, what's going on? Are you sick?" Mavis asked. She reached out and squeezed his arm. _No._ He jerked away from her, caught off guard by the sudden contact.

"Jack, please, what's happening?" he heard Merida's worried voice say. He still couldn't get his breathing under control but he tried to force himself to calm down, at least enough to get some words out

"I…I…" he began, struggling with the words like he hadn't spoken in years. Mavis reached out again, but this time he was prepared for it. He didn't flinch, when she carefully touched his arm. "I need to go…" was all he could say. _I have to get out of here. I have to- I need to get away. I can't handle this._

Without another word, he ran down the corridor.

"Jack, where are you going!?" Mavis shouted after him. He continued forward without looking back. He didn't want to see their faces right now, didn't want to hear their concerned words and their unavoidable questions.

Merida and Mavis both called out his name. His thoughts whirled in all directions, trying to cope with what was happening.

_I need to panic on my own._

* * *

She and Merida had hurried to the dungeons to find Flynn and tell him to go check on Jack, in case he had gone back to the boys' dormitory. When Flynn heard what had happened, he ran to the Gryffindor tower. But when he returned, the news left her unnerved. Jack was nowhere to be found.

The three of them grew concerned. They had never seen Jack like that before. He was so carefree, relaxed and confident. He was always the one soothing others, reassuring them everything would be okay. The one who seemed to be able to handle anything. Now, something had crumbled him. Mavis had no idea what it could be. The change had happened instantly. One moment they were heading towards class and the next, Jack was in utter panic. _What is happening to you, Jack? I want to help you. If you could only talk to me. _

None of them could focus properly on their Potions class but they hadn't known what else they could do. They would be caught by staff and sent to detention if they were seen wandering around when they should be in class, and they didn't even have any idea where Jack could be. It was clear he wanted to be alone.

She desperately wanted to understand what was happening to him. She had agreed with Flynn and Merida that they would all go looking for him right after class and make sur he was all right. It didn't matter if they got detention for it. Now that they'd had a chance to stick their heads together and talk about this, they all agreed that they couldn't just let their friend be out there by himself.

As Professor Creek continued his lecture on the Felix Felicis and Polyjuice Potions, Mavis felt eyes boring into her. She turned her head and met Hiccup's questioning gaze from the workstation next to theirs. He must have noticed their hushed voices and tense body language coupled with the fact that Jack was nowhere to be seen. She pulled out some parchment from her bag and wrote a quick message to him._ He's Jack's friend too. They've grown so close lately...he deserves to know what's going on. _

She quickly scribbled a message on the paper: _"We're worried about Jack. He had some kind of panic attack on our way to class. He had trouble breathing and he wouldn't listen to me and Merida. He even flinched when I tried to touch him, and then he ran away from us. We've never seen him like that before. Flynn looked for him in the Gryffindor tower, but he wasn't there. We're going to look for him after class."_

She folded up the paper and eyed professor Creek carefully, waiting for an opportune moment to send the message to Hiccup. She glanced at him and saw him watching the professor as well. He had probably already figured out what she was doing. After a few minutes that seemed like much longer, professor Creek finally turned his back to the class and began writing on the blackboard. Mavis enchanted the folded note and made it fly over to Hiccup. It landed softly in his hands, and he wasted no time in unfolding it and scanning the words on the page. His eyes widened in concern and he took a few moments just staring at the note in his hands. He pulled out his quill and wrote something. She saw him eying the professor but he was still busy drawing on the board, so he could easily make the note fly back to her. It landed in front of her and it didn't take long to absorb the message written on the crinkly piece of paper:

_"I'm coming with you."_

As soon as class ended, Hiccup and Fishlegs joined her, Merida and Flynn by their workstation. When the other students had left the room, they began discussing what to do. Fishlegs insisted on helping as well and he told them that he would find Rapunzel afterwards, since she would definitely want to help too. They agreed to split up, covering several areas of the castle and the massive grounds surrounding it. But they had to find a way to keep in touch in case someone found Jack. Hiccup pulled out six pieces of paper and enchanted each of them with a spell Mavis hadn't heard before. He told them that if they found Jack, simply write it on the paper and then it would appear on the other pieces as well. Mavis chose to search for Jack by the lake and the Quidditch pitch. When the gleaming water came into view, her chest ached. _What if we're not going to find Jack? Or what if he's in a horrible state when we do find him? _

With every movement she spotted, her heart stuttered. But it was always a bird or a tree moving in the wind. Her imagination ran wild as she continued searching. _What could have thrown him into panic like that?_ She had never seen him scared before. _What could be so bad that he can't even talk to us about it?_ All sorts of possible and impossible scenarios ran through her mind. She spotted something blue and froze in her tracks.

_There! _She would recognize that blue hoodie anywhere. _It's Jack!_ Her heart leapt with relief that she had found him but her gut stayed tense, reminding her that something was still wrong. Jack had been by the dormitories to get his beloved hoodie and that only deepened Mavis' concern. _Jack loves that hoodie and he feels safe in it. He must need comfort right now. _

She slowly approached him, not wanting to scare him off. He sat on a massive flat rock with his knees pulled in and his arms wrapped around them. Hunched forward, his hood had been pulled up, white hair falling down in front of his eyes. _He only wears his hood up when he's in a bad mood._ As she came nearer, she knew he had seen her. He didn't react though. _Is that good or bad? _She sat down next to him on the huge rock, keeping them a few feet apart, in case he still didn't want any physical contact. "Jack…" she said. He didn't react. "Jack…please…just tell me what's wrong, and I'll do whatever I can to help." she pleaded with him._ I just want to see you smile again._

"I can't…" he said quietly, looking at the ground. He sounded so fragile in that moment it almost broke her heart. Jack was usually so strong. He could handle anything. What was happening to him now?

"You can tell me anything…" she said. "And it can stay between the two of us if that's what you want". She didn't know what to expect, but it had to be _huge_ in order to cause that sort of reaction from Jack. She didn't know if he wanted all his friends to know just yet.

"Something's changed…" he said vaguely, lifting his head to stare at the lake in front of them. It sounded like he didn't want to be alone with his troubles, but didn't truly want to express them either. She struggled to understand the meaning behind the words._ What has changed changed? What could possibly have changed in those few moments in the corridor?_

"What has changed, Jack?" she asked, observing him intently for any change in his expression. "I promise, no matter what it is...I'll help you deal with it."

Jack's eyes meet hers and she found a deep sadness in them. Her chest constricted in worry. He broke their eye contact again and looked at the lake.

"Whatever it is, I'll help…and you know I would never judge you," she said. She would _never_ turn her back on him. "I love you."

Jack stayed silent, his dull eyes still staring ahead. Despite her worry, she waited patiently. She knew he was deciding whether to tell her or not.

"I've been so blind, Mav," Jack told her, the melancholy seeping into his voice.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I have…feelings for Hiccup," he said so quietly she had almost missed it. It was probably the last thing she had expected him to say.

The revelation turned her worry into confusion._ Jack has feelings for Hiccup? _She would have been less surprised, if he had said he had feelings for Astrid, and everyone knew what an absurd scenario _that_ was. She had noticed how close Jack and Hiccup had grown in a very short time. She had noticed their unique banter. That Jack often touched Hiccup. But she hadn't considered it anything more than friendship. _It makes sense. Maybe something more has always been there? _"Jack…" she said soothingly. "It's okay. That's okay."

"It's _not_ okay, Mavis" Jack objected and clenched his fists.

"Of course it is. You can't control who you have feelings for. It just sort of happens," she said calmly. She decided to try and touch him to give him some physical comfort. She gently rubbed circles on his back, breathing a sigh of relief when he didn't flinch this time.

"It's...I…" Jack clearly struggled to find the right words and she patiently waited for him to find out how to phrase it. "I don't know what to do, Mav," he said. She understood. Of course he would be confused and melancholy. He was suddenly finding himself drawn to a guy. Who was also his close friend and who probably wasn't even into guys. _He's probably even questioning his own identity now._

"I know," she told him. "But...even though it's confusing and terrifying, it's natural, Jack. There's nothing wrong with it."

"I know…" he said. Mavis knew there was something he wasn't telling her. After a few moments of silence, she suddenly realized it. _Merlin's beard, how can I be so stupid?_ Jack had panicked in a matter of seconds, so something specific had to have happened in the corridor to set it off. "What happened back in the corridor?" she asked carefully, not wanting to set off an emotional outburst from her already troubled friend.

He stared at the ground, remaining silent. She waited for him to gather enough courage to tell her. She would wait for as long as it took. She rubbed soothing circles on his back and trained her eyes on the lake. Such peaceful surroundings. The lake shimmered in the soft autumn sunlight. Small ripples broke the still surface, as the chilly breeze caressed it. The sound of the treetops rustling and birds chirping. Such a stark contrast to Jack's and her own emotional turmoil.

"I saw Astrid…kiss him," he struggled with the words, like they physically pained him.

"And…_that's_ when you realized how you felt about him?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jack almost whispered, still not looking at her. "I've been in fucking denial _all this time_…I've suppressed it." Bitternes had crawled into his voice but that was to be expected.

"Sometimes...our minds try to protect us like that" she started, wanting to let him know that it was human nature to do such things. "You've probably been rationalizing all of this…seeing little signs of it here and there but trying to explain it as something else…right?"

"Yeah…I have" he replied. He sighed and let his hands slide down his face.

"Have you seen any signs, before Hiccup, that you were attracted to guys?"

"Yes," he said, "I just... didn't realize it at the time. It's only now everything makes sense."

Mavis thought about Astrid and Hiccup. She was pretty sure Hiccup didn't like guys like that, but _any_ chance of anything with him was possibly taken away now that Astrid had kissed him. At that last thought, she needed to ask Jack one more question. "Are you worried that he'll be with Astrid now?"

Jack visibly tensed at the question. She stopped rubbing his back, not sure if the contact was wanted.

"Yes…no…I don't know," he said, glaring at the ground like it had hurt him. Mavis sensed the frustration and confusion radiate off him and her sadness grew. She didn't know if this could be fixed. If Hiccup didn't feel the same way, Jack was bound to be miserable. She could tell Jack was fighting to form some kind of coherent thought in his mind that he could communicate to her, so she waited for him to speak.

"I'm…confused…I don't know how I'll even look him in the eye now," Jack said.

"Hiccup is your friend. He cares about you. You should have seen how worried he was, when he heard about what happened."

Jack snapped his head to the side. "He knows?" he asked, his eyes conveying that he didn't like that idea. _He's probably worried Hiccup will put the puzzle pieces together._ She had her doubts about that though. Hiccup was incredibly clever but he definitely hadn't figured this out or she would have seen signs of it in Potions.

"Of course he does. He was worried about why you weren't in class, and he could tell that something was obviously wrong with me and Flynn and Merida."

"Where is he now?" Jack fidgeted a little with the hem of one of his blue sleeves.

"Everyone's out looking for you."

"I just…I don't want to see him right now," Jack replied. He almost sounded like he was cornered with no escape route.

"That's okay…Look, I'll take you back to the tower, and we'll talk more, just the two of us. I'll let the others know that I've found you but that you don't want to see anyone right now. Would that be okay?" she asked, trying to find a solution that he would accept.

He nodded slowly and the relief spilled into her gut. She pulled out the paper Hiccup had given her, a textbook and her quill from her satchel.

"What's that?"

"It's just a way to let the others know that I've found you" she replied, straightening out the paper on top of the book, so she could write properly.

"That was Hiccup's idea right?" Jack asked with a strained smile.

"Yeah, it was."

Jack let out a brief chuckle but there was no humor in it. _I've never heard him laugh like that before. It's not right._

"Of course it was," he said quietly.

She trained her eyes on the enchanted paper and wrote a quick message to the others: _"I've found Jack. He and I are going to go back to the Gryffindor tower and talk for a while. He doesn't want to see anyone else right now, so please respect that, even though I know it's hard. I know you're all worried, but I promise I'll find some way to get out of classes for the rest of the day and take care of him. I will not rest until he is better – Mavis"._

They sat in silence for a while, before the paper drew her attention. Several small messages had appeared on it. None of the others were happy about not being able to see Jack, but they were all relieved that he had been found and they would respect his privacy for now. She let out a sigh of relief. She read Hiccup's message twice at the bottom of the page:

_"Thank the gods, I was going out of my mind here. Can't really say that I'm happy I can't see him, but I'll keep my distance for now…Just take care of him, and tell him I'm worried and that I'll do anything I can to help him, when he's ready to talk about it – Hiccup"._

Would Jack be happy or sad to see a concerned message from the friend he had feelings for? She debated with herself about whether to tell him or not.

"What are they saying?" Jack asked without much emotion and took the decision out of her hands. She handed him the paper and his dull eyes, usually so full of life and mirth, read the messages. His expression didn't change until he reached that last message. Jack smiled, but it was a sad smile that she didn't like at all. "How could he possibly help, when he's the problem?"

"He's just worried, Jack. He obviously cares a lot about you, anyone can see that."

"I know…but everything's just different now," Jack sighed.

"Yeah, it is…but let's just focus on getting back to the tower for now, and we'll talk more when we get there," she said.

They walked back towards the castle in silence. Mavis would let Jack take the lead right now, as to whether he wanted to talk or just be lost in thought for a while. As they entered the castle, the hallways were full of busy students on their way to their next class. She could see Jack tense up, and she tried to shield him from the other students by placing her arm around his shoulder, guarding him from any unwanted contact or questioning looks. She prayed they wouldn't run into anyone they knew, and thankfully that prayer was answered as they quickly made it to the Gryffindor tower, without having to put on a façade for anyone. She carefully led Jack inside the common room, guiding him to his dormitory.

Jack scooted to the back of his bed, pulling his knees up.

"Jack, I need to go to headmaster Lunar and get us excused from classes for the rest of the day, okay?" she asked. He met her gaze with uncertain eyes but nodded.

"Stay here. I'll be back as quickly as I can and we'll talk."

When Jack didn't reply she walked back down the stairs, through the common room and out through the portrait, her legs moving as fast as they possible could without actually running. She wanted to get this over with quickly and get back to Jack. She continued on her way to the headmaster's office, feeling an increased sense of worry and anxiety about getting them excused. What if the headmaster would refuse? Jack definitely couldn't be in class right now.

As it turned out all of her fretting was unnecessary. The headmaster had without further ado excused her and Jack for the rest of the day. She had always liked professor Lunar. He seemed kind and understanding, although he could be stern when situations required it. He also had an incredible ability to tell whether people were lying or telling the truth. He had smiled softly at her and told her not to worry about classes. He would inform their professors that they were excused for the remainder of the day.

She hurried back towards the Gryffindor tower. As the familiar portrait came into view at the end of the large, stone staircase, she felt relieved. She muttered the password quickly and the portrait swung open. She wasted no time in walking through it and up the stairs to the boys' dormitory as quickly as she could. She saw Jack sitting on his bed in the exact same position she had left him in.

"Jack…I managed to get us excused for the rest of the day, so don't worry about classes," she told him while she sat down on his bed. He gave her a small smile, but at least it wasn't bitter this time. "What can I do to help? Anything at all," she asked.

"I don't know…" Jack started. The fragility had faded from his eyes and voice. He seemed resigned, as if he had reached some acceptance of his feelings. "It's…I just don't know how I'm going to be around Hiccup now. I'm afraid I won't be able to act like I used to, and that I'll lose him as a friend."

Mavis thought about his words. Jack's fears were justified, but she had her doubts Hiccup would ever turn his back on him. The two of them had become so close in such as short amount of time. The way they joked around with each other, the familiar touches, the genuine caring for each other's wellbeing, the protective instinct. They acted like they'd been friends for years even though it had only been a few months. "I don't think that'll happen…Granted, I don't know Hiccup as well as you do, but he's a very understanding person. Someone who accepts other people and doesn't judge them."

"He is," Jack confirmed and warmth crept into his voice.

"He will understand," she continued. "Even if you told him about your feelings, I'm sure he would understand."

"No…I'll _never_ tell him about that," Jack objected.

"Jack, come on…you can't keep this bottled up forever. Sooner or later, you're going to have to tell him about it," she told him firmly. It was _not_ a realistic scenario to keep this hidden permanently.

"No…I'm _not_ going to tell him" Jack said and crossed his arms defensively.

"So you're just going to be his friend? Be around him every day for the next two years without ever letting him know how you feel about him?" she asked him.

Jack winced at her words and usually that would be bad, but right now he needed to wake up and face the truth. He could keep Hiccup in the dark for a while but it wouldn't last.

"That was my plan…" Jack said and broke eye contact with her. "I'm hoping it will go away in time".

Mavis shook her head to herself. _He is in denial._ People could have crushes and they could go away, but Jack and Hiccup were so close now. _I doubt his feelings will die down...they will probably only grow stronger in time._ "Is there anything I can do?" she said.

"Just…help me…be around him. It'll probably be really difficult at first".

It was a hesitant request, but she accepted it without any need for consideration. "Of course. I'll do anything I can," she told him with a small smile tugging at her lips. Then a thought occurred to her. "Do you want me to find out what happened between Astrid and Hiccup? I can go ask her about it. I'll just say that I saw them in the corridor and was wondering what was going on?"

He nodded and a flicker of a smile appeared on his lips.

"Okay…I don't want you to be alone right now, so I'll ask her at dinner," she told him with a nod. She hoped Astrid would tell her about it but it might be too personal.

Jack crawled underneath his blanket and rested his head on the pillow. She moved slightly to give him some more space to stretch his legs out He looked exhausted, like someone who hadn't slept properly for days. "Maybe you should get some sleep? I'll stay with you," she said.

"Yeah…" Jack looked at her and pointed towards the nightstand.

She jumped off the bed and went to fish out the familiar, purple potion from the drawer. Jack sometimes used Dreamless Sleep, if he had been plagued by nightmares about his parents. Now however, she understood that he didn't want any dreams but just to rest his exhausted body and mind. He grimaced at the foul taste of the potion, and Mavis smiled warmly. She had had Dreamless Sleep a couple of times too, and it did truly taste horribly. Sort of like a mix between old dishwater and wet dog.

Jack's eyelids began to droop. Mavis smiled at him, as he drifted off into a peaceful sleep. She watched him for a few moments, making sure that he was truly asleep, before quickly heading to her own dormitory to get a book. When she returned, she found Jack just as she had left him. When she trained her eyes on the exciting and interesting story in the pages, her mind couldn't fully concentrate. Her thoughts kept wandering to Jack and Hiccup. She had no idea if Hiccup would ever feel the same way about Jack, but she found herself thinking they would be good together.

* * *

He pushed his food around on his plate with his fork, not having much of an appetite. He could feel Fishlegs and Rapunzel watching him, but they all remained silent at the moment, which he was grateful for. He didn't feel like talking right now. How had the day suddenly gone from being completely normal to chaos and anxiety and concern? All of the sudden Astrid had feelings for him and wanted an answer in a few days and Jack had had some kind of panic attack and struggled with a problem he didn't even have the _faintest_ idea what was about. He had asked Mavis about it as soon as he saw her enter the Great Hall along with Merida and Flynn, but she'd told him that she couldn't say anything about it, because Jack wasn't ready for anyone else to know. He had reluctantly accepted that. After all…Jack had been more than patient with him and his secrets, not pushing him to say more than he wanted to, so the least he could do was repay that favor. He would let Jack have his secrets…hopefully his friend would choose to tell him about it some day, so he could try to help him.

_It has to be massive for Jack to act this way. He's usually able to handle anything._ He had never seen Jack become truly emotional, except for that night when he told him about how his parents died. _Gods, I hope this isn't about his parents. Or his sister. That would be too horrible. _

"Hiccup?" Rapunzel asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. He looked at his friend, who watched him with those caring eyes of hers.

"Yeah?"

"Have you thought about what you're going to do with Astrid?" she asked him carefully, knowing he was very confused about the whole thing.

He had told Rapunzel and Fishlegs about the encounter with Astrid, after they had heard from Mavis that she had found Jack and after they had finished the rest of their classes. It had been difficult for him to concentrate in those classes, his mind constantly occupied by thoughts of Jack and Astrid.

"Yeah, but…I'm not really any closer to an answer," he told her and sighed. _How can I be? Astrid has dumped this on me all at once_. She had _kissed_ him. He couldn't deny that his heartbeat had quickened and his mind had gone blank, but…he wasn't sure if that was because of Astrid or just because he was being kissed by someone he cared about.

"Sorry…I know it's a lot to take in. And everything with Jack too…" Rapunzel replied softly.

"Yeah…I really hope he's okay now. I wish I could go see him," he said, not bothering to hide the sadness in his voice. But Mavis had made it clear Jack didn't want to see anyone and no matter how horrible it made him feel, he would respect that.

"Yeah, me too," Fishlegs said and Rapunzel nodded in agreement. He knew they were both concerned too.

"I wonder what happened to him to cause that kind of reaction?" Rapunzel said. She took a sip of the pumpkin juice in her cup.

"Yeah, it's not like him at all," Fishlegs said, his forehead wrinkling.

"I have no idea," Hiccup told them and sighed, letting them see his frustration and concern. "I've been thinking about what it could be ever since Mavis wrote that note to me in Potions, but…I can't think of anything that would make him act like that. At least not anything that makes sense."

"And you know him better than we do," Rapunzel said and fidgeted with her hands.

"Yeah, but…" Hiccup began and shook his head. "_Everyone_ has secrets."

* * *

He blinked to focus his vision, as the pleasant numbness of the sleeping world faded away. He pulled himself up into a sitting position and rubbed his eyes. The thoughts and worries came back to him, triggering nausea to rise within him. He sighed deeply.

"Hey," a soothing voice said. Mavis rested on Flynn's bed with a book in her hands.

"Hey, he said quietly.

"How are you feeling?" she asked and looked him over.

"Like shit," he told her honestly._ I never have to lie to her. _

"I brought you some food if you want some," Mavis said and pointed to a plate sitting on his nightstand.

"Thanks…but I don't think I can eat anything right now," he told her with a tiny, apologetic smile. If he ate something, he would probably be sick.

"Jack…"

He met her eyes. "Yeah?"

"I…talked to Astrid at dinner," she said hesitantly.

"Oh…" Jack managed to say. _Shit... It's bad news. They're a couple now... _His heartbeat quickened and the nausea threatened to overwhelm him._ I've lost him before I even realized I liked him._

"She said that…she has feelings for Hiccup…" Mavis started and bit her bottom lip.

_Get in line. _"Okay…" he replied uncertainly.

"And that she wants to be with him. She told me she confessed her feelings to Hiccup, but he was way too shocked to give her any kind of answer. So she's given him a few days to think it over, and then they'll talk again to find out what's going to happen," Mavis explained and tucked a lock of hair behind one of her ears.

"Oh…" he said, breaking eye contact with his friend. _Fuck...this is going to go on for days before I can get an answer? _He wanted to find Hiccup. To ask him about his feelings for Astrid. But he couldn't. He wasn't even supposed to know about it and he wasn't ready to see Hiccup.

"Sorry Jack…" Mavis said with a sad smile. "But maybe Hiccup won't want him and Astrid to get together."

"Yeah, except that he had a crush on her, when they were younger, so why wouldn't he?" Jack said and he couldn't hold back the bitterness in his voice. _It's not like I have a chance with him anyway._

"_Had,_" Mavis simply replied. _Touché._ That didn't quell his worries though. Hiccup and Astrid...somehow it just made sense. They were close friends, they had grown up together, they came from the same place, had the same culture. Everything. It made sense.

After talking for a little while longer, he told Mavis he would go back to sleep. His friend was concerned about that, since he had already slept for hours, but he insisted that he just needed a break from all of this stress. She had reluctantly agreed after a little arguing and she had retreated to the common room to spend some time with Merida, Flynn and the other Gryffindors. Jack had quickly drunk the vile, purple potion and once again drifted off into the sleeping world. A much more uncomplicated place.

* * *

Even though Jack wasn't a morning person, breakfast in the Great Hall had always been a good way to start the day. He would eat pancakes with syrup and drink a cup of tea while listening to his friends' conversations and laughter. Today however, he had skipped that and slept in. He had been excused from classes for an extra day by the headmaster, but Mavis didn't get off the hook so easily. When Mavis told him he had been excused for another day of classes, his stomach bubbled with a strange mix of relief and longing. He felt uneasy about the prospect of seeing Hiccup again, because he had no idea if he could act normally around him. On the other hand, a strong longing formed inside of him. He was used to seeing Hiccup several times a day, every day. But he had been separated from him for most of the day yesterday and he wouldn't see him until tonight. He knew that he couldn't put it off forever, so he would join his friends at dinner and hopefully, he would be able to be around the guy who constantly occupied his thoughts.

He tried his best to focus his mind on something else that afternoon. To get the chaotic thoughts of Hiccup out of his head and replace them with homework, casual reading and writing letters to Emma and North and Anna. Of course, none of it worked. The more Jack tried to keep his thoughts from returning to Hiccup, the more his mind insisted on keeping him there. When he finally gave up and sat by the window next to his bed, watching the grey skies and the drizzle of rain, he thought about how he had a serious problem._ I've been so stupid. It was right there, in the back of my mind all along._

When he thought about Hiccup, he couldn't deny his feelings any longer. His heart thumped with excitement and a soft warmth spread in his chest. All he wanted was to be near him. But he couldn't banish all the terrifying doubts this realization brought. _Does this mean I'm gay now? Or maybe bisexual? _He couldn't suppress that he was attracted to him. His body had betrayed him so many times with its fluttering sensations,. But it was difficult to admit it. Even to himself.

As he kept watching the grey skies outside his window, he sighed to himself. Hiccup was such a strange but fascinating combination of traits. He was awkward and sensitive yet strong, stubborn and tough, able to fight and use weapons, always ready to defend those he cared about against anything, even risk his own life for them. He was intelligent and quick-witted, able to soak up knowledge like a sponge and put pretty much anyone in their place with his sarcastic remarks. He was able to draw and paint beautiful pictures and build amazing weapons and inventions. And he had a troubled past, where he had been through a lot of pain, which had made him one of the strongest, most humble and understanding people Jack knew. _He's perfection. And I 'm so screwed. When you start to think of someone as perfect...you have a problem. _

Not to mention that…Hiccup was a like a fucking _puzzle. _Full of mysteries and surprises. Secrets. Jack was well aware he hadn't collected all the vital pieces yet. It was one of the things that had drawn him to Hiccup in the first place. The wish to figure him out. To discover what was behind those emotional walls.

Naturally, he feared going to the Great Hall that evening. He would have to face Hiccup, who was worried about him and had questions. He prayed to whatever deity might hear him that he could manage to act normal around Hiccup and not let his discomfort show.

When Jack and his friends entered the hall, his palms turned clammy and his heart pounded in his chest. He instinctively looked towards the Ravenclaw table and saw Hiccup, Fishlegs and Rapunzel already there. Despite his anixety, he smiled at the sight of Hiccup talking with his friends and taking sips from his cup. Rapunzel caught sight of them, and smiled brightly and waved at him. Fishlegs waved while Hiccup smiled warmly. _Shit. That smile..._ Hiccup quickly got up from his seat and came towards him and his friends by the entrance.

"Jack," Hiccup said with a bright smile when he was in front of him. Warmth bubbled inside Jack in response. _He looks so happy to see me._ He didn't have time to say anything before Hiccup pulled him into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around Jack's neck and squeezing him. Electricity surged through every nerve in Jack's body. His stomach unleashed a colony of butterflies flapping their wings inside him. His heart stuttered in his chest and he couldn't breathe._ Oh god…is this how it's going to be from now on? Every time Hiccup touches me? How the fuck am I going to handle this? _Despite his awkwardness, he welcomed Hiccup's comforting warmth. He smiled to himself, before Hiccup broke the contact and pulled away. As soon as Hiccup was away from him, he longed to have him closer again. Having him so close was addictive.

"Are you okay? We were all worried sick," Hiccup said, deep concern evident in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm better now. I just…I have some things going on right now, that I don't really want to talk about…for now at least. I just need to get back to normal," he explained, keeping his voice steady and reassuring. He didn't want to make Hiccup worry about him, even though he probably would anyway. He forced himself to keep his eyes trained on Hiccup to not seem avoidant.

"Okay. I won't ask then…You can tell me whenever you're ready," Hiccup said and his lips twitched in a genuine smile. "I'll be here for you, when you are."

"Thanks Hiccup," Jack said and hoped his appreciation showed. He knew Hiccup cared about him and he could rely on him, if he ever needed anything._ I do need something. I need you, Hiccup...but I'll never tell you that._

"Any time…I'll see you guys, okay?" Hiccup replied with a smile, focusing his attention on Flynn, Merida and Mavis as well.

"Sure, see you," Jack said fondly. Hiccup flashed them all a bright smile, showing his white teeth with the small gap between the two front teeth. _Those smiles are going to be the death of me. _

"Are you okay Jack?" Mavis whispered to him, as soon as Hiccup was out of earshot. Merida and Flynn still had no idea what was going on with him, and she obviously didn't want to reveal it to them either.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just get something to eat," he replied. In truth, he felt exposed without anything guarding him from Hiccup's analyzing eyes. He knew it was ridiculous, but he somehow felt that Hiccup could tell exactly what was wrong with him.

Merida stuffed her face, this time with a mix of potatoes and chicken, and Jack found himself thinking that she practically seemed starved every time she saw food of any kind. He smiled to himself but it quickly disappeared when he spotted Astrid sitting further down the table, talking with her friends. Annoyance brewed in his gut, as he thought about how she had kissed Hiccup and how that image would be burned into his memory forever.

He turned his attention back to his friends. Merida and Flynn had agreed to not ask questions about what was wrong with him. For now. Jack could clearly sense that they were worried though. They shot him concerned glances that they thought he didn't notice, and they were overly careful around him, making sure not to say anything that might upset him.

"So, how's it going with your art project?" Flynn asked Mavis, who had placed a pile of steamed vegetables on her plate.

"I think it's going pretty well…I'm not entirely sure about the color scheme, but I think I've got the details down" she said.

As Mavis told them about her new project, Jack glanced at the Ravenclaw table and located that mess of brown hair that belonged to Hiccup. He talked to Fishlegs and Rapunzel about something. Jack had a soft tickling sensation in his stomach, when Hiccup's face lit up and he laughed at something Rapunzel had said. It was like soft, feathery sparrows soaring around inside him. _God...he has no idea...no idea at all how amazing he is. He's just sitting there, completely unaware..._

"What's the painting of?" Merida asked Mavis, while chewing noisily on a chicken wing. He reluctantly turned his attention away from Hiccup and back to his friends, because even though he wanted to just stare at the guy forever, it would look weird if anyone saw it.

"Actually…it's the four of us," Mavis replied with a happy smile.

"Really?" Flynn said sounding excited about that. Merida flashed them a wide grin. It was a nice thought that Mavis wanted to paint them. She had done so before, and each time the result was amazing.

"Yeah. I'm using that picture we took last year, when we went to Hogsmeade, to paint after," she explained. Jack remembered it vividly. They had had so much fun that day with snowball fights, hot chocolate and Christmas shopping. They had ended up taking a picture together in front of the Shrieking Shack. He smiled fondly at the memory.

"Oh that was the best day!" Merida said and Flynn hummed in agreement.

"It really was," Mavis nodded. "Anyway, it's going pretty well I think. Hopefully I'll have it done by Christmas."

"Great! Speaking of Christmas, we're going Christmas shopping together again this year, right?" Flynn asked.

"Duh, of course we are," Merida replied with a happy grin.

"Yeah, I'm up for it. Jack?" Mavis said.

"Yeah of course," Jack said and gave them a small smile. It had become a tradition of theirs, just like it was a tradition that they would buy presents for each other every year as well.

"Great!" Flynn beamed, satisfied that they had all agreed.

"What do you guys think I should buy for my brothers?" Merida asked. They all knew her three little brothers were quite a handful, and that always made it difficult to buy presents for them, because she had to maintain the balance of giving them something they would enjoy, but wouldn't drive her parents completely bonkers. They began brainstorming ideas.

Jack relished the company of his three best friends, even if he wasn't as social as he usually was. Just being around them was soothing. Listening to their banter, hearing their laughter, reminiscing when someone brought up the past. It was all comforting and safe, unlike the complicated feelings and thoughts he was harboring inside, lurking in his mind constantly. He yearned for some kind of relief from it, just for a brief moment, but that wasn't possible. All through the meal he had had to restrain himself to avoid constantly glancing towards the Ravenclaw table to look at Hiccup. How pathetic was _that_?

When the four of them finished their meals, they left their House table to head towards the common room. Jack shot a quick look at the Ravenclaw table, but frowned when he realized that Hiccup, Fishlegs and Rapunzel were already gone.

* * *

He needed time to breathe. To organize his thoughts. To try and find some way of dealing with all of this. This day had been stressful. He hadn't been able to focus on his classes at all, his mind kept drifting towards Jack and Astrid and what he was going to do about all of this. Astrid's presence in several of the classes they shared only managed to increase the stress swirling inside him, because despite keeping her distance, she reminded him of the decision he had to make. Jack's absence in class also only worsened his emotional turmoil. He had been anxious to see him, so when Jack showed up at dinner, he had been beyond relieved. Despite looking a bit uncertain and less carefree than he usually did, Jack appeared to be okay. However, it was clear that something was bothering him and that he still didn't want to share what it was.

After dinner he told Rapunzel and Fishlegs that he needed to go think. As usual, they looked at him with those concerned eyes. They didn't like it when he isolated himself, but they also knew that it was how he dealt with things. He had gone straight to Toothless. He needed to be around his best friend right now. It was still early evening though, so he hadn't picked up his armor, because they wouldn't be flying until later when everyone was sleeping.

As he sat on the ground inside the cave where Toothless stayed, the small fire he had made bathed the surroundings in a warm light, casting shadows along the cave walls. Toothless sat next to him and nudged him on the arm affectionately to show that he knew something was wrong. He had done the same thing yesterday, but Hiccup hadn't wanted to talk about it then, so they'd just gone flying straight away.

"You know me too well, bud," he told Toothless and scratched the top of the black dragon's head.

Toothless let out a low warbling sound that was meant to comfort him and the Night Fury watched him intently with those big, caring eyes.

Hiccup sighed. "Things are just…messed up right now, Toothless…"

Toothless lowered his head and pressed his snout against Hiccup's shoulder a few times, encouraging him to speak. Hiccup smiled softly at him.

"Astrid told me yesterday that she has feelings for me and that she wants us to be together but…I'm not sure if that's what I want," he explained. Most people would probably look at him like he was a mental patient, talking to a dragon like this, but dragons were incredibly intelligent. Toothless always seemed to understand his words, and Hiccup spent time every day before or after their flights telling his best friend about what was going on in his life, now that they couldn't be by each other's side all the time like they were back home.

Toothless tilted his black head and let out a deep sigh to convey that he understood the hopelessness of the situation.

"I know, right? This is just…too much. I really don't know what to do," he said and ran a hand through his hair. "And…something's going on with Jack too. He has some kind of big problem that he doesn't want to tell me about…and…I accept that, but it just worries me. I want to help him…but I can't," he said and the familiar knot of worry grew in his stomach.

Toothless kept watching him with those deep green eyes filled with sympathy. The warm glow of the fire bathed the dragon's face. Hiccup reached out and stroked the side of Toothless' head.

"It's just hard, bud…I want to be there for him, but he won't let me," he said quietly.

Toothless flattened his ears and whined to show his sympathy.

"Thanks bud…" Hiccup said and smiled at his best friend. He shook his head slowly. "I guess I'm getting a taste of my own medicine here, huh? I've been keeping secrets from Jack for a long time…and there are still plenty of things he doesn't know…and now he's doing the same thing with me. It just…it really bothers me to know that something's troubling him and that I can't do anything to protect him from it."

Toothless lowered his body and laid down on the ground, placing his large black head on one of Hiccup's legs. He knew that it was one of Toothless' ways of trying to comfort him. He scratched the top of the Toothless' head in gentle movements and the Night Fury let out low, content sounds. The closeness and support of his best friend was soothing for Hiccup's mind. But he still couldn't keep the confused thoughts from swirling in his head, as he stared into the dancing flames of the fire.

What could he do for Jack? It was difficult to help him in any way, when he didn't know what was wrong with him. So in a way…all he could really do was be a good friend to him. Let him know that he was there for him, if he wanted to talk or if he needed something else.

And Astrid…she meant a lot to him and he didn't want to mess up their friendship. On the other hand, it seemed that no matter what he chose to do, it had the potential to ruin everything between them. If he chose to be with her, it might not last and they could end up hating each other's guts. If he turned her down, things could become so tense and awkward between them that their friendship would slowly cease to exist. It seemed like no matter what he did, it would end badly.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. He was trapped in all of this. He let his palms slide down his face in frustration. _Oh gods...no one should ever confess that they have feelings for me. I should just be alone for the rest of my life. That I know how to do. I don't know how to handle any of this._

* * *

**Author's note:**

So... Jack was the one who realized his feelings first :)

There are several reasons that I chose to do it like that. First of all, I wanted to create a dramatic trigger that would brutally pull one of them out of their denial, and I decided that it would be fun to use Astrid for that, so she could (unknowingly) create some obstacles for our dear boys :) Second of all, a lot of HiJack fics (not all of course, but a lot of those I read at least) seem to either have them realizing their feelings somewhat simultanously or have Hiccup pining for Jack, before Jack begins to feel the same way, so I thought I'd do it the other way around :) Also...I thought it would be interesting to turn the tables, so even though Hiccup has been the one so far to be closest to realizing what's going on, he's now been completely sidetracked by Astrid, so he's now too busy trying to figure out how he feels about her to realize how he feels about Jack.

The title of the chapter is a line from the song "A Comet Appears".


	10. Hurt & Comfort

**Author's note:**

Hi guys :) I wasn't planning on updating this soon at all, but I've had insomnia for the past week or so, and I'm one of those people who... If I can't sleep, instead of just tossing and turning in my bed, I get up and occupy myself with something... like writing :) So I got this chapter done a lot faster than I had planned.

* * *

Jack and his friends entered the Great Hall for breakfast, and his heart beat faster in his chest. That familiar nervousness churned inside him. It had only been a few days, but he was already beginning to get used to feeling like this. It was exhausting to say the least. As they walked towards the their house table, Jack located Hiccup, Rapunzel and Fishlegs eating and talking by the Ravenclaw table. They quickly spotted him as well. He shot a smile at them and waved, but other than that he did his best to not look in their direction. If he was going to succeed in pretending everything was fine, he needed to pull himself together. His friendship with Hiccup depended on it, and he could not mess that up. He wanted Hiccup to be in his life. Well…if he was completely honest with himself, it was more than that. He _needed_ him to be in his life.

As he tried his best to eat a little of the pancakes on his plate, that familiar annoying nausea rose in his gut, making him lose his appetite. He sighed and forced himself to take a few bites. He couldn't starve himself, even if he didn't feel like eating.

He rubbed his temples to try to relieve the headache he had had since he woke up. Parts of the conversations from the Gryffindors around him reached his ears, but he quickly tuned them out and became lost in his own thoughts. It was…weird and unnerving how he and Hiccup had become such a big part of each other's lives in just a few months. He had gone _five years_ without knowing the guy at all, and all of the sudden he couldn't imagine not locating that mess of brown hair every day at every meal, not hearing that slightly nasal voice shoot sarcastic remarks at him, not seeing those green eyes filled with amusement or brimming with sharp intelligence, and not watching him blush adorably at appreciative attention.

He put down his fork, not wanting to eat more. He focused on getting something to drink and enjoyed the orange juice as it coated his taste buds with its tangy, refreshing taste. It was nice to get some sugar in his body, and before long it seemed to have dulled the headache, and given him more energy. As he began listening to the conversation taking place between his friends about some girl in Mavis' Frog Choir practice, who was pretty much ruining everything for everyone with her dramatic outbursts, he resisted turning his head to watch Hiccup.

It had only been two days since he realized his feelings for him, and he was continuing to struggle with it. His mind was occupied constantly with thoughts of him, and he had trouble focusing on anything else. Today was going to be his first day back in classes, since he had his panic attack. A part of him was looking forward to being around his friends and trying to get back to normal, but another part was _dreading_ being around Hiccup. But the universe didn't like him much today it seemed, as he had three classes with Hiccup and only one without him. Not that he wanted to avoid Hiccup as such. He missed him whenever he was away from him, but it was complicated dealing with his new found feelings.

As he took another sip of his orange juice, he glanced further down the Gryffindor table and spotted McGowan and Levin, apparently in deep conversation about something. _God, they are wankers_. He had always disliked them because of their bully tendencies, but now that he knew they really couldn't stand Hiccup, it just made him loathe them even more. He couldn't understand, how they ended up in Gryffindor. It made him question the sorting hat's mental stability.

After breakfast, he, Merida and Flynn made their way towards their first class of the day. Hiccup was already gone when they left, but that wasn't unusual. As they entered the large, old Defense against the Dark Arts classroom, Jack spotted him, and his heartbeat quickened. He smiled softly to himself, as they approached Hiccup, eager to be near him despite his anxiousness. He slumped down in the seat next to him.

Even though he had just seen Hiccup at breakfast, being able to talk to him was a different matter entirely. Despite feeling happy to be near him, he also felt vulnerable, more nervous nausea creeping into his gut. He was determined to _try_ and act normally though.

"Morning guys" Hiccup said and smiled. The three of them all returned his greeting, before Merida and Flynn continued the discussion on Flynn's newest fling that they had started in the hallway.

Hiccup trained his eyes on the parchment lying on the table, and began scribbling down more runes on it, his eyes darting back and forth from the heavy textbook to his notes. Jack observed him, as he kept writing the runes all along the parchment. He was relieved that Hiccup hadn't tried to strike up conversation, but maybe that was just because he really wanted to get those notes done…or maybe he was deliberately keeping some distance. Nonetheless, it was comforting being around him without actually having to talk.

Jack took out his textbook, some parchment and his quill from his backpack and twirled the quill in his hand. This was all so unfamiliar to him. He wasn't used to feeling self-conscious or nervous about being around someone. Even the crushes he'd had in the past had never been like this. With those, he'd still been his old, carefree self. His friendship with Hiccup had been so comfortable right from the start. Sure, Hiccup had kept him at arm's length, protecting himself, but it had always been easy to joke around with each other and have long, deep conversations. _That's probably going to change now..._

Hiccup suddenly closed his book and put down the quill, having finished writing his notes. He watched Jack for a few moments in silence.

"Are you okay?" Hiccup asked him, his eyes softening.

No he wasn't. Not remotely okay. How was he feeling? Self-conscious…nauseous…nervous…sad…all of it was whirling around in his mind and his gut.

"Yeah…I'll be fine," he found himself saying without much emotion.

Hiccup watched him intently with those eyes that seemed to be searching his own for something. Jack was close to looking away, but he forced himself not to. It was unpleasant to have Hiccup look at him like that…like he could read his mind.

Hiccup gave him a sad smile that clearly showed he didn't believe him at all. _Oh shit_.

Nonetheless, Hiccup didn't try to get him to talk about it. He just broke eye contact and took out his sketchbook from his black satchel. Then he flipped it open and began working on a drawing of Rapunzel and Pascal. Hiccup never occupied himself with drawing before class, when Jack was around, so it was a clear sign that Hiccup wanted to give him some space._ Thank you_. As Hiccup traced the charcoal pencil along the paper, carefully working on Pascal's scales, he bit his bottom lip in concentration and leaned his head forward to focus on the tiny details. His brown hair fell slightly into his eyes, and he pushed it aside, tucking some of it behind one ear.

Jack found himself staring. His fingers twitched. He wanted to reach out and touch him. Let his hands roam through those soft locks. Feel the smooth skin on his face. Let his fingertips trail along his lips and just lean in and crash his own lips against them and…

_No. Don't think about that. Never think about that. Ever. _It would only make his emotions grow stronger. He couldn't let that happen.

"Hey Jack?" he heard that nasal voice say, breaking his trance.

"Yeah?" he asked, pulling himself out of his thoughts and meeting Hiccup's amused eyes. Hiccup had stopped drawing and was now looking at him. _Great…fuck, I hope he didn't catch me staring at him._

"You were kind of gone there for a minute," Hiccup told him with smile tugging at his lips.

_Okay…so apparently Hiccup didn't notice. Thank whatever god there might be for that. _But what could he say to that? _Oh yeah, you know…I was just thinking about what it would be like to grope you and then kiss the living daylights out of you? _He mentally rolled his eyes at himself. _Yeah…Not going to happen._

"Yeah, I know…I'm just really tired, so I spaced out a little," he replied and shrugged, trying his best to not look embarrassed.

Hiccup chuckled and the familiar sound made Jack feel warm inside. "Okay, Snowflake…Just don't fall asleep," he said.

"Why not?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, even though the answer was fairly obvious.

"Because…A) professor Bunnymund would probably give you detention, B) I don't want drool on the table…and C) I'd draw all over your face," Hiccup told him and then gave him a crooked smile.

"What? I don't drool when I sleep," Jack protested, temporarily forgetting his own insecurities. "And don't you dare ever draw on this beautiful face, you stupid Viking," he finished, pretending to be offended. It was a relief to get back to _some_ kind of normalcy with Hiccup, even if it was just for a little while.

Hiccup chuckled at that. "Well, I've warned you now, _Snær Flekkr*_…if you fall asleep, I'll do stuff to you."

Jack instantly felt warmth spread through his cheeks. Hiccup should _not_ be allowed to say things like that. He couldn't get embarrassed though…that would definitely let Hiccup know that something was wrong, since he usually never got embarrassed around him. He was already having trouble maintaining eye contact with him, because those analyzing, attentive eyes made him feel vulnerable.

"Fine fine, Hic…I won't fall asleep then. I don't want my face marred," he said.

"Marred? I think the word you're looking for is _"improved,"_ Hiccup shot back. Apparently Flynn and Merida had overheard this, as they both laughed.

"What? Like all of this could ever be improved," Jack said with that fake arrogant attitude in place and gestured to himself.

Hiccup just smiled in amusement, before turning his attention to his drawing once more. Jack exhaled slowly in relief. The friendly banter was progress though. Maybe there _was_ some hope for him to act normally around Hiccup.

Jack watched the two small braids in the Hiccup's hair sway, as Hiccup scratched his head. He had wondered several times during their friendship, if Astrid had been the one to give him those to begin with, since she seemed to take great joy in redoing them whenever they were coming undone. There was no way he could ask about that without it seeming weird though…was there? Somehow, he really wanted to know…try to find some tiny, small way of decoding how Hiccup felt about Astrid…and yet…something told him that he probably wouldn't like the answer. The fact that Hiccup still needed to make a decision on what to do with Astrid was looming over Jack like a dark cloud. How he hoped that Hiccup would just turn her down._ That's not very realistic though._

He sighed to himself. Screw it. He was just going to ask anyway. Maybe initiating some talking would also serve to make him feel more normal.

"Hey Hic?" he asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the quill in his hand.

"Yeah?" Hiccup said.

"I was just thinking…" he began, "Your braids…were they your idea?" he asked and then looked Hiccup in the eye for the briefest of moments, before watching his quill again.

Hiccup chuckled. "No…braids are pretty common among Vikings and…one day some of the kids on Berk decided to give me these. Then Astrid took a liking to them and just started redoing them whenever they unraveled…and then Rapunzel started to do that as well, and since then…Well, I've just gotten used to them now, so I even do them myself sometimes too, if they're undone."

Jack nodded with a small smile. He was relieved Astrid hadn't given them to Hiccup, but the thought of her touching him like that... His gut practically bubbled with annoyance.

"Why are you asking?" Hiccup said

Jack clutched the quill tighter in his hand._ I'm asking because I want to find some discreet way of figuring out how you actually feel about Astrid. If she had given you those braids and you had kept them all this time, then…it would seem like there might be something more between you. _"I don't know, I was just thinking…you know, because it doesn't seem like something you would do," he found himself saying, which was a lot better than what he was thinking.

"Well, you're right about that" Hiccup said and let out a yawn.

"Well well, seems like Jack's not the only one who's tired," Flynn's amused voice said from next to him.

Hiccup turned his attention to Flynn. "Yeah…I lost track of time again and didn't get much sleep."

"Geez Hiccup, that happens like…_a lot_. Maybe you should start being less distracted," Merida said with an amused grin. Flynn hummed in agreement.

"I know I know…I just…get lost in my own mind sometimes," Hiccup said and let out another yawn. Flynn and Merida giggled. Jack smiled. Merida was right…it was a common occurrence that Hiccup didn't get enough sleep. Hiccup always said that he was just good at losing track of time, when he was occupied with something, but…somehow it had always seemed like there was more behind that statement than Jack could figure out.

Jack was grateful that professor Bunnymund had abandoned his usual practical approach today. In general, he loved that Defense against the Dark Arts always had so many actual exercises, where they got to practice the spells, but today…he didn't really feel like being active in any way, so he was content with just listening to their Australian professor's lecture on dementors and the Patronus charm. Apparently, they were all going to be practicing this charm next time, and despite his depressed mood, Jack actually found himself looking forward to that. He had often wondered what his Patronus would be. He tried his best to scribble down a few notes here and there, but more often than not he found himself sneaking discreet glances at Hiccup, who was eagerly writing down runes on his parchment and once in a while raising his hand to answer the professor's questions. _He may get detention once in a while for sassing the teachers, but he's not a Ravenclaw for nothing._ It was pathetic that he kept trying to look at him without him noticing, but he couldn't help himself. It was a craving. A compulsion.

After class, as he, Hiccup and Flynn headed towards Transfiguration while Merida had Earth Magic, Jack was lost in his own thoughts. Usually, they kept themselves occupied on their way to class with banter and talking, but he didn't feel like doing that right now, so he just listened to the conversation taking place between Flynn and Hiccup about the Patronus charm. Apparently, they were just as eager as Jack to find out what their Patronuses would be. Not that that was surprising…there was a certain psychological aspect to finding out what sort of animal represented you, so it would be exciting to find out for all of them.

In the busy corridors, they were bumping shoulders with other students, and a blanket of sound from excited chatter, rustling bags and shoes scraping across stone floors bounced off the old castle walls. He found himself considering whether or not he should sling an arm around Hiccup as usual. On one hand, Hiccup was used to it, and he might find it strange, if he stopped doing it. On the other hand, he wasn't sure if he could handle having him that close to him. A part of him had a desperate need to feel Hiccup's familiar warmth, but another part was afraid he would act even weirder if he had his arm around him. _I might end up doing something stupid and unforgivable._

He ended up not doing it, and Hiccup didn't seem to question it, thankfully. Jack missed their closeness though. It had become such a natural part of their friendship by now that it was weird to suddenly stop it. He had a weak ember of hope inside him, that he could become comfortable with leaving friendly touches on Hiccup again. It would hit him pretty hard, if he couldn't even touch the guy anymore without feeling nervous. Not to mention that if he stopped completely, Hiccup would _definitely_ become suspicious.

Jack remained quiet, lost in his own thoughts. When they turned a corner and headed down another passageway, this one a little less busy, someone suddenly poked him on the shoulder. He stopped in his tracks and turned around, surprised by the contact. _Oh great_, he thought sarcastically. It was some brunette Ravenclaw girl, smiling shyly at him. _Not today..._ Usually he would take the time to be nice and polite, but with those new emotions ripping apart his life, he had no desire to interact with anyone new at all. He glanced behind him and saw Flynn and Hiccup standing still, knowing looks on their faces.

"Hi Jack," the girl said. He turned his attention back to her.

"Hi," he replied without much emotion. _I'm sorry, whatever your name is. I wish I could be a nicer guy right now. _

"Uhmm…I just…wanted to give you this," she told him and passed him a note.

He took it reluctantly without saying anything. He forced himself to give her a tiny, strained smile. He was in the middle of a crisis, but he didn't want to take that out on anyone.

"Well…see you Jack," she said and laughed awkwardly. Her long hair swished back and forth, as she walked away from him, disappearing down the corridor.

He briefly locked eyes with Flynn and then Hiccup. He shrugged and the three of them once again walked next to each other on their way to class.

He used to be amused and slightly happy to receive notes from girls. It was nice to know that people liked him so much. Now however, as he unfolded the note and took in the short, complimentary message, he wasn't pleased at all. It wasn't that he disliked the girl or the message in any way…it was just because this reminded him that he wasn't interested in any of those girls. He was only interested in one person, and that person was walking next to him completely oblivious to his inner turmoil.

* * *

There were only a few other students present, as he, Flynn and Jack took their seats by one of the tables in the Transfiguration classroom. Rapunzel hadn't arrived yet, but that wasn't strange, since their Defense against the Dark Arts class had ended a little early, so she was probably just getting out of class now.

A yawn escaped his lips, as he put his black satchel on the table. Gods, he really should be better at keeping track of time but…flying with Toothless was just what he enjoyed doing more than anything in the world, so time always passed so quickly.

As he felt eyes burn into his skin, he turned his head and met Jack's familiar eyes for a brief moment, before Jack looked away. He sighed and tugged on one of his braids. Jack tried his best to hide it, but there was _definitely_ still something wrong with him. He had trouble maintaining eye contact for more than a few moments, he didn't initiate any physical contact like he usually did, he seemed melancholy and tired, and he was a lot quieter than usual. A few times he obviously forced himself to maintain eye contact, but Hiccup could easily tell that it was difficult for him and that he didn't like it at all. Those familiar roots of worry grew and tangled in his gut, as he once again…perhaps for the hundredth time in the last couple of days…ran scenarios through his mind on what could possibly be bothering Jack _this_ much. As usual though, he came up empty. He ran a hand through his hair in a frustrated gesture.

All of this was such a strange and unpleasant change from how Jack usually was. Hiccup missed him. He missed Jack's carefree demeanor, his bubbly laughter, his pranks, his friendly teasing... _everything_. He was hoping things could go back to normal soon. That Jack would get better. It actually hurt him to see his friend like this. _I can't even do anything to help him. I'm just fucking useless._

Once again, he took out his sketchbook and his charcoal pencils and began working on the drawing of Rapunzel and Pascal, while Flynn tried to engage Jack in a conversation about what they were going to do for their annual Christmas shopping trip to Hogsmeade. He wasn't completely successful though, as Jack only gave him short, quiet replies. Hiccup kept his eyes trained on his drawing and focused on getting Rapunzel's eyes just right. He had promised that he would let Jack have his secrets and give him space and time to recover from whatever was obviously gnawing at his mind, and he would keep that promise. So unless Jack began to initiate something himself, Hiccup would just be by his side for support, despite how much he wanted to chase Jack's demons away and soothe his mind.

Suddenly his thoughts drifted to Astrid, and the anxiety spread through him, making him feel sick. He still had that decision to make…the one that would probably end badly no matter what he decided and he was dreading it. He still had no idea what to do, but he had decided that he was going to have a long talk with Rapunzel and Fishlegs about it to get their perspectives on it…maybe they could help him figure it all out.

He spotted movement in his peripheral vision, and Rapunzel approached them, carrying a few books under one arm.

"Hi guys!" she said and took a seat on his other side, placing the books on the table.

"Hey," Hiccup said fondly, followed by "Hi Rapunzel," from both Jack and Flynn.

Hiccup saw something familiar in her bag, so he leaned over and took a quick look inside it to see Pascal all cuddled up in Rapunzel's blue and grey striped Ravenclaw scarf.

"Hey Pascal," he greeted the small lizard, who looked up and smiled at him before going back to just relaxing in his comfortable position.

"How was DADA?" Rapunzel asked.

"It was fine. We're actually going to practice the Patronus charm next time," he told her, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. He was really looking forward to that and he was curious to see what his Patronus would be. Also…being a Viking and a dragon rider, Hiccup liked being prepared for _anything_, so the magic he was most eager to learn and paid most attention to at Hogwarts, were the kinds that could help defend himself or those he cared about. Since the Patronus charm was a powerful spell against dark creatures, he wanted it to become a part of his arsenal as soon as possible.

"Really? That's great," Rapunzel said, a bright smile lighting up her gentle face.

"Yeah, it'll be fun to see what it is…and if I can even do it," Hiccup said. He was under no illusions. He did well in most classes, and he was usually one of the first to successfully pull off new spells, but…the Patronus charm was notoriously difficult.

"Of course you can, Hiccup…sure it's a difficult spell, but you're talented, so it won't be a problem," Rapunzel reassured him, tucking a lock of hair behind one of her ears.

"Thanks," he replied with a soft smile. He appreciated her confidence in him. Rapunzel always seemed to believe in him, no matter how much he doubted himself.

"Just hope it's not an embarrassing Patronus," Rapunzel said with an amused smile.

"Like what?" he asked. He hadn't even considered that a Patronus could be embarrassing.

"Like…" she said, her forehead creasing in contemplation, "A pig…or a rat…or a…dung beetle!"

Hiccup and Flynn chuckled at that. When he glanced at Jack, he could see a small smile tugging at his lips. _That's better than nothing._

"Wow...thanks for thinking that those are even possibilities for me," Hiccup said, making his voice as dry and emotionless as possible.

"Come on, you know I was only kidding," Rapunzel said with a dismissive gesture.

"I know."

"It'll probably be a slug," she said and nudged his shoulder playfully.

"It better _not_ be" he said, "A Viking with a slug for a Patronus? That's just _not_ okay. Besides…I don't even want to _think_ about what that would say about my personality."

"I'm hoping my Patronus will be something cool…like a panther…or a wolf" Flynn said, his eyes practically brimming with anticipation.

"It'll probably be a peacock, you preening bastard" Jack muttered, and Hiccup, Flynn and Rapunzel all laughed at that. Even though Jack was obviously sad these days, it warmed Hiccup's heart when he actually threw in a funny comment once in a while, so he could see a glimpse of the Jack he knew so well.

"Aww, that's harsh, Jackie," Flynn said, pretending to be hurt, and nudged Jack's shoulder. "I'm not _that_ bad…and at least it won't be a bloody arctic lemming or a chubby penguin like yours will probably be."

"What? I'm not chubby!" Jack protested.

"No, I _know_ that, you're almost like a twig," Flynn shot back. Jack scowled at him, much to Hiccup's amusement. "But you and Merida…you're definitely chubby on the inside. I have no idea why the two of you aren't the size of professor Brown yet," Flynn finished with a challenging smile.

Jack scoffed. "I am _not_ as bad as Merida."

"No, but you still eat _way_ more than what should be physically possible to be inside the stomach of a skinny guy like you."

Hiccup couldn't stop himself from smiling at that. Flynn's words were definitely true. Jack was a fairly skinny guy, but he ate a lot. Definitely not as much as Merida, who seemed to be _unable_ to be full, but still.

"Whatever…_Eugene,_" Jack shot back with a small smile. Flynn went from confident to shocked in less than a second.

Hiccup was confused, but there was obviously a story behind Jack's comment. He shared a quick look with Rapunzel, who looked just as baffled as he did.

"Fine. You win, Jackie," Flynn said and scowled at Jack, before smiling again.

Hiccup shook his head with a smile on his lips, before quickly glancing around the room. He locked eyes with Emily, a fellow Ravenclaw and she waved at him and gave him a bright but slightly shy smile. He looked away but of course it didn't make a difference…he was immediately feeling flustered and embarrassed. His mind quickly scolded him. _Seriously, Hiccup…you are a Viking and a dragon rider and yet…if anyone shows any interest in you, you're like a blushing schoolgirl. Why are you seemingly incapable of acting like a normal human being? Well…obviously, you are not normal, but still…just pretend to be at least once in a while._

For this Transfiguration class they were asked to transfigure tortoises into rabbits and as usual when they practiced transfiguration spells, there were some hilarious results. After a brief lecture from professor Hyde on the spell they were going to be using, as well as the wand movements associated with it, he, Rapunzel, Jack and Flynn set to work.

Hiccup had tears in his eyes, as Rapunzel was the first to try to transfigure her poor tortoise. It ended up still being a tortoise except for the long white furry ears and the white fluffy tail. She huffed in mock offense and challenged him to do better. He nearly choked on his own laughter at the look on Rapunzel's face, when he transfigured his own tortoise into a fluffy, black rabbit perfectly in the first attempt. The look of pure disbelief transforming her entire face and then the following discontent evident on her features was just too amusing.

Flynn and Jack were having fun as well, even though Jack was quieter and less carefree and happy than usual. Hiccup felt very relieved when he actually heard Jack laugh for the first time in days. He felt a warm, soft fondness spread in his stomach to see his face light up like that. Even though Jack had only been in a bad mood for a few days, it felt like much longer, and it just…wasn't how he was supposed to be. Hiccup was used to Jack's laughter and smiles and now that they were suddenly a rare occurrence, it was like something vital and familiar was missing. Jack's sudden amusement was a result of Flynn trying to perform the transfiguration, but ending up creating a very dissatisfied looking tortoise with two big white rabbit feet and a rabbit head. He and Rapunzel couldn't hold their laughter back either. That weird looking tortoise-rabbit looked at Flynn with its eyes full of annoyance and blame.

When class was almost over, professor Hyde announced that next time they were going to begin practicing turning each other into animals. This caused an excited squeal to leave Rapunzel's lips and Hiccup chuckled at his friend's joy. He was looking forward to this as well, as human transfiguration was one of the most difficult kinds…and also one of the most interesting in his opinion. He was just hoping that Rapunzel (or Jack or Flynn) wouldn't transfigure him into some kind of weird cross-breed like they usually did with the animals they cast the spells on. He really didn't feel like ending up being half a Viking and half a guinea pig or something like that, he thought to himself in amusement.

* * *

After their Transfiguration class it was time for Potions, so Jack, Flynn, Hiccup and Rapunzel walked together along one of the passageways on their way to the old, gloomy dungeons. It definitely helped with his awkwardness around Hiccup to have Rapunzel present. She occupied Hiccup with plenty of talking about everything from her newest painting to Pascal's latest habit of stealing her socks to sleep inside them. She was only walking beside them for a little while though, as she didn't have Potions but had to head in the same direction for her next class.

As Jack, Flynn and Hiccup descended the old stairs to the dungeon and then entered the large, gloomy classroom that always smelled of old parchment and potions residue, Jack quickly spotted the two familiar people by their usual workstation. Merida was apparently complaining about Potions once again to Mavis, who listened attentively and with genuine interest, despite having heard these same complaints for years now. A small smile tugged at his lips as he and Flynn approached their two fellow Gryffindors. Mavis and Merida both turned their heads towards them as they spotted them and smiled in return.

Hiccup took his place next to Fishlegs, who was already present as well, sitting by the workstation next to theirs, as had become a habit since they all became friends, because this way they could be close to each other in class, despite not sharing workstations.

"So what's the torture we're going to have to endure today?" Jack heard Merida's voice say, as he sat down in the chair next to hers, while Flynn placed himself next to Mavis as usual.

"I think it's a love potion antidote" Mavis explained and flipped open her Potions textbook.

"That will be nice to know" Flynn said with a nod, obviously content with that information.

"Aw, come on…you haven't even been _close_ to being poisoned with a love potion yet" Mavis argued with a small, amused smile.

"True, but that's probably only because I've taken Hiccup's advice to _never_ drink or eat anything that fangirls give me…they can be seriously sneaky and devious sometimes…right Jackie?" Flynn explained and turned his attention to Jack.

"Yeah, definitely" Jack replied but didn't elaborate. It was true though…and he had also taken Hiccup's advice since that day where they were taught how to brew Amortentia and he saw the excited looks in several of the girls' eyes.

"See?" Flynn said with a raised eyebrow at Mavis, who just shook her head slowly.

Merida rolled her eyes. "Like anyone would bother to give _you_ a love potion."

"Except for you of course" Flynn shot back and gave Merida a flirty look that caused Mavis to chuckle and a tiny smile to appear on Jack's face.

"Right…" Merida said and her voice was dripping with sharp sarcasm. "I just _yearn_ so much for you."

"Oh I know you do, Curly. All those spiteful remarks are clearly just a way of covering up the sexual tension between us" Flynn retorted in a low, husky voice and waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Mavis sputtered with laughter, while Merida narrowed her eyes, but was unable to hide the amusement in them. Jack couldn't help shaking his head and chuckle just a little.

As Merida and Mavis became occupied by a conversation about Mavis' overprotective dad, who had apparently once again questioned her in his latest letter on whether any boys were trying something suspicious with her, Flynn pulled his textbook out of his bag and began flipping through the pages. Jack knew that he hadn't studied for today, so he was obviously trying to get some last minute knowledge in his head. Jack hadn't studied either, because…well, because he had a lot of trouble focusing these days, but luckily he had a knack for Potions, so he would get through it anyway.

He found himself looking towards Hiccup, and he smiled to himself, when Hiccup let out a massive yawn. Hiccup leaned in over the workstation, placed his arms in front of him and rested his weary head on them. Fishlegs shot Hiccup an amused glance, before turning back to eagerly writing notes on his parchment. Hiccup just lied there for a while, closing his eyes and inhaling and exhaling evenly, clearly exhausted. His nose wrinkled as he sniffed and smacked his lips a few times, before his face was once again peaceful and still. Jack felt a fluttering inside his stomach and suddenly all he wanted to do was to go over there and run his fingers through Hiccup's hair. How was it even _possible_ that a _dragon-riding Viking_ could be adorable? Those things seemed to strongly contradict each other and yet…in Hiccup…they just didn't. He was positively _cute_, as all of his defense mechanisms were melting away as exhaustion shielded his mind from forming its usual self-conscious, guarded thoughts and conclusions. Jack smiled softly to himself. He had often thought about how it seemed that Hiccup had a lot of trouble just resting his mind…just letting go of all the thoughts swirling in his head.

Jack's thoughts were interrupted, as Hiccup slowly opened his eyes again and blinked a few times to focus his vision. He lifted his head off the workstation and sat up straight again, a yawn escaping his lips, as he covered his mouth with one hand. Then he turned his head, trained his eyes on Jack and smiled softly and tiredly in a mix of honest affection and exhaustion. Jack couldn't stop the warm smile that spread across his face, even if he had actually tried and for a second time today, he temporarily forgot just how tense it was to be around Hiccup at the moment.

How had he even managed to be in denial from the start? Now that he had realized how he felt, it'd been obvious for so long. How had he actually been able to convince himself that it was nothing but friendship? It seemed almost surreal now.

Hiccup broke eye contact with him and just looked at the table in front of him for a few moments, before sighing and then pulling out his textbook from his black satchel.

Suddenly Jack felt the warmth inside him disappear, as unwelcome thoughts of Hiccup and Astrid entered his mind without his permission. He felt the sadness and the anxiety build up inside him, churning in his stomach and he felt his chest constrict. He was hoping for some kind of miracle…some kind of divine intervention that would make Hiccup reject Astrid. Not that that was very likely but…Jack was clinging to that small, almost non-existent sliver of hope.

As he turned his gaze away from Hiccup, he noticed Mavis' watching him from across their workstation. She gave him a small, sympathetic smile and her blue eyes conveyed that she understood what he was going through right now. Somehow that comforted him a little bit…that he wasn't completely alone in this.

Mavis had been right, when she'd told Jack that he had been rationalizing it…seeing signs of his feelings for Hiccup once in a while, but just…explaining them as something else to convince himself that nothing unusual was going on. Now though…that would never be possible again, and as he once again found himself staring at Hiccup and feeling his heart beat faster in his chest, one thing was painfully unavoidable.

He was crushing so _unbelievably hard_ on his friend…

* * *

Potions had been fairly uneventful and even though he was incredibly tired, he managed to brew a nice example of the love potion antidote, a potion he _definitely_ had to remember despite his rule of never eating or drinking anything that a stranger gave him. He had remained quiet through most of the class, being content to just work in silence next to Fishlegs. The tiredness almost seemed to form a barrier between him and the rest of the world that caused him to not really pay any attention to the people around him, the sounds, the smells or anything else besides just following these potion instructions. The only thing he had noticed except his own exhaustion, was that Jack was helping Merida with her potion as usual despite his awful mood.

When professor Creek dismissed the class, he and Fishlegs said goodbye to their Gryffindor friends and met up with Rapunzel by the greenhouses outside, as they had herbology with professor Cherry as their last class of the day. As usual, Hiccup enjoyed being in the greenhouses among all the green plants and colorful flowers and the fresh smell of dirt. Luckily they weren't dealing with anything venomous today, which Hiccup was quite relieved about. It was always pretty tense to handle a plant that could potentially kill you and for some strange reason, the most dangerous plants were always the most homicidal ones.

Their young, blonde professor told them that they would be dealing with Fanged Geraniums and began to eagerly explain the different properties and uses for this particular plant. Even though the green, medium-sized plant wasn't venomous, it had several sharp teeth and there was a big risk of getting bitten by it, since they had to try and pull the fangs out. Apparently they were used as a potions ingredient. Since the Fanged Geraniums weren't deadly, each student had their own example of the sharp-toothed piece of flora, and Hiccup and his two friends all ended up with nasty bite marks on their arms from that temperamental plant. Hiccup had noticed that Jarvis, Know and Kinney kept their distance since that confrontation with them in the hallways, where Jack and Flynn looked like they were ready to rip the three Slytherins' heads off. Hiccup enjoyed not having to deal with them, even though he still received icy glares from them from across the room…but he could easily handle that.

Since he, Fishlegs and Rapunzel were finished early with extracting the fangs from their plants, they spent the rest of the class discussing what in the world Hiccup should do with Astrid and her confession. They kept their distance to the rest of the students so they wouldn't overhear something. His two friends listened to him patiently and both gave him their input on how they perceived this whole situation and how he could get a clearer sense of how he really felt. After discussing it for a while, Fishlegs and Rapunzel managed to make him see things from another angle, and by the end of the herbology class, he knew what he was going to do. That didn't stop the anxiety that was echoing through his whole body though. Ever since Astrid told him about her feelings, he had been nervous and on edge and he really didn't like that feeling. Also…Astrid had confessed to him and made herself completely vulnerable, so she deserved to get an answer as soon as possible.

After classes he had gone to detention with professor Cooke, since he had missed Building, Managing and Repairing Magical Objects a few days ago, when Jack had that panic attack and they all went looking for him. It was actually quite lucky that it was that particular class he had missed, as detention with professor Cooke was definitely _not_ going to be terrible. He liked the knowledgeable, mild-mannered professor who shared his enthusiasm about building and mending things. The dark-haired professor had requested that Hiccup helped him today after classes with repairing some magical objects as his detention and Hiccup didn't mind that at all. Sure, he would like to spend time with his friends, but if he had to have detention, this was a very nice way of doing it. Besides…Fishlegs and Rapunzel would be occupied today with an assignment for Magical History anyway, and since Jack seemed to want to keep a little distance at the moment, it seemed like good timing.

He and professor Cooke sat in the workshop together, working through a pile of assorted magical items that were broken or cursed in one way or another and needed fixing. Hiccup was still feeling very tired but he worked on the objects with enthusiasm nonetheless. After all…this was one of the things he really liked doing and mending things was always soothing to his mind, because fixing stuff was nice and uncomplicated, unlike emotional damage that _couldn't_ be fixed. The professor questioned him on each item, asking him what sort of magical properties it held, what kind of risks there would be in mending it as well as what the best approach to repairing the damage would be. Then they split up the pile of items in two and set to work on them, keeping up casual conversation all the while. Professor Cooke asked him several questions about what he had built and repaired in the past, since the professor had obviously noticed from the beginning that Hiccup already had a lot of knowledge in this area that other students didn't when they started this class. He was very impressed and interested to hear about the weapons and inventions that Hiccup had made during the years, and in turn professor Cooke told him about some inventions that he himself had made, including several ones that had gone terribly wrong, which caused them both to laugh as they were familiar with the whole "trial and error" thing that came with being an inventor.

After detention he headed straight to the Great Hall, as it was already time for dinner. As he entered the familiar, large room with the ceiling enchanted to look like the sky, the wall of noise hit him right away, threatening to give him an instant headache. As usual, the sounds of students eagerly chatting, cutlery and glasses clinking and trays and plates being moved across tables echoed through the hall, but it was always less noticeable when you'd been there from the start.

He quickly spotted Rapunzel and Fishlegs already sitting down, eating and talking, and he began to walk towards them. As he made his way to his two friends, he glanced at the Gryffindor table and waved at Jack, Merida, Mavis and Flynn who all returned the gesture eagerly. Jack even gave him a small smile, and Hiccup smiled fondly at him in return. He also spotted Astrid sitting further down the table, and just seeing her made his stomach churn with nervousness, as he knew he was going to have that talk with her soon.

He sat down next to Rapunzel. She nudged his shoulder as a greeting, while a happy "Hi Hiccup" was heard from Fishlegs.

"Hey guys" he said and reached out to grab a pitcher of pumpkin juice. He was thirsty after having fixed all those magical items in detention.

"How was detention?" Fishlegs asked, stabbing a piece of meat with his fork, while Hiccup poured some of the pumpkin juice into his cup.

"Easy" Hiccup replied. "It didn't really feel like detention at all. I was just…mending stuff and talking to professor Cooke. Neither of those things were really a punishment" he explained, while he put the pitcher down again.

"That's lucky" Rapunzel replied with a smile. "I don't think the rest of us will be that fortunate with our detentions."

"Well, you never know" Hiccup told her and shrugged. "So…did you get that assignment done then?" he asked and then drank some of the juice in his cup, enjoying the fresh taste.

"Almost" she said, "We _would_ have been completely done, if it wasn't because Fish thought he was being attacked by a homicidal maniac and ended up knocking over several shelves of books, so we had to spend time picking them up and putting them back in the right places" she finished explaining, gesturing with her hands as a grin appeared on her face.

Despite his nervous mood, Hiccup couldn't contain his laughter and Rapunzel giggled. Fishlegs looked at them a bit sheepishly, while twiddling his thumbs, obviously feeling quite embarrassed by this whole thing.

"Seriously, _Fiskr*_?" Hiccup asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah…" Fishlegs replied and a faint pink color appeared on his cheeks.

"Why didn't the librarian just put them back magically?" he asked his two friends, tilting his head of brown hair a little in curiosity.

"Well…let's just say that she wasn't too happy about the situation _at all_, so…I think she just felt like punishing us" Rapunzel explained with a tiny amused smile on her face.

"Oh" Hiccup replied, still with a bright smile. "So…what was the life-threatening monster that was attacking you then?" he asked, knowing that it would probably be something _completely_ harmless as usual.

"Uhmm…" Fishlegs started, while his blue eyes darted back and forth from Hiccup to Rapunzel. "It might have been…a first year Hufflepuff."

Hiccup sputtered with laughter at that, unable to keep it in and Rapunzel's face lit up in a grin at his amusement.

"_Really_? Well, I can see why you felt the need to defend yourself then…those should _never_ be underestimated" he said sarcastically with a smile on his lips.

"Oh, ha ha" Fishlegs shot back and stuck his tongue out and Rapunzel and Hiccup both chuckled.

As his two friends became occupied by a conversation on whether the librarian were going to have a permanent grudge against them now, Hiccup's slightly better mood quickly disappeared as he retreated into his own mind. He had decided what he was going to tell Astrid, but he was _really_ worried about it and somehow he just wanted to do it as soon as possible to get it over with, so the anxiousness wouldn't flow through his veins anymore.

Apparently his friends had picked up on his distress, as he suddenly heard Fishlegs' gentle voice cut through his thoughts.

"Have you decided when you're going to talk to Astrid?"

Hiccup trained his green eyes on his two friends. "Yeah…I was kind of thinking about doing it when we're done eating…What do you guys think?"

"I don't think it really matters when you do it, so if you just want to get it over with, you should just do it as soon as possible" Rapunzel replied.

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah…you're probably right…" he said and he already felt the nausea churn inside him. "And…thanks guys" he finished softly, wanting his friends to know that he really appreciated their help in making up his mind.

"For what?" Fishlegs asked and raised an eyebrow.

"For listening while I rambled on about Astrid earlier…If it weren't for you, I'd probably still be completely confused about what to do." He explained softly and then took another sip from his cup of pumpkin juice.

"You can ramble to us any time Hiccup" Rapunzel said with a warm smile and Fishlegs eagerly nodded next to her.

A soft smile tugged at Hiccup's lips as he looked at his two friends.

"Well…that last thing you told me really helped me figure out how I'm feeling about all of this" he said to Rapunzel with appreciation in his green eyes.

She nodded, a sympathetic smile twitching her lips. "I'm glad I could help."

"I'm just…_really_ nervous about this…what if it's going to end up ruining our friendship?" he asked Fishlegs and Rapunzel, as his face fell and he revealed his worries to them.

"I don't think that'll happen, Hiccup" Fishlegs tried to reassure him. "I mean…obviously you can never know for sure with this kind of thing, but…don't be so quick to expect the worst."

"Yeah…I'm pretty good at that" he admitted and wrung his hands a little.

"You sure are" Rapunzel agreed and Fishlegs nodded.

Hiccup sighed. "Okay…I'm going to do it after dinner" he told his two friends. He couldn't stand any more of this horrible anxiousness flowing through every cell in him, invading his entire body with its uneasy presence. It was better to have that talk with Astrid than to remain a nervous wreck.

* * *

As he sat by the Gryffindor table at dinner, he really tried to stop thinking about his hopeless crush and just focus on being around his friends. Sometimes it worked for just a brief moment, but then all his insecure and nervous thoughts came rushing back to him. As had practically become a habit for the last few days, he pushed his food around on his plate, not having much of an appetite. He took a sip of his juice, while listening to Merida and Flynn talking about the latest letter from the red-head's parents, where they had described some of the pranks her three little brothers had been pulling on them. Usually, he would be very interested in that, but at the moment he didn't feel like talking at all.

Luckily there hadn't been time for him and Hiccup to be around each other after classes today, as Hiccup had detention. Jack felt really guilty that he had caused his friends detention because he had run off, but each of them assured him that it wasn't a problem and that he really shouldn't worry about it. The others were going to be in detention either tomorrow or the day after that, but apparently Hiccup had missed Building, Managing and Repairing Magical Objects and professor Cooke had taken a liking to Hiccup and his inventiveness, so he'd asked Hiccup to show up today for detention to assist him on mending some magical objects.

He had spent time with his three friends after classes and it had actually improved his mood a tiny bit. He wasn't very social or very good company these days, but his friends were all understanding and patient with him, and they didn't force him to talk. Mostly he just listened attentively to their conversations, smiling a little once in a while, and throwing in a comment or two when he felt like it. He really missed truly participating in the conversations and making his friends laugh, but he just…didn't have it in him at the moment.

As he lifted his head and took his eyes off his plate, he met Mavis' concerned gaze. She shot a look at the uneaten food in front of him and was obviously worried that he wasn't eating, so he took a few bites to lessen her concern a little. He didn't want her to worry too much, even though she probably would anyway. Then he put down his knife and fork and took a sip of his pumpkin juice.

Dinner progressed uneventfully and Jack just sat in the company of his friends, remaining fairly passive. He _really_ hated that he felt like that all the time at the moment…not wanting to really do _anything_…just sitting and listening to his friends' talking without wanting to participate. He just felt…deflated. This whole thing with Hiccup and Astrid was constantly gnawing at his mind.

He suddenly spotted Hiccup getting up from his seat by the Ravenclaw table and coming towards them, which was _very_ unusual. He wasn't sure what to expect from this, so he watched Hiccup intently and felt the anxiousness bubble inside him. As Hiccup approached he gave Jack and the others a small wave and a quick smile, but then he walked past them and moved further along. Jack realized what he was doing and felt a wave of deep sadness crash inside his gut. Hiccup was going straight to Astrid.

That thought was confirmed when Hiccup stopped by Astrid and poked her on the shoulder. She stopped the conversation she was having with her friends, turned her head and smiled fondly at him. Hiccup told her something that Jack couldn't hear and then Astrid nodded and also got to her feet. The two Vikings walked side by side in silence towards the exit and left the Great Hall together.

Fuck.

This was…agony.

Hiccup and Astrid _never_ spent time together in the evening, so there could only be one reason for this break in routine…Hiccup was going to tell Astrid that he wanted them to be together now. He just knew it…and then…he was going to have to see them together all the time…being a couple…Astrid touching Hiccup and kissing him…and he was expected to be _happy_ about that, because Hiccup was his friend. He wasn't sure _at all_ that he could do that…that he wouldn't just crumble.

He instantly felt tears blur his vision, their warm, moist presence taunting him and reminding him how weak he was right now. He tried his best to will them away, but he just couldn't. His eyes continued to water and he looked down to not let anyone see it. Maybe he should leave before anyone noticed this…he _really_ didn't want anyone to see him cry.

"Jack?" Mavis whispered gently from across the table, but of course she couldn't avoid drawing the attention of Merida and Flynn as well, who had instantly stopped their conversation. Now it was too late…his friends had noticed that something was wrong. He felt all of their eyes burning into his skin and it was all just _too much_ right now. He couldn't handle this.

He got to his feet immediately without looking at anyone and walked as fast as he could towards the exit of the Great Hall, just wanting to get away from everything and everyone.

He could hear his friends leave their seats too, so he picked up the pace, eager to just isolate himself right now. He quickly walked through the doors and turned down one of the corridors, his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

"Jack!" he heard Flynn yell in obvious concern from behind him.

He didn't stop though. He just kept going, watching the floor practically fly by, as he swiftly moved his feet and kept his blue eyes trained downwards, so no one he might pass would notice how upset he was.

Then he heard footsteps running towards him and he let out a sigh. He couldn't escape his friends right now…they weren't giving up. He stopped walking and waited for them to catch up to him, which only took a few seconds.

Jack felt frozen, as his three friends stood in front of him. He didn't meet their eyes but he could feel their looks on him, stabbing holes in his defenses. Oh how he wished he was alone right now. He didn't want to break down in front of his friends, no matter how much they would support him.

"Jack?" Flynn asked, worry and confusion lacing his voice. When he lifted his head and met Flynn's gaze his brunet friend's eyes widened in concern, as he took in the unshed tears in Jack's eyes.

"What's going on, Jack?" Merida gently asked, while Mavis remained quiet, obviously knowing very well what was happening.

Jack sighed and now he couldn't stop a few tears from slowly trailing down his cheeks. He angrily wiped them away with one of his sleeves.

He realized that the time of keeping his secret between him and Mavis was over, and even though he had wanted Merida and Flynn to know from the beginning, the thought of actually telling them was daunting and made him feel sick to his stomach.

Merida was opening her mouth to speak again but Mavis silenced her with a quick look that signaled that she shouldn't ask right now. The red-head closed her mouth instantly.

"Jack, come on" Mavis said softly and linked her arm with his, dragging him gently along the corridor. He went with her without any resistance.

He still felt Flynn's and Merida's eyes on him and it was uncomfortable. He wanted to shrink himself and disappear. Then he mentally slapped himself. He needed to pull himself together. They were his friends and they needed to know what was going on with him. They _deserved_ to know, no matter how nervous he was about it. He knew that they would never turn their backs on him, but that didn't do much to quell his fretting.

Mavis led him towards the Gryffindor tower, Merida and Flynn trailing behind them. The four of them walked in silence, and Jack found himself thinking that his friends' minds were probably racing as much as his own was. As they entered through the familiar portrait into the common room, the noise of some chatting Gryffindors inside reached their ears. Jack did his best to smile and greet the others quickly, and his friends all did the same. They all continued up the stairs to the boys' dormitories, causing several students to shoot them questioning looks, but no one commented on it and he was thankful for that.

As they reached the room Jack and Flynn shared with Liam and Harry, Flynn closed the door behind them, and Jack slumped down on his bed again, as he had done a few days ago after Mavis had brought him back here from the lake. She placed herself on the other end of the bed.

He clenched his fists and mentally prepared himself for what was about to come. It had been difficult telling Mavis about his feelings that day, and he had struggled with the decision of whether to tell her or not. He didn't want to carry the burden of his new troubles alone, but he also hadn't been sure that he was ready for someone else to know. He had been fragile and confused as a consequence of his sudden realization in that castle corridor, and he was torn between reaching out for the help of his trusted friend or push the anxiety and pain down and simply try to find some way to deal with his feelings alone. Mavis' soft, kind words, her comforting touch and that look of deep genuine concern in her eyes had made up his mind. He would let her in. He would trust her with the deepest secret he had ever had. Mavis had not let him down. Her gentle and discreet support had been his strength in the last couple of days, as he had to meet the concern and questioning looks from his friends, and especially a certain brunet Ravenclaw with deep green eyes.

Now that Jack looked back, he wasn't sure how well he would have handled it, had he been alone. He hadn't been alone though. Mavis had been beside him, letting him know through kind words, gentle touches and concerned, caring eyes that he had a friend who understood what he was going through. She knew his pain. She knew how difficult it was for him to be around Hiccup right now, and how he loathed that his friendship with him was no longer easy and uncomplicated. He did his best to act as normal as possible, but it took a lot of effort and there were some things he just couldn't hide.

Now Flynn and Merida were going to know too. He trusted them with anything, but the prospect of telling them about his feelings left his hands clammy and his heart pounding rapidly in his chest.

"Jack?" Mavis' soft voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He lifted his head and met her eyes, and when he found that usual support in them, he felt slightly more at ease.

Flynn and Merida were both sitting on Flynn's bed that was placed next to Jack's own, watching him with concerned eyes. None of them had spoken, and somehow Jack appreciated that. He sensed that they didn't want to rush him…that they wanted him to tell them when he was ready.

"So..uhmm…" he began, uncertain of what to say. He had had plenty of time to think about his newly discovered feelings for Hiccup, but somehow that made him struggle now, unsure of how to explain it. "I know I've been acting weird the last couple of days…" Jack continued, now meeting Merida's and Flynn's eyes. They remained silent, but both gave him sympathetic smiles and Flynn nodded slowly to encourage him to keep talking.

"Something happened that made me realize…that I have feelings for someone" he spoke softly now, but he could feel his stomach doing flips, causing nausea to rise within him. "And it made me panic…I didn't know how to handle it…I still don't" he finished, breaking eye contact with his two friends sitting on the bed next to his. He clenched his clammy fists and they felt warm and moist in an unpleasant, sticky way.

"We had no idea…" Flynn started, sounding regretful. Jack knew that he was feeling terrible about not being able to be there for him. That's how Jack would feel, if the situation was reversed, and he knew just how caring a friend Flynn was. He felt a slight tug of guilt pull at him inside. Neither Flynn nor Merida should feel guilty about this. Jack hadn't really given them a choice, as he had decided to keep his secret between himself and Mavis for the time being.

"I'm so sorry Jack" Merida said, concern and sadness lacing her tone, which told Jack that she was experiencing similar pangs of guilt and regret to Flynn's.

When Jack remained silent and contemplated how they would react, when they found out exactly who he had feelings for, Flynn cleared his throat, causing Jack to meet his warm, chocolate-brown eyes once again.

"Jack…" he began, his voice uncertain, as if he wasn't sure how to proceed. "I wish we could have been there for you" he finished, confirming Jack's previous thoughts.

"I didn't let you" he replied to ease the guilt of his two friends, trying to keep his voice steady. "I wasn't ready to share it again…Please don't think it's because I don't trust you…I would trust you with anything…I just couldn't handle reliving it again…I had just discovered these feelings and I was confused" Jack explained softly, hoping his friends would understand that he _did_ trust them. That he had _wanted_ to tell them, but couldn't bring himself to do it. That he had needed time to figure out these strange, terrifying changes.

"We understand…you don't have to feel bad about anything. We know you trust us" Flynn reassured him with a warm, soothing voice and Merida nodded eagerly next to him. Jack felt grateful that he had such great, understanding friends. They would never hold anything against him. He suddenly felt a tug of affection in his heart, as he thought about how many times they had been there for each other, watching out for each other, sharing their secrets and fears, their hopes and dreams, laughing and talking about anything and everything. Jack knew that his friends would be there for him, so now he needed to trust them with this secret.

"Thanks…you are…amazing" he said gently and sincerely, giving all three of his friends a fond smile although it wasn't as bright as it would have been under normal circumstances, considering the situation they were in at the present moment. They all rewarded him with affectionate smiles of their own.

"Can you…" Merida started hesitantly as she twirled one of her curls around a finger, as she had a habit of doing when she was either nervous or bored. "Can you tell us who it is? I understand if you're not ready, it's just…it would be a lot easier to understand all of this, if we knew everything" she explained, obviously not wanting to guilt him or force him into telling them anything.

"No, it's okay, Mer…you guys should know" he said and resigned himself to the fact that he was about to tell more people about the troubles that plagued him on a daily basis now. Merida and Flynn both remained silent, but encouraged him to carry on with their attentive eyes.

"I…I've sort of realized that…I have feelings for Hiccup" he said clumsily and uncertainly, breaking eye contact with his two friends. He focused on a single spot on his blanket and stared intently at it, while awaiting their reactions. He didn't want to look at their faces right now. Somehow, avoiding the changes in their expressions that were sure to follow his revelation made the situation a little easier on him.

The silence made the air heavy with tension. Jack felt his nervousness increase every second the lack of sound continued, and the nausea in his stomach was roiling incessantly like the violent, crashing waves of a storm-plagued sea.

"Hiccup? You have feelings for Hiccup?" Merida broke the silence, and even though her question was full of confusion and disbelief, he felt relief wash over him, making the nausea subside and loll into quiet ripples instead of an angry ocean. He kept his blue eyes trained on that specific spot on the blanket. Right now he still couldn't bring himself to look at their faces.

"Yeah…" he admitted quietly. He unclenched his fists and let his hands grab on to the soft blanket he was sitting on. He concentrated on the velvety feel of the fabric against his fingertips.

"That was…not what I was expecting you to say" Flynn said, voicing his thoughts. His tone wasn't judgmental, but genuinely confused. Not that Jack could blame him. It was even confusing to himself. Not only did he have feelings for their friend, but this friend was a guy, and Jack had never been interested in another male before. But Hiccup was different.

"I know…" Jack replied faintly in response to Flynn's confusion.

He forced himself to meet his friends' concerned eyes now, and he was relieved to find nothing but love and support in them. Not that he had expected something else, but he wasn't himself lately, and he felt unsure and confused about so many things.

"Jack…what happened in the corridor a few days ago? Why did you react that way?" Merida asked him carefully, and even though Jack had expected the question, he had kept a small, naïve hope that it wouldn't be brought up. He despised the fact that he was jealous of Astrid. He loathed that he had been thrown into a panic attack by watching her kiss Hiccup. It made him feel helpless, almost like a child. He owed his friends an explanation though, having practically scared them to death by panicking, then running off, and then avoided giving them a reason why. He sighed deeply, and it somehow had a slightly calming effect on him, relaxing his body just a little.

"It's…I sort of saw Astrid kiss him" he said in defeat, his head drooping.

"Astrid and Hiccup are together?" Flynn asked in disbelief, his brown eyes widening a little.

"We don't know anything yet. Apparently Astrid wants to be with him, but Hiccup isn't sure" Mavis explained calmly.

"Okay…so…" Flynn said hesitantly, sounding as if he was trying to piece together a puzzle. "You saw Astrid kiss him, and you thought they were together, so you panicked?" he asked, trying to confirm if he had understood the situation correctly.

Jack shook his head slowly.

"No…When I saw her kiss him…that's when I realized how I felt about him…that I had suppressed it for a long time…it all came rushing to the surface, and I was terrified" he explained quietly, wringing his hands a little.

Flynn and Merida both nodded slowly in understanding.

"I'm so sorry Jack" Flynn said with empathy in his brown eyes. "But…just know that we're all here for you. No matter what happens with Hiccup…we'll be here."

"Yeah" Merida agreed with a warm, soft look in her blue eyes. "You're never alone".

He couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at his lips. His friends were incredible.

"What happened before…in the Great Hall?" Merida then asked with deep concern in her voice, as she could obviously figure out that it hadn't been anything good.

Jack sighed deeply. "Hiccup and Astrid left together…I'm pretty sure that he's going to tell her that he wants them to be a couple now" he told his friends and he couldn't keep the sadness and the hopelessness out of his voice. He broke eye contact with them and looked at the floor, feeling very vulnerable right now.

"We don't know that, Jack" Mavis said, obviously trying to comfort him a little.

Jack just shrugged at that. He was certain. After all…why would Hiccup say no? He obviously cared a lot about Astrid…he had had a crush on her for years when they were younger…not to mention that Astrid had a lot to offer…she was smart, beautiful, strong, confident and she and Hiccup even shared a whole culture and way of life.

"Are you planning on telling him about this?" Merida asked gently, as she tilted her head slightly to one side.

"No!" Jack exclaimed and his eyes widened for a few seconds. "I don't want to lose him".

"You wouldn't lose him, Jack" Mavis said reassuringly, as she had told him several times in the last few days, but just as he hadn't been convinced the other times, he wasn't convinced now either.

"Yes, I would." Jack insisted quietly. It would ruin everything if he told Hiccup about this, and he couldn't stand the thought Hiccup pushing him out of his life. That would hurt beyond what words could express.

"Hiccup is an understanding guy…and he cares about you. A lot. He wouldn't just turn away from you like that" Merida argued, gesturing with her hands and agreeing with Mavis. Flynn nodded next to her to show that he also believed that.

"No, he wouldn't…but it would make everything weird between us. He would reject me and we wouldn't be able to be around each other anymore, because it would be awkward and uncomfortable" Jack explained, feeling a tug of dread in his chest at that thought. He could _not_ let that happen.

"Are you sure he would reject you?" Flynn asked, his forehead creasing in contemplation, causing Jack to widen his eyes.

"What are you talking about? Of course he would! Hiccup's not gay" Jack replied quickly to Flynn's absurd question with raised eyebrows.

"Neither were you before all of this" Flynn reasoned and shrugged, but then quickly added. "That is…if you are actually gay now?"

"I don't even know _what_ I am anymore, Flynn" he told his friend and sighed. "Everything's been turned upside down…"

"Well, there's plenty of time to figure it out" Mavis said reassuringly, Merida and Flynn humming in agreement to show their support.

"Yeah…and we don't care if you're gay or straight or whatever you might be. We'll still love you all the same" Merida said with a fond smile and Jack was touched by her words. He hadn't thought that his friends would ever leave him, if he turned out to be gay, but it was still comforting to hear the words actually being spoken.

"But Jack seriously…are you sure that Hiccup couldn't possibly feel the same way?" Flynn asked, his warm brown eyes meeting Jack's defeated blue ones.

"Yeah, I'm sure…He's told me about his crush on Astrid when they were younger and that he kissed some girl from another tribe and that he and Rapunzel shared a kiss once…_everything_ he's told me about that sort of thing has been about girls" he explained and felt that familiar tug of sadness.

"Hiccup and Rapunzel kissed!?" Merida exclaimed in disbelief, and Flynn's eyes were wide with shock. Jack smiled faintly in amusement at their gawking eyes and slack jaws and it felt good to actually be a little amused by something right now. He glanced at Mavis, and even she was baffled by this. He hadn't actually meant to tell them…it had just sort of slipped out.

"Yeah, well…he told me that they were drunk at one of the few Ravenclaw parties they had actually gone to, and they'd talked about first kisses. Rapunzel told him that she'd never been kissed and she was dreading how awkward and awful it would be, because she would be so nervous. Somehow, they ended up agreeing that Hiccup should kiss her, so her first kiss would be with someone she trusted and was comfortable with" he explained.

Jack cared for Rapunzel. She had actually come to mean a lot to him but...he couldn't help that little, annoying pang of jealousy that made his heart ache, as he told his friends this story. Hiccup had kissed her. She had experienced something so intimate with him. Hiccup had shared a piece of himself with her that he would never share with Jack.

"That's…actually really sweet" Mavis said, her eyes softening.

"Yeah, it is…" Flynn agreed. "But that still doesn't mean that he couldn't feel the same way about you" he stated.

"Come on Flynn, don't do that…" Jack said quietly, almost pleading with his friend not to wake that tiny flame of hope that was dying inside of him.

"It's just that-" Flynn began to argue.

"No, Flynn" Jack immediately interrupted him and Flynn stopped talking. "I don't want any of you to get my hopes up, just so I can have them crushed, okay?" he objected. He wasn't going to be naïve about this. This was real life, not some fairy tale where everything worked out in the end, and there was a major risk that he could have his heart broken completely. It was better not to expect too much to begin with, than to get his hopes up and have them squashed mercilessly.

"Okay…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it" Flynn replied, his eyes asking Jack to forgive him.

"It's okay…" he said dismissively and pulled his knees up and rested his arms on them.

"What can we do to help?" Merida asked sincerely and Jack appreciated the red-heads eagerness to soothe his troubles.

"I just…Mavis has sort of been helping me deal with being around Hiccup…I feel awkward and nervous around him now, but I really need to just push that away…I don't want to lose him as my friend, so the only thing I can really do is try my best to carry on as usual." He explained with a quiet resignation evident in his voice.

Merida and Flynn both nodded in understanding but frowned at his words.

"So you need us to have your back and help you with Hiccup if anything tense or awkward happens?" Flynn asked, clearly wanting to know if he had understood the situation correctly.

"Yeah, I guess you could put it that way" Jack confirmed and then let out a deep sigh. "I'm completely screwed."

"Come on, Jack…" Flynn said encouragingly. "We'll all help you any way we can" he reassured him.

"Yeah, you're _not_ alone in this, Snowflake" Merida agreed, leaning forward a little.

Jack couldn't hold back the small, genuine smile that made his lips twitch. With the help of his supportive, loving friends, he might actually be able to somehow survive these strong, terrifying new feelings that were changing his entire world.

* * *

The corridors were illuminated in the soft, warm glow of the lamps hanging along the old stone walls, while the dark blue night sky could be seen through the large windows they walked by. He and Astrid were making their way down one of the passageways in silence, wanting to find a place where they could talk in private. They obviously couldn't go to the common rooms and since the majority of students were still at dinner, the hallways were mostly deserted. Hiccup quickly glanced out of one of the arch windows they walked past. The full moon shone its pale light through the glass and he found it oddly calming, a massive contrast to the emotions raging inside him.

He fidgeted with his hands the whole time as he walked next to Astrid, anxiety fraying every nerve in his body. He didn't do very well handling emotional talks like this.

They had walked for about five minutes, turning down random corridors a few times, when they arrived at a rarely used passageway, where there was no one around and little risk of being interrupted.

Astrid stopped and turned to face him, watching him with those familiar sky blue eyes.

He tugged a little on one of his braids. He was extremely uncomfortable with this. It was unfamiliar to him. He had never had to do anything like this before and he _really_ hoped that his decision wouldn't end up breaking their friendship somehow. That would hit him hard…

"Hiccup?" he heard Astrid's voice say, and he blinked and pulled himself out of his thoughts. He needed to focus right now.

"Yeah, I know…Sorry. I was just thinking…" he trailed off and then met her blue eyes.

"No kidding" Astrid shot back with a fond smile.

A small smile tugged at his lips and he enjoyed the brief humor between them…especially considering how unpredictable this situation was going to be.

"But…you wanted to talk?" Astrid then asked, her eyes turning serious. He could feel the nervous anticipation from her and it only served to increase his own anxiousness.

He cleared his throat and a few moments of silence descended on them.

"Uhm, yeah…" he began hesitantly and wrung his hands a little. "But...I'm not…" he trailed off once again.

Astrid apparently understood what he was trying to convey. "Just…just be honest with me, Hiccup. Just tell me how you really feel" she told him quietly and now those blue eyes were brimming with uncertainty.

He sighed deeply and remained quiet for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. Astrid didn't push him and he was grateful for that.

"I thought about everything you said…" he told her hesitantly, as he felt the anxiety swirl inside him, making him feel nauseous. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

She nodded slowly in response, clearly encouraging him to go on. She broke eye contact for a brief moment, but then met his eyes again and the action seemed like she was mentally preparing herself for whatever was about to happen.

"And…I can't be with you, Astrid. I just…" he sighed. "I've been really confused these last few days, but I know now…that I see you as my friend…and…it would be wrong for me to be with you, when I feel that way" he told her as gently as he possibly could, but he knew that he couldn't protect her from the hurt that she would inevitably feel, no matter how much he wanted to.

Astrid's entire demeanor instantly changed. She bit her bottom lip, her brow furrowed in distress and she broke eye contact and stared at the floor. Hiccup felt a sharp pang of guilt. This was his fault.

"Astrid…I'm sorry…I never wanted to hurt you" he said, feeling the sadness grow within him, spreading its horrible tendrils throughout his mind and body.

"I know…" she said so quietly that he almost didn't hear her, still not meeting his eyes. Her voice was weak and it was such a huge contrast to how she usually sounded that it was almost like the voice of another person.

They just stood there in front of each other for a little while in silence. Hiccup didn't know _at all_ what he could do to comfort Astrid right now…and if she even _wanted_ any comfort from him. Gods, this was one of the most terrible things he had _ever_ had to do.

"Astrid…" he said uncertainly and watched her intently. He once again tugged a little on one of his braids.

She met his gaze and he could see a few unshed tears in her eyes. He felt his chest tighten in sadness and guilt. How he hated that he was the cause of this.

Like the true Viking she was, Astrid blinked away the unshed tears and quickly regained her composure. However, Hiccup knew her well enough to see all the little signs that spoke of the hurt she was feeling...her blue eyes might not have tears in them anymore, but they were dull and melancholy, her posture wasn't strong and confident like it usually was, and she was holding tightly onto her long, blonde braid with one hand.

"Just tell me what I can do…I really don't want to lose you" he told her honestly, almost pleading with her, and prayed to every single norse god that he could keep Astrid as his friend.

"Hiccup…" Astrid started hesitantly and her voice was filled with a quiet, resigned sadness that he didn't like _at all_. "I'm…going to need some time."

He nodded slowly. "Of course…" he replied quietly. Astrid could have asked him almost anything right now and he would do it. All he wanted was to soothe her pain…to chase away the hurt that _he_ had put there…to see her confidence and strength return to her instead of this sadness and resignation.

"…where we don't really see each other" she then finished, before wiping her eyes quickly with one of her sleeves, as a few unshed tears had returned despite her efforts to keep them away.

Hiccup sighed sadly and the knot of worry growing inside him made him feel sick, like he was going to throw up. This was all messed up. He might actually lose Astrid as a friend now…and she was so important to him. She was always there for him without question, fiercely loyal and protective of him, encouraging and supportive when he doubted himself and ready to give him a punch or a smack with a fist when he was being an idiot about something. Being separated from her for an unknown period of time was going to hurt…

But…he had to push his own needs aside and do what was best for her, and if this was what she needed then he would do it…no matter how much he hated it.

"If you think that will help, then…we'll do that…even if I don't like it at all" he told her softly, deciding to tell her exactly how he felt. He met her eyes and let her see that he was hurting too.

"I don't like it either but…that's how it has to be right now" Astrid replied and now her blue eyes conveyed the pain she obviously felt inside without even trying to hide it anymore and it made him want to slam his fist against the wall repeatedly in frustration until his knuckles bled, because it was his fault.

"Okay…" he said in defeat. "I'm so sorry, Astrid…" he repeated his earlier words. He knew it didn't change anything, but he just really wanted her to understand how awful he felt about all of this.

"Don't be…you were just being honest. You can't change how you feel, Hiccup" she told him and a little of that fiery spirit that he knew so well from her had returned, as she forced herself to be strong. At least that was something…

"I know…I just…really _hate_ that I'm the reason for this…and that I'm not going to spend any time with you for a while. I'll really miss you…" he said miserably and then looked at the floor, feeling a few tears stinging in the corners of his eyes from the worry he felt that he might lose Astrid for good.

He really meant those words…he didn't see Astrid as often as his other friends, but her friendship really meant a lot to him and he greatly appreciated the time they spent together. Now however…that wasn't going to happen for a long time. Maybe even permanently, if Astrid suddenly decided that they couldn't be friends anymore.

Much to his surprise, Astrid then suddenly closed the gap between them and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him. He hugged her back tightly and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'll miss you too" she whispered and the level of emotion in her voice was like a dagger straight in his heart. Gods, he desperately hoped that this wasn't some kind of permanent goodbye to their friendship.

They just stood like that for a while in the dimly lit corridor, arms wrapped around each other in a warm, safe hug that spoke volumes of their affection for each other. They both needed comfort right now and since they knew that they weren't going to be together for a while, they were equally reluctant to let go. Hiccup began stroking her blonde hair slowly, as he let her familiar warmth envelop him and he found himself thinking that this was the last time for...Odin knows how long…that he was going to be around Astrid. The thought made his stomach clench and a few more tears filled his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away and swallowed thickly.

Then Astrid pulled away from him and he reluctantly let go of her, letting his arms drop to his sides.

Silence descended upon them for a brief moment before Astrid nodded to herself, as if she had made some kind of decision.

"I'll see you, Hiccup…" she then said sadly and turned around, before walking away from him down the hallway.

"Yeah…see you, Astrid" he replied quietly and just looked at her back as she walked further and further away, her blonde braid swaying gently from side to side. He _really_ wanted her to come back, because once she was out of sight, this whole 'not spending time together' thing would become real and he had no idea when it would end. That would be completely in Astrid's hands.

He sighed deeply to himself and felt the misery spread through his entire being. What if this could never be fixed?

When he could no longer see Astrid, he slowly began walking along the passageway. He wasn't sure where he was going, as the thoughts just whirled incessantly inside his head, torturing him with all kinds of "what if" scenarios. With each step he took, he felt the hopelessness build up inside him and as he had thought about doing earlier, he suddenly turned towards one of the stone walls and just slammed his fist hard into it over and over again. The sharp stabs of pain surged through his knuckles but he pushed it down, because it was relieving to get at least _some_ of his frustration out. It was only when he felt the familiar warm trickle of blood that he stopped and then continued his walk towards Odin knows where.

* * *

As Jack sat in the common room surrounded by his friends, the noises of their conversation, the other Gryffindors occupying themselves with chatter and the crackling of the flames in the large fireplace filled the air, enveloping him in a blanket of sound. He had placed himself on one of the red couches, sitting next to Mavis, while Merida, Flynn and Jim were sitting in some of the soft armchairs. He mostly remained quiet but listened attentively to the conversations taking place between his three best friends and Jim, trying to use that as a way of occupying his thoughts, so they wouldn't keep drifting towards a certain Ravenclaw. Naturally, he failed miserably at this but at least he tried. He couldn't really bring himself to participate much in the conversation, as had almost become a depressing habit of his for the last few days. He knew it was very out of character for him and he was aware that Jim had noticed that he seemed off, but he didn't ask, which Jack was grateful for. His three best friends regularly shot concerned looks at him, telling him with their eyes that they were there for him if he needed anything and that they hated seeing him like this. He appreciated their love and support, although it didn't do much to calm down the horrible emotions inside him.

"I'm just saying that it's obviously the Stratus, Merida" Jim said insistently, as he looked at Merida with raised eyebrows in a good humored challenging manner.

"It so isn't! Anyone with half a brain can see that it's the Cirrus, Jim!" Merida shot back and rolled her eyes, wanting to win the argument between them.

Usually Jack would be an eager participant in a discussion on Quidditch broom models, but the feeling of depression that had sunk its claws into him ever since Hiccup left with Astrid was impossible to shake off.

"Come on Flynn, back me up on this!" Merida said and looked to Flynn. Jim also trained his eyes on their mutual friend expectantly.

"I actually think you're both wrong, Red…it's obviously the Cumulus" Flynn replied and leaned back in his red armchair with a small smile on his lips.

"What!?" Jim and Merida exclaimed in unison, their eyes wide in disbelief.

Mavis chuckled next to him and normally he would laugh too, but right now he just couldn't bring himself to see the light in anything.

He felt a gentle touch on his arm and turned his head. He met Mavis' affectionate, concerned eyes and he gave her a small, strained smile. She moved her arm and rubbed him on the back a few times as a silent show of support, which he greatly appreciated.

Despite his horrible mood, he really tried his best to focus on the good things…that he was among his beloved friends…that listening to their laughter _did_ ease his mind just a little…that he was in a safe place he'd always loved, filled with good memories…

But Hiccup was with Astrid…doing god knows what, a voice in the back of his mind told him and the nausea that had pretty much been his constant companion for the last few days increased its grip in his gut.

He sighed to himself as an expression of his hopelessness. Who was he even kidding? There was no way he could stop thinking about that. It was pretty much consuming him, eating him alive from the inside out. Pictures of Hiccup and Astrid kept appearing in his mind and he couldn't banish them no matter how hard he tried. In his thoughts he kept seeing Hiccup kiss her…embrace her…run his fingers through her hair. It was driving him crazy.

He had tuned out his friends' conversation and right now nothing but those horrible thoughts existed. His chest constricted in misery and his breathing became strained, causing him to only be able to take in short, stinging breaths.

Okay…he needed to get out of here. He felt like he was suffocating, being around people right now, pretending that he was okay when he definitely wasn't.

He lifted himself off the couch and got to his feet without saying anything and began walking towards the portrait exit as fast as he could. When he was a few steps away from the familiar portrait of the fat lady, a voice caused him to stop.

"Jack" he heard Flynn's voice say from behind him, as his brunet friend had apparently gotten up from his seat too and followed him.

He turned around and met Flynn's eyes but remained silent.

"Where are you going?" Flynn asked him with obvious worry in his brown eyes.

"I just…need to get away for a little while" he told his friend honestly, his blue eyes conveying the sadness he felt within.

Flynn nodded slowly in understanding and gave him a small, sad smile. "Do you want some company?" he gently asked.

"No, not right now…but…thanks" he replied sincerely and then hugged himself in a protective manner, because he was feeling very exposed and fragile right now.

Flynn nodded in response. "Just…if you need _anything_…come back and find me, okay?"

"Yeah…I promise" Jack said and he appreciated Flynn's offer. It was nice to know that he was there for him.

Then he turned around and exited the Gryffindor common room, wanting to get some time alone to just be openly miserable by himself. It was exhausting keeping up that whole façade. Of course he didn't have to do that with his three best friends, but around others he had to keep all his confusing, depressing emotions in and pretend that things were at least somewhat normal.

As he wandered down the old, dimly lit corridors, he was relieved that there were almost no other students present. He only spotted a single student once in a while, probably on their way to their common room, but other than that the hallways were empty. He didn't really know where to go, so he just let his feet take him wherever they wanted to, while his mind once again wandered to Hiccup and where he was right now and what he was doing with Astrid.

Suddenly he found himself by the entrance to the Astronomy tower and he couldn't really say that he was surprised that he had subconsciously gone there. He'd spent time up there once in a while, when he was in a bad mood, as the place was always deserted in the evening and it was just so quiet and peaceful up there…not to mention the incredible view.

As he began to slowly walk up the stairs, he thought about the first time he had ever gone there to be by himself. It had been in his third year, when he had had a week where he was plagued by nightmares of his parents' death on a daily basis. Somehow it had just helped sitting up there, observing the night sky quietly for a while.

When he reached the top of the tower he slumped down on the floor with his back against one of the walls next to one of the big openings that revealed the amazing view of the surrounding grounds and mountains, as well as the dark blue night sky, illuminated by thousands of stars and the beautiful full moon that left its pale glow on everything under it.

As he let his eyes take in the peaceful light of the moon, his mind brought forth a memory without his permission. It had become a fond memory to him, but right now it only brought him pain. It had been a night just like this, when he'd gone to find Hiccup by the lake and he had let him in on the real root of his massive self-esteem issues and Jack had told him about how his parents died. Then Hiccup had hugged him tightly to comfort him and somehow it had just felt…safe.

He felt his eyes water again and he sighed in frustration. Since he was alone, he didn't even bother to wipe the tears away, but just let them trail gently down his cheeks. Somehow it made him feel a little better to just be able to let it all out, after having to hold it in all day.

He didn't know how long he just sat there, watching the stars. It was liberating to sense the warm tears stream down his skin. He had the opportunity to just express his hurt feelings openly.

His heart was aching and he felt like he had a hole in his stomach. The nausea wouldn't leave his gut and he was getting so _damn_ tired of feeling sick to his stomach all the time.

He sighed deeply to himself and closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again.

"Jack?" he suddenly heard a familiar voice say and his eyes immediately widened in panic.

No…no no no…anyone but _him_.

Jack lifted his head to see Hiccup standing by the stairs. As he met his eyes, Hiccup walked towards him in a fast pace, quickly covering the distance between them. What was he even doing here? Wasn't he supposed to be with Astrid?

Jack looked at the floor again, as Hiccup stopped in front of him. God, how he wished Hiccup hadn't found him. He was feeling completely vulnerable and weak right now and it just didn't help that the source of all his misery was now watching him with those incredibly observant eyes.

He heard Hiccup sigh. Hiccup slumped down next to him, leaning against the wall.

They sat like that for a few moments in silence. Jack continued training his eyes on the floor, tears still wet on his cheeks, and he really didn't know what to do right now. He didn't want to meet Hiccup's eyes but it was also somewhat awkward to just sit like this in silence and without eye contact.

"I met Flynn in one of the corridors…he told me where you'd probably be, but that you might not want company right now. I just…wanted to check on you, but…if you want to be alone, I can leave" Hiccup said gently and broke the silence between them. Jack could feel his eyes on him, but he continued to look at the floor, still feeling a little too self-conscious to meet those familiar green eyes.

"It's okay" he replied softly, almost a whisper. Did he wish that Hiccup hadn't found him? Yes. Would he be able to say no to him and turn him away? No.

He could see Hiccup nod slowly in his peripheral vision, but he still didn't meet his eyes.

"Look…I know something's still very wrong with you, Jack…Even though you're trying your best to hide it" Hiccup told him, his voice brimming with concern.

Of course Hiccup knew, Jack thought to himself in slight hopelessness. He really was too observant sometimes…

"But I told you I wouldn't ask about it and I won't. I get that you need your space, and I know all about wanting to keep something to yourself, so you don't have to worry…I'll never try to force it out of you or anything" Hiccup explained calmly to him. He still didn't look at his brunet friend, but he could hear the worry and the frustration of not being able to help in Hiccup's voice.

Jack breathed a small sigh of relief. He hadn't expected Hiccup to push him on this matter, but it was still comforting to hear him say it.

"I just…really wish that I could help you somehow" Hiccup sighed and Jack was touched by how much emotion was evident Hiccup's voice.

"Yeah…me too, Hic…me too" he replied softly.

"Just…tell me if you want to talk about it…or if I can do anything at all. I'm here for you if you need anything" Hiccup told him and Jack truly appreciated that he was so worried about him. He really was an amazing friend.

What he really needed though…was for Hiccup to return his feelings…but since that would never happen, he would have to be content to have his friendship.

"I will…thanks Hic" he said. He met Hiccup's eyes briefly and gave him a tiny smile.

There were a few moments of silence between them and Jack trained his eyes on the night sky and watched the stars again for a little while.

Hiccup didn't look at him anymore so Jack focused his blue eyes on him. Hiccup was lost in his own thoughts, his green eyes glazed over by whatever was bothering him right now. Jack found himself feeling a strong tug of concern towards him as well as confusion and curiosity. What was going on with him right now? Shouldn't he be happy? What was wrong?

"Are _you_ okay, Hic?" he asked hesitantly. He _certainly_ didn't seem like it and Jack didn't like that look at all. Hiccup wasn't supposed to be sad…he was supposed to give him those crooked smiles. His green eyes were supposed to light up with mirth.

"Not really…" Hiccup said solemnly, still looking ahead and then he sighed.

"What's wrong?" Jack replied, instantly wanting to know what was hurting him. It was strange how Hiccup had that effect on him…that he just wanted to protect him against anything, even the slightest little thing that might upset him.

"Astrid sort of…told me a few days ago that she has feelings for me and wants to be with me" Hiccup began to explain softly.

"Oh?..." Jack said, furrowing his brow. Even though he already knew about this, he couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. He had been sure that Astrid and Hiccup would be together by now, but Hiccup seemed so...melancholy. Why was that? "What are you going to do?" he added.

"I think…I've seriously ruined our friendship now" Hiccup told him, his voice filled with sadness and he turned his attention to the floor now.

"What? How?" Jack blurted out, unable to stop himself and the amount of unrestrained surprise evident in his tone. He was scrambling for an explanation now. He didn't understand at all how Hiccup could ruin things between him and Astrid. What was he talking about? Hadn't he left the Great Hall with Astrid to tell her that he wanted them to be together?

A few moments of silence passed and the suspense was killing him. He really wished that Hiccup would start talking soon, so he could get some answers, but he kept quiet, not wanting to rush his obviously melancholy friend. He began to wring his hands in nervous anticipation. It didn't take long for him to get his wish though, as that slightly nasal voice chased away the quietness between them.

"I was really confused at first, but then I realized that…I don't feel that way about her anymore…I love Astrid, but…only as a friend…so I turned her down and now, I don't know if we can even be friends anymore" Hiccup told him, sounding like it actually physically pained him to say these words.

Jack let out a breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding. He felt like his heart was going to burst with joy and relief at Hiccup's words, but obviously he couldn't show that happiness to his friend, who was feeling miserable right now. Hiccup had turned Astrid down? He _didn't_ want to be with her? That wasn't what Jack had expected _at all_ and suddenly it seemed like the nausea and the worries within him faded away, like delicate snow melting in the warm rays of the sun. He felt the relief bubble eagerly inside him and he had to restrain the huge smile that threatened to light up his entire face. With the exception of telling him that he returned his feelings, Hiccup couldn't have told him anything that could have made him happier.

At the same time though…he also felt a slight pang of worry and sadness, because of Hiccup's obvious distress. He didn't want him to be unhappy like this…watching him being sad was almost painful.

"I'm sorry, Hic…I know how close you and Astrid are" he said. He _was_ sorry that Hiccup's friendship with Astrid might be destroyed now as Hiccup clearly cared a lot about her.

"Yeah…" Hiccup sighed. "I just…don't want to lose her."

Hiccup moved his hands suddenly to start fidgeting with them a little and the movement drew Jack's attention to them. His blue eyes widened for a few moments as he took in the dried blood on Hiccup's knuckles. What the…?

"What have you been doing?" he asked his friend in obvious concern and just stared at the blood.

"Nothing, Jack" Hiccup replied dismissively, as if it was no big deal.

"Don't "nothing, Jack" me, Hic…_what_ have you been doing?" he demanded to know in a stern tone that should signal to Hiccup that he wasn't kidding. He had _blood_ on his hand, of course Jack wouldn't settle for "nothing" as a reply.

"I just…had to get my frustration out somehow" Hiccup sighed a little and then let the fingers on his other hand trail over the dried blood on his knuckles, while he continued to look at the wall in front of them.

"Did you get in a fight or something?" Jack asked in disbelief. That did _not_ sound like Hiccup.

"Only with a wall" Hiccup replied.

Ah, that made a lot more sense. Despite wanting to scold Hiccup for doing something stupid like that, he chose not to. He figured that wasn't what his friend needed right now.

"You won't lose Astrid" Jack said softly, trying to reassure Hiccup, but it wasn't just something he said. He really meant it.

"How can you be sure of that?" Hiccup asked quietly and lifted his head, meeting Jack's blue eyes with his green ones and Jack forced himself to maintain the eye contact, because he wanted to comfort Hiccup right now.

"I've seen you two together…your friendship is too strong to be broken over something like this" Jack said and gave his friend a small, soft smile.

"I really hope you're right…" Hiccup replied and the look of defeat on his face made Jack's heart ache.

Jack nodded slowly in response, but remained silent.

"I'm just really going to miss her…" Hiccup then said, a deep, intense sadness seeping into his voice and Jack was taken aback by the level of emotion.

"What do you mean?" he asked him, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"She told me that…she needs some time away from me, so…we're not going to spend any time together for a while…I don't know for how long" Hiccup explained and his green eyes were filled with a depressed resignation.

"Oh…I'm so sorry" he told his brunet friend, his voice conveying the empathy he felt within. This wasn't going to be easy on Hiccup…and Jack just _hated_ seeing him in pain. God, he just…wished that he could do _something_.

"Thanks Jack…" Hiccup said genuinely despite his current solemn mood.

"Any time, Hic…" he replied and gave him a fond smile.

A few moments of silence passed between them. Hiccup seemed to stare at a wall in somber contemplation. It was horrible to see him like this…all depressed without those familiar smiles on his lips or the amusement in his eyes.

Then out of the blue Hiccup turned his head and looked at him, before reaching out and beginning to wipe away Jack's remaining tears with his thumb, smiling softly at him. Jack stiffened at first, surprised by the sudden contact, but it was obviously Hiccup's way of trying to comfort him and that made a warm sensation spread inside him. The feeling of Hiccup's fingertip brushing against his skin was making him feel safe and driving him insane all at the same time. Hiccup's gentle touch was making his skin tingle and his heart beat faster and the way he was looking at him with those forest green eyes filled with concern and fondness was close to being too much for Jack to handle. It almost felt like time was standing still and he had to actually focus and restrain himself, so he wouldn't end up doing something incredibly stupid. It would be so easy to just…close the gap between them and do that one little thing that he so desperately wanted to do.

_No. Don't…think…about…that. That little thing had the potential to crumble their entire friendship to dust. Never do that._

When Hiccup let his arm drop to his side, Jack instantly missed the contact between them. Hiccup's touch still lingered on his cheeks and he longed to feel that brush of skin again.

"You shouldn't cry, Jack…" Hiccup told him, observing him with those kind eyes.

"Sometimes it's necessary" Jack replied softly and shrugged.

"Yeah it is…" Hiccup agreed quietly. "I just…hate seeing you like this."

Jack nodded slowly in understanding. He would feel the same way if he ever saw Hiccup cry. Just seeing him being sad right not without crying was almost too much. What Hiccup didn't know though…was that Jack already felt _a lot_ better, since he had told him that he didn't want to be with Astrid.

Again, Hiccup took him by surprise, as he reached out and pulled him closer in one quick movement. He leaned against Hiccup's side, as Hiccup kept his arm around Jack's shoulder. It was unusual for Hiccup to initiate this kind of physical contact and once again Jack instantly knew that Hiccup wanted to comfort him, and he really appreciated that. Even though Jack felt much better as Hiccup's news had banished his sinking feeling of depression, he was still exhausted from all the emotional turmoil raging inside him for the last couple of days. He couldn't help resting his weary head on Hiccup's shoulder and he felt the familiar warmth and closeness taking over him, chasing away the last remnants of his misery, as he let the guy he cared so much for hold him close. He continued to let his head rest on Hiccup's shoulder and that familiar scent of pine that always seemed to cling to Hiccup reached his nostrils and somehow just calmed his mind even more.

The fact that Hiccup had turned Astrid down made the world seem a lot brighter than it did just a little while ago. Sure, he still had a hopeless one-sided crush on his friend but…at least Hiccup wasn't going to be snatched away just yet. Jack didn't have to worry about seeing him with someone else, pretending to be happy for him while he was really falling apart inside and that was just an _incredible_ relief that made him feel almost bubbly inside.

In this intimate moment between them, as they sat closely together in the deserted Astronomy Tower in the pale light of the moon, there was no Astrid…no fangirls…no one else who could try to lay claim on the dragon riding Viking that Jack had grown so close to. He had Hiccup and his affection all to himself and at that thought a gentle, warm happiness spread inside him for the first time in days.

* * *

**Author's note:**

I'll just briefly explain what happened between Flynn and Hiccup in the corridor that made Flynn tell him where Jack was, because I don't want people to think that Flynn is a jerk. After having talked with Astrid, Hiccup bumped into Flynn in the corridors, and obviously Flynn could tell that something was wrong with him, so he asked him if he was okay. Hiccup told him that he was in a bad mood because of something between him and Astrid but didn't really want to talk about it, so Flynn put the puzzle pieces together and figured out that Astrid and Hiccup were not going to be together, so when Hiccup asked him where Jack was, he didn't hesitate in letting him know, because he wanted Hiccup to go to Jack and open up about what happened with Astrid, so Jack could get some relief from his pain.

Translations:

Fiskr: Means "Fish" in old norse.

Snær Flekkr: Means "speck of snow" or "snowflake" in old norse.


	11. Pain and suffering in various tempos

**Author's note:**

Hi guys, I'm back :) Here's the newest chapter and I hope you'll like it.

The title of the chapter comes from an undertitle to a Depeche Mode album, as it was one of the first things I thought about when I had to find a title and also because it fits perfectly for this chapter.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: 2 WEEKS.

As he walked back towards the Ravenclaw tower after his night flight with Toothless and wandered through the dark corridors with only the light from his wand to guide him, he felt a soft, delicate contentment spread through him. It was amazing how flying with Toothless just…made the world fade away, so nothing existed but the two of them…free and happy in the skies…away from responsibilities, from insecurities, from worries about the future. After a flight, an odd but pleasant calmness always washed over him once the adrenaline wore off…like a vital need had now been fulfilled. It made sense. Despite not being a dragon and thereby having a natural urge to fly, Hiccup felt tense and restless when he was kept on the ground for too long. Those times his dad had punished him by forbidding him to go flying for days had been tense and awful. Ever since he met Toothless, flying had become such a major part of his life that it was now as if he had the same natural urge to fly as a dragon…a dragon who got frustrated and depressed when he couldn't let the world disappear below him as he shot towards the sky and then glided through the air, touched the elusive clouds and felt the wind against his body.

The large old stone hallways were completely abandoned and the only sound in the darkness was his footsteps across the stone floors and the occasional muttering of a painting, when he passed a grumpy one who was bothered by the light. It was late at night and everyone in the castle was sleeping by now, as was always the case when he came back from his late flight with his best friend. It was a good thing that headmaster Lunar had allowed him to wander around this late without getting detention, as that was really the only way he could avoid anyone noticing that he snuck back and forth every night.

After having walked along the corridors for a little while, the pale light of his Lumos spell illuminating the passageways in a faint glow, he reached the familiar portrait to the Ravenclaw common room and then walked through it after having told it the answer to the riddle. He swiftly crossed the large blue and grey common room that was drenched in darkness to reach the stairs, eager to just let his head hit the pillow and get some sleep now. Whenever the adrenaline subsided and that sense of calm washed over him after a flight, he also became quite tired from having used all his energy on Toothless and their drills.

He walked up the staircase, which let out a discontent creak with every step he took and he quickly found the room he and Fishlegs shared with David and Matthew. He broke the Lumos spell that lit up his wand, gently pushed open the door and the familiar sounds of snoring and loud breathing reached his ears. He walked into the darkness, carefully closing the door behind him, making sure not to make a sound, and then approached his bed. He slowly began removing his armor piece by piece and placed it all in the chest under his bed as usual. Then he took off his pants and his long sleeved shirt, before putting on a soft, green T-shirt and some black pajama bottoms, relishing the warmth spreading on his skin from the soft clothes.

He suddenly heard Fishlegs mumble in his sleep and he turned his head towards his blonde, Viking friend and watched him for a few moments. Despite the darkness, the pale moonlight shone through one of the cracks in the heavy curtains and let some of its white beams illuminate the room slightly.

"No…no…what's that? What…is…that?" Fishlegs said in distress, turning in his sleep.

Even though Hiccup was already aware of how this was going to go down, he still replied. "What's what, Fish?" with a smile on his face.

"Mind your own business!" his Viking friend spat angrily and then his squirming slowly ceased.

Hiccup chuckled. Fishlegs was seriously such a drama queen in his sleep sometimes.

He turned his attention to his prosthetic and quickly clicked it off and placed it on the chair next to his bed. Then he hobbled the few feet to the bed and let himself drop on to the soft mattress. He crawled under the covers and let out a content sigh as he felt his muscles relax and the tension from the strain of using them began to leave his body. His eyelids started to droop as he sank into the mattress, and he just felt _so_ comfortable right now that it could hardly be real. As he closed his eyes he embraced the peaceful darkness and let the world fade away.

Then his eyes shot open immediately, when a familiar jolt of pain stabbed through a limb that was no longer there.

Oh no…not this…not now!

He bit his bottom lip hard to avoid making a sound that would wake up the others, as his missing limb began to throb violently, causing stabs pain to ripple through it. Hiccup felt the frustration build up inside him and he just wanted to scream right now, letting all his anger and hopelessness regarding this pain _out_. It was so horribly _familiar_ by now, because it had been a companion of his for years.

He lied motionless on his bed, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths to help him block out the pulsations that went through his missing limb, when a thought occurred to him.

Shit…

He_ had _promised Jack, hadn't he? His pale friend had _insisted_ that Hiccup let him know the next time this happened, but gods…he_ really_ didn't want to. Even though Jack had already seen him like this, it still made him feel weak and helpless.

He sighed deeply to himself, but then other zap of pain echoed through the non-existent limb and he hissed angrily in pain, clenching his fists tightly and scrunching his face.

He groaned as he rolled onto his side and reached out towards his nightstand, opening the drawer and pulling out that small object that Jack had given him. For a few moments, he just watched the item in his hand, considering if there was any way to avoid letting Jack know. Well, obviously there was but…he _had_ made a promise, and he didn't break his promises.

He clicked the button on it and then quickly spelled out the answer to the riddle by the portrait entrance. Well…now there was no turning back. He quickly sat up and then got to his feet (well, foot), only letting his weight rest on his good leg, as those familiar, throbbing pulsations keep shooting through his non-existent extremity. Then he reached out and grabbed his prosthetic from the chair it was resting on and quickly clicked it on again, before putting on his dark green Converse shoes as well. Jack hadn't seen his prosthetic yet, and he wasn't sure if he felt comfortable showing it to him, so he just decided to conceal it as usual. He quickly bent down, contorting his face in pain, and pulled the home-made straps inside the left shoe around the end of his prosthetic, so the shoe didn't slide off but was kept in place.

Then he began to hobble towards the door, agonizing stabs tormenting him every step of the way. He tried his best to be quiet, walking slowly and carefully and biting his lip to avoid making any pained noises. He made it out of the room without waking anyone, which was a relief. He sighed a little before he began his slow, uncertain walk down the old staircase towards the common room. He used the railing to alleviate some of the weight pressing down on the prosthetic.

As he entered the familiar, large blue and grey common room with the painted dome ceiling, he limped towards one of the long, blue couches by the fireplace. Every step was horrible and he couldn't help wincing. When he was finally next to one of the couches, he gently placed himself on it and then laid down and stretched out his legs, resting his head on one of the cushions by the end of it.

He let out a sigh and rubbed his temples a little. Gods, he was so sick of this.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

He was dreaming of playing in the snow with Emma, their happy laughter echoing through the air, as they threw snowballs at each other and built snowmen, when he was suddenly pulled out of the pleasant sleeping world by a familiar noise.

He blinked a few times, taking in the darkness of the room. He was about to close his eyes again and get back to those wonderful dreams, when his mind began to work and told him what the sound had actually been.

He instantly sat up, reached out towards his nightstand and grabbed the object on it. Sure enough, the answer to the riddle to the Ravenclaw common room was written on it, and Jack knew exactly what that meant. He felt a strong mix of concern and relief…concern because Hiccup was obviously in pain again…and relief because he had actually held up his end of their deal and let him know about it. He knew just how difficult it was for Hiccup to ask for help when he felt vulnerable, so this was a big leap of faith for the Ravenclaw.

Jack rubbed his eyes a few times, before getting up. The coldness of the wooden floorboards under the soles of his feet sent a chill through his body, making him shiver a little, as he moved towards the dresser next to his bed and took out his favorite blue hoodie. He quickly pulled it over his head and enjoyed the familiar warmth it brought. Then he took his wand from his nightstand and stuffed it in the front pocket. He didn't bother changing out of his grey sweatpants, before quietly making his way towards the door without waking any of his mates. Luckily, he was successful as he exited the room, walked down the staircase and then quickly made his way through the large Gryffindor common room. The darkness of the surroundings were only slightly broken by the pale light of the moon shining through one of the windows, letting him cross the room without stumbling or walking into something. He left through the portrait of the fat lady and began to slowly descend several of the large, moving staircases from the tower, before turning down a corridor.

He knew that he was going to be in a lot of trouble if any professors found him walking around the castle at night, so he was extra careful to peek around corners and listen intently for any sound that might indicate someone approaching. He used his wand to light his way, but kept the light dim, as to not draw too much attention if someone was in fact nearby. He had chosen not to put on shoes, but just pad barefoot down the hallways, quite enjoying the cold stone floor against his feet. He hadn't chosen to leave his shoes behind just because he really liked being barefoot, but also because he could move more silently then. He needed to get to Hiccup to keep him company while he was in pain, and he wasn't going to let_ anyone_ keep him away.

As Jack carefully and quietly made his way through the dark corridors on his way to the Ravenclaw tower, he thought about how incredibly grateful he was that he was able to be around Hiccup again without being _too _awkward and nervous. Ever since Hiccup decided he didn't want to be with Astrid two weeks ago, Jack found his mood improving every day, and it slowly got easier to be around the brunet again. Sure, he still had moments of self-consciousness and awkwardness on a regular basis, and he felt a blush creep into his pale cheeks, whenever Hiccup said something that his brain traitorously twisted into something else, or when his friends teased him about his crush or when he had certain…thoughts…and once in a while, he felt sad that Hiccup was probably never going to return his feelings. However, he was able to have long conversations with him again, leave friendly touches on him once in a while, pull pranks and enjoy their friendly banter and that was all just…_such_ a major relief.

Of course Hiccup remained completely oblivious to his crush on him. Not that anyone could blame him for that…Hiccup was incredibly smart and observant, but as far as he knew, Jack was still completely straight and hadn't even known about what happened between him and Astrid, until he told him about it that night at the Astronomy Tower. So how could he possibly put the pieces together?

Luckily, he didn't meet anyone on his way to the Ravenclaw tower and it hadn't taken him that long to get there either, despite having to be extra careful watching out for professors. As the portrait entrance came into view, Jack smiled softly to himself. He told the portrait the answer to the riddle and it swung open, revealing that impressive common room with the high ceiling painted like the night sky. He was still quite in awe of that…it really was beautiful.

He entered the common room and immediately spotted Hiccup lying on one of the blue couches by the fireplace with his eyes closed. He knew the Ravenclaw wasn't asleep though. Not just because it was impossible because of the pain, but also because Jack could hear him deliberately taking deep breaths in an even pattern, which was one of his strategies for dealing with the pain.

"Heey Hic." he said soothingly to his brunet friend, as he approached him.

Hiccup opened his green eyes and observed him, as he walked closer.

"Hey Jack." the Viking replied softly, his voice a little strained by the obvious pain, while Jack had now covered the distance between them and was standing next to him, looking down on him in worry.

"Is it bad?" he asked him, his brow furrowing in concern.

"Yes." Hiccup said honestly.

Jack nodded and then placed himself on the couch across from the one Hiccup was lying on, the two couches separated by a small, square table.

"Is there anything I can do?" He asked his friend, eager to help him with anything he might need.

"I don't think so…"

"Don't you have any more painkilling potion?"

"No…" Hiccup sighed. "I haven't been aware that it had already been two weeks and was about time for…this."

Jack sighed a little too. Well, that wasn't good. Even though Hiccup had made it clear that painkilling potion didn't remove his pain, he had also said that it at least took the edge off. Now though, he would have to do without it and Jack didn't like that one bit.

"Well…I'm here with you, Hic…I'll stay here." he said soothingly, hoping that having some company would at least be comforting to Hiccup…that it would help that he wasn't alone as usual with this.

"Thanks Jack." Hiccup mumbled genuinely.

Jack moved from a sitting position to lying down on the couch on his side, stretching out his legs and letting his body sink into the soft piece of furniture. He observed Hiccup for a little while in silence. The Viking's face contorted several times, and he let out some low, pained hisses once in a while, when a particularly horrible wave of pain crashed over him. Jack _really_ hated seeing him like this…he just wanted to chase his pain away, but he knew that he couldn't. Maybe though…he could take Hiccup's mind off it just a little by occupying him with some conversation. If he was up to it, that was.

"Can I ask you something?" he said, watching Hiccup intently.

"Yeah, sure." Hiccup replied, turning his head a little to watch Jack with dull, green eyes, but still lying on his back.

"Is it…normal being an amputee in the archipelago?" Jack asked hesitantly. He had thought about it several times during their friendship, so he might as well ask now. He wasn't completely sure if Hiccup would mind this question though.

"Yeah, it is…there are plenty of Vikings with fake limbs." Hiccup told him, not seeming bothered by it.

"Do you keep it hidden back home too?" Jack asked, as his blue eyes took in the dark green Converse shoes covering both Hiccup's one foot and the end of his prosthetic. Obviously, he didn't need shoes in here, so it was a clear sign that he didn't feel like letting Jack see his artificial limb. He didn't take it personally though…Hiccup had self-esteem issues, so it was to be expected that he wasn't eager to let people see his prosthetic, but…Jack found himself hoping that he would be comfortable enough one day to show it to him. That would be a big sign of trust.

"No." Hiccup simply said, but his green eyes didn't become guarded, so Jack felt comfortable continuing asking questions.

"Why not?" he replied and kept watching the brunet Viking for any changes in his expressions that would signal if he was somehow uncomfortable with the topic.

"Like I said…It's normal back home. Here…it's not." the Ravenclaw explained and then took a few deep breaths while closing his eyes, obviously experiencing a nasty jolt of pain now.

Jack felt that tug in his heart that told him that he_ really_ wanted to protect Hiccup…but of course he couldn't shield him from this. After the first time he had helped Hiccup with his phantom pains, the Viking had explained more about it to him, and told him that it was the brain getting pain signals confused and all jumbled after the amputation. There wasn't anything Jack could do, since it was Hiccup's own mind playing tricks on him, so he just had to be by his side for support.

"You don't want people staring at you." Jack replied softly. He knew just how much Hiccup disliked being observed by strangers, so it would definitely be hell for him to walk around with his prosthetic out, drawing all that attention to himself.

"Exactly…" Hiccup began and then turned his gaze towards the ceiling instead of Jack. "Not to mention that…" the brunet said but then trailed off, as his eyes became slightly glazed over for a moment, clearly thinking about something.

"What?" Jack asked, eager to know what was going through Hiccup's mind right now. Even though he had come to know so much about Hiccup by now, there were definitely still plenty of things that he had _not_ discovered yet due to Hiccup's shy and guarded nature, and he always wanted to collect more of those puzzle pieces…to find out more about the guy he cared so much for.

"Some people are pretty repulsed by the whole idea and I _really _don't need that." Hiccup explained calmly, still observing the ceiling.

Jack immediately frowned. "Really?"

"Yeah…missing limbs aren't exactly something that people here are used to…" Hiccup began, but then hissed in pain, bit his lip and scrunched his face.

Jack watched him carefully and felt the sympathy swirl inside him. Why did Hiccup have to suffer from something that no one could do anything about? It just…wasn't fair. He didn't deserve that.

Hiccup took a few deep breaths and then seemed to be better, no longer contorting his face.

"Some find it disgusting, others are _creepily _fascinated by it and some like to remind me that…I'm not a whole person anymore." Hiccup then finished explaining, hesitating in letting out the last part, as if he wasn't completely sure he wanted to tell Jack.

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked in slight disbelief, his forehead creased from confusion. This really didn't sound good.

Hiccup sighed and placed his hands on his stomach. "_Some_ people…think I'm worth less now, because I don't have a whole leg anymore."

"What?" Jack said in surprise and his blue eyes widened for a few seconds. "Seriously?" he then asked, and he knew that his voice had taken on a hint of anger now. He really couldn't help it...how could _anyone_ seriously think that?

"Yeah…being an amputee makes me inferior in their eyes."

"That's fucking _stupid_" Jack instantly replied, unable to keep more frustration out of his tone. That protective instinct of his bubbled inside him now. If he_ ever_ witnessed someone say something like that to Hiccup, he would feel like punching their face in.

Hiccup just remained quiet, which made Jack feel uneasy.

"Hiccup…you don't seriously believe what they're saying, do you?" he asked the Viking boy, wanting to be sure that he didn't let those kinds of ridiculous comments get to him. His ego was bruised enough as it was, despite how many great traits and skills he possessed.

"No, I don't…but it's just…it's never _pleasant_ hearing that sort of thing."

"No, it isn't…but you know what? Sure, you're missing your foot and some of your leg, but…it's not like you're _that_ affected by it…you can do pretty much everything that you could do before it happened, right?" he said reassuringly to his brunet friend.

"Yeah, pretty much." Hiccup nodded. "The only thing that really bothers me about it is the phantom pains."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, and that's understandable." he said and then wrapped his arms around himself, snuggling a little into his soft blue hoodie for extra warmth. "Who says those _stupid_ things to you anyway?" he asked, wanting to know who he had to keep an eye on.

"Bully types mostly…but it hasn't happened in a long time…and now it's not really likely to happen, since people seem to think I'm interesting now."

"Good." Jack replied, unable to keep that underlying anger out of his voice.

A small, amused smile tugged at Hiccup's lips and he turned his head to look at Jack instead of the ceiling.

"Jack…you don't have to worry about me. I'm not a child. I can take care of it if anything happens." Hiccup reassured him.

"I_ know _that, Hic…trust me." Jack began, briefly thinking that he was in fact _very _well aware that Hiccup wasn't a child, since he was crushing so hard on him. "But it's just…you've been alone for so many years of your life. I don't _want_ you to fight all your battles alone anymore…I _know _that you're strong and tough and can handle pretty much anything, but…you really shouldn't have to do it by yourself, now that you have people in your life who care so much about you." he finished explaining, looking Hiccup in the eye. He really wanted him to understand this. Despite having loving friends, the brunet still had a tendency to handle all his problems alone as well as isolate himself when something was bothering him. Not that Jack could blame him…it seemed like a reasonable way of reacting considering Hiccup's childhood.

Hiccup's eyes softened, as soon as the words had left Jack's mouth. Jack found himself smiling at the Ravenclaw lying on the couch across from him.

"Jack?" Hiccup asked, with a small smile on his lips.

"Yeah?"

"You're amazing. I hope you know that." Hiccup told him with fondness evident on his face.

Jack instantly felt the affection bubble vigorously inside his entire being in response, and the butterflies flapped in his stomach, when his crush told him this. His heart beat sped up and he felt a warm smile spread across his face. Geez…Hiccup had no idea what he was doing to him…the feelings he was sparking inside him.

"Thanks, Hic." he said, unable to wipe that smile off his face.

"You know…at first…I wasn't sure if you actually wanted to be my friend or if you were just…trying to use me like everyone else." Hiccup softly explained to him, keeping those green eyes trained on him. Jack could see the exhaustion in them from dealing with the pain, but he also knew that Hiccup would let him know if he was too tired to keep talking.

"Yeah, I know…" Jack replied and then lifted his head briefly to adjust the cushion he was resting it on.

"You know?"

"Of course." he said and then once again rested his head of snow-white hair on the blue cushion. "I _know_ you by now…it would be very unlike you, if you _hadn't_ had those thoughts."

"Yeah, that's true…" Hiccup agreed with a small smile. "Anyway…I guess I'm just trying to tell you that I'm really glad we're friends."

"Me too, Hic. Me too." Jack replied and smiled at the brunet Viking. Of course he really wanted them to be_ more_ than friends, but…if it was friendship or nothing then he would definitely choose friendship any day.

As time passed, the two boys remained on a couch each, Hiccup resting and trying to deal with the pain, and Jack observing him and sometimes getting lost in his own thoughts. Once in a while they had some short conversations but they were regularly interrupted, when Hiccup told him he needed a break. Then the Viking would usually close his eyes and use those breathing techniques of his to deal with the pain, not being able to focus properly on talking with Jack.

When Hiccup began to relax a little again after another jolt of pain, they started discussing the differences between Viking culture and modern muggle culture, as they had done several times during their friendship. It was still strange to Jack that there was a whole archipelago full of Vikings who lived without the luxuries of modern society, and he always wanted to know more about it.

"It's just still…weird to think about how you guys are like…completely isolated from the outside world." Jack told his Viking friend, furrowing his forehead a little.

"I know." Hiccup said with a small smile.

"I mean…no TV…no internet…no phones…no electricity or modern commodities of any kind."

"Yeah, but…when you've never known anything else, it's not really a problem." Hiccup told him.

"I can imagine…do you sometimes miss modern things when you're back home?"

"Not really…I mean, sure the wizarding world is more modern than the archipelago, but it's still pretty old fashioned…and the only time I've had anything to do with modern muggle stuff is when I'm at Rapunzel's house and that's only like…a few weeks a year, so…it's not really a big part of my life."

Jack nodded. "So was it a big shock the first time you were out among the muggles?"

"Oh yeah…me and Fishlegs were visiting Rapunzel at her parent's house in the summer after our first year here. Then her and her parents actually took us shopping for clothes and shoes and such. We were_ not _used to that kind of thing…back home there isn't that many options and suddenly we had to decide what we liked and didn't like among hundreds of things…not to mention being around all those muggles, who looked and acted so much differently than what we were used to."

Jack chuckled. "Two Viking boys…used to being around weapons and fierce warriors and dragon attacks…rendered shocked by a shopping trip."

"Yeah yeah." Hiccup said dismissively, although he couldn't hold back a small smile. "Have your fun, _Snær Flekkr_. You're just as bad as Flynn, when he says that we're _"like_ _people from the past_".

"Oh yes…" Jack said. "But…" he then continued with a mischievous smile. "Let me tell you a secret…if you ever need some blackmail on Flynn…his real name is Eugene Fitzherbert and he does _not_ like it when anyone brings that up. So…if you need him to shut up about something, just call him Eugene and he'll clam up instantly." Jack chuckled.

"What? Really?" Hiccup asked in what appeared to be a mix of disbelief and amusement.

"Yup."

"Why did he change his name?"

"Well…he didn't know his dad for most of his life, but when his mum finally managed to track him down and reestablish the contact when Flynn was like…9 or something, Flynn became really close with him. His dad's last name is Rider and apparently that reminded Flynn of a story he used to read all the time about this brilliant, rich swashbuckler named Flynn Rider, so he decided to change his name to that, since he'd always hated his real name anyway." Jack explained with a fond smile on his lips. He could imagine little Eugene being all excited and fascinated by the stories of Flynn Rider's amazing adventures.

"Wow…good to know then." Hiccup said. "Eugene Fitzherbert…" he then said thoughtfully, as if he was trying out what it felt like to pronounce it.

"Yeah…not the best name right?" Jack asked him and grinned. He had teased Flynn about it_ so_ many times during the years. It wasn't that the name was _that_ bad, but Flynn's hatred for it just made it hilarious to joke about.

"Well…I'm not_ really_ in a position to judge anyone's name, Jack" Hiccup told him with a small smile, which instantly triggered a thought in Jack's mind.

"Yeah, about that…" he started uncertainly, not sure if Hiccup would want to answer this or if this would be one of those situations, where he became guarded. "When we had that first real conversation in the library, you told me that people think Fishlegs has it worse than you, name-wise…what did you mean by that?"

"You _actually_ remembered that?" Hiccup asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, yeah. It was interesting." Jack shrugged and quickly suppressed a blush.

Hiccup hesitated for a few moments, but then spoke. "Hiccup is a name the Vikings back home give to the runts…so…you can imagine why it's not considered the best name."

"What? Seriously?" Jack asked in disbelief, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"Yeah."

"That's just…_seriously_, Hiccup…" he said and shook his head. That actually seemed like quite a cruel thing to do…reminding people who are small that they aren't living up to the standards of the Vikings around them. "Again…no wonder that you're so…lacking in confidence."

"I know." Hiccup just said, but didn't really seem affected by it.

"I _really_ hate when people put you down, you know."

A small smile graced Hiccup's lips. "Oh I know." he replied and there was a little amusement in his tone now.

"What? Is that funny?" Jack asked, unable to keep a warm smile from tugging at his lips.

"A little…" Hiccup began. "Don't think I haven't noticed that you're seriously overprotective of me."

"Well, it sort of goes both ways doesn't it?" Jack replied and raised an eyebrow at his friend. It was true though.

"Yeah, it does." Hiccup admitted. "I might be…a _bit _protective of you too."

"Just a tad." Jack said and then chuckled a little. He felt warm on the inside, as he once again thought about how close he and Hiccup had grown.

After a while Hiccup began to get more and more exhausted and after they had been in the Ravenclaw common room for about three hours in total, the Viking started to slowly drift off into the sleeping world. He was having trouble keeping his eyes open and he let out some huge yawns, as they finished the conversation they had been having, where Jack had shared his theory that professor Bunnymund and the librarian ms. Wynn had unresolved sexual tension, which caused Hiccup to laugh several times. Now however, the Ravenclaw was definitely getting too tired to continue talking, so Jack just remained quiet and let him rest.

"Jack…?" Hiccup suddenly mumbled, his eyelids drooping and his voice sounding incredibly tired.

"Yeah?" he asked the brunet, watching him struggle to not fall asleep yet. He resisted the urge to just coo at Hiccup for being so damn cute right now.

"Thanks for being here…" Hiccup said quietly and now he had his eyes closed.

"I'm always here for you, Hic." he replied softly and really meant it.

"Thanks Jack." the brunet mumbled and then began to lose the fight against sleep. Even though Jack always wanted to talk more to him, he was relieved that he was getting some rest and that the pain had subsided enough for him to sleep.

Jack repositioned himself on the couch, so he was lying more comfortably and then just observed Hiccup for a while, as the Viking began sleeping peacefully. It wasn't long though, before he started to drift off as well, having only gotten a few hours of sleep before Hiccup had woken him up.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

When Jack slowly opened his blue eyes, he squinted as the brightness of the room flooded his vision. He was momentarily confused about why he was lying on a couch, until he spotted Hiccup sleeping on the couch across from him, and he remembered that he had stayed with his brunet friend to keep him company. He slowly pulled himself up to a sitting position and rubbed his eyes a little. He sat there for a few moments, just taking some time to truly wake up, and then he got to his feet.

He covered the short distance to the other couch and looked down at Hiccup.

"Hey, Hic. Wake up." he said softly and nudged the guy's shoulder a little with a hand.

Hiccup's green eyes slowly opened and blinked a few times to focus. He looked up at Jack and smiled a little, before sitting up.

Jack took a few steps back to give Hiccup some space and observed him, as the Viking boy stretched his arms out and yawned.

"How are you feeling?" he asked him, watching him for any signs of pain, although it was unlikely that he still felt any of that.

"I'm okay." Hiccup said with a tired smile and nodded a few times.

"No pain anymore?" he asked him, tilting his head of snow-white hair a little.

"No, but…I'm pretty tired." Hiccup replied and rubbed his eyes with one hand.

"Well, that's to be expected right?"

"Yeah, definitely…"

"Maybe you should…get out of going to class today?" Jack suggested, although he already knew that Hiccup probably wouldn't agree to that.

"Nah, it's okay, Jack." Hiccup told him and did one of those familiar dismissive motions with his hand.

"Are you sure? You've told me before that you have to relax after this sort of thing to not trigger more pain."

"Yeah, I know…I'll take it easy today, but I don't want to skip classes…I'm fine…and besides, we're going to practice the Patronus charm today. I definitely don't want to miss that." Hiccup explained and then gave him a bright smile.

"Yeah, that's going to be awesome." Jack said excitedly, sharing his friend's enthusiasm about it.

Hiccup nodded eagerly in response.

"Well, Hic…I'm going to head back to the Gryffindor tower…I want to take a shower and change before breakfast."

"Yeah, good idea. See you at breakfast." Hiccup told him.

"Yeah, see you." Jack replied and gave the Viking a small wave, before turning around.

He walked a few steps towards the exit, but then had a thought that he needed to get an answer to. He instantly stopped and turned around to face Hiccup.

"Hic?"

"Yeah?" the Ravenclaw replied and watched him with curiosity.

"Did it help that I was here?" He asked tentatively, tilting his head a little. Somehow he just wanted to know if he had made a difference…if he had actually soothed some of Hiccup's pain.

A soft, warm smile tugged at Hiccup's lips.

"Yeah…it did. Thanks Jack" his Viking friend told him.

"Any time, Hic." he replied and then turned around and exited the Ravenclaw common room through the portrait.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

When he sat among his friends at the Gryffindor table at breakfast, he felt less tired than usual despite not getting that much sleep today. As he cut a piece of the pancakes on his plate, stabbed it with his fork and then brought it into his mouth, he briefly considered if it was because he had been there for Hiccup that he felt revitalized. It had made him happy and relieved, when Hiccup told him that he had helped him deal with the pain. At least he had managed to actually soothe his brunet friend _a little_ and that was very important to him. He didn't mind at all giving up some sleep for that.

As he took a sip of the hot tea in his mug, he listened to the conversation taking place between his three friends about what to buy their families for Christmas. It was the end of November now, so it wouldn't be long before they would go on their annual Christmas shopping trip to Hogsmeade and then go home for the holidays. Flynn, Mavis and Merida always spent a few days at Jack's house during the Christmas holidays, before going home to their own families and spending Christmas eve with them, and it was something he was looking forward to every year.

However, as he kept eating his pancakes and listening to his friends talking and laughing, some unfamiliar thoughts regarding the subject entered his mind. Being away from Hogwarts would also mean that he wouldn't be seeing Hiccup for a while and that was actually going to be difficult for him. There wasn't really any way out of it though…he needed (and wanted) to go home for Christmas to see his family and Hiccup was going home to Berk. The Viking was probably_ really_ looking forward to spending time with Toothless again.

After taking another sip of his tea, he looked towards the Ravenclaw table and his blue eyes quickly found that brown hair that belonged to Hiccup. He was keeping an eye on Rapunzel who was eagerly telling him and Fishlegs something, gesturing wildly with her hands. Hiccup smiled at the bubbly blonde in front of him and continued to listen to her story with attentive, caring eyes, despite his obvious tiredness from lack of sleep due to the phantom pains. Jack could feel his stomach doing flips immediately.

He suddenly noticed some Ravenclaw girl sitting a little further down the table watching Hiccup with adoration in her eyes, but of course the Viking was _completely _unaware of this. Even though Jack was a little annoyed by it, he couldn't really blame her. As Hiccup had grown up, _anyone_ could see that he was a good-looking guy now. He knew that the brunet would _never_ believe it if anyone told him, but he was in fact _very_ attractive…and somehow…the fact that he could almost never see the good in himself because he was emotionally scarred, only made him more amazing. He sighed a little to himself as he continued to watch the dragon rider, who was still listening to something Rapunzel was telling him. Jack felt a goofy smile spread across his face. Oh, how he was in_ deep _trouble with this…Somehow though…it didn't matter right now.

"Jackie?" he heard Flynn's voice ask, breaking his focus on the brunet Viking.

"Hmm?" he mumbled and forced himself to look away from Hiccup and turn his head to look at Flynn. His friend's eyes were sparkling with amusement and a smile was tugging at his lips.

Jack's smile immediately disappeared. Oh great. Flynn had caught him staring at Hiccup just like that googly eyed Ravenclaw girl. Well _that_ wasn't embarrassing at all...

"Find something nice to look at this morning?" Flynn asked with mirth in his voice and raised his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, and Jack instantly felt a blush creep into his pale cheeks. Mavis and Merida both chuckled at the comment.

Oh god. _Why_ did humans have the ability to blush? It was like a cruel curse that broadcast to everyone just how self-conscious you were. Like a huge sign that said "I'M NOT AT ALL COMFORTABLE IN MY OWN SKIN RIGHT NOW! LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!"

The four of them all knew that even though Flynn would stick with Jack through thick and thin and offer his support any time Jack needed it, that didn't get him off the hook when it came to Flynn's friendly teasing…in fact, he wasn't getting off the hook with _any_ of his three friends' teasing, now that he was no longer feeling depressed.

"Yeah…I did actually." Jack said quietly, a warm smile on his lips, not even bothering to deny it. What would be the point? Flynn had watched him observe Hiccup, and he also knew about his feelings towards the Ravenclaw, so naturally he had figured out that Jack was looking because he was…longing. Damn…how pathetic did_ that_ sound? He had almost_ just_ talked to him.

Flynn and Merida both flashed him warm, understanding smiles, while Mavis couldn't hold back an "Aww".

Jack rolled his eyes at her, but that only made her lips transform into a grin.

His friends had watched him being all confident and carefree with crushes for years, but now he was suddenly uncertain, nervous and had serious trouble controlling those blushes…especially when they made Hiccup-related comments that were meant to embarrass him. Not that he could blame them…teasing was an essential part of their friendship, but even so…he really wished that he didn't blush so easily these days.

"So Jack…" Mavis said, saving him from more of Flynn's teasing comments. He mentally thanked her, as he really didn't feel like deepening that blush that was currently warming his face. "Did you hear that the date's been set for you guys' rematch against the Slytherin Quidditch team?"

"What? No? When did that happen?" He asked and turned his attention to Merida, as she was sure to know this.

"I heard it from Astrid last night after you had gone to bed." his red-haired friend explained and then stabbed another sausage with her fork from the tray in front of her and brought it to her plate.

"Ah, okay…well, when is it then?" he eagerly wanted to know.

"Next weekend." Merida replied with an excited smile on her face. He knew that she was just as eager as he was to go up against the Slytherins.

"Great, we'll kick their asses." he told his friends confidently and then gave them a bright smile.

"Of course we will!" Merida exclaimed and then rubbed her hands together in an I-can't-wait-to-shoot-bludgers-at-Slytherins sort of way.

"And this time, you better not scare us like you did last time." Flynn said with an amused crooked smile, but there was an underlying seriousness to the statement.

"Hey, it wasn't exactly my fault that someone jinxed that bludger." Jack said and held up his hands in a surrendering gesture.

"True…and they better not do it again, or I'm going to hunt them down." Flynn said with a smile, but Jack knew that he _really_ meant that…that all of his friends felt that way. They were all very protective of each other and if the situation had been reversed and it had happened to one of them, he would definitely think the same thoughts.

"Me too." Merida said and punched her palm with her fist. Merlin help whoever went up against his fiery red-haired friend when she was angry, Jack briefly thought to himself and smiled a little.

"Thanks guys, but I doubt it will happen again. It was probably just a prank gone wrong or something." He told his friends and shrugged. He wasn't concerned at all to be honest. Sure, it had been very dangerous to be hit by that bludger, but it didn't exactly seem like something that would happen twice to one person.

"Let's hope so." Mavis said and tucked a lock of black hair behind one ear.

"Anyway…it's going to be fun!" he exclaimed with a grin on his face, already looking forward to being in the air on his broom again, chasing the snitch, evading bludgers and opponents, and throwing clever taunts back in the Slytherin's faces, whenever they decided to provoke him or some of the others…which they often did. That team really enjoyed riling up their opponents, so the best way to deal with them was too stay calm and then shoot some clever wit at them.

"Yeah, it is!" Merida agreed. "It's always fun wiping the smiles off those Slytherins' faces."

"You know…they beat you guys too once in a while." Mavis told them, the ever logical, rational part of their little group.

"Yeah, but not_ that _often. We win more than they do!" Merida insisted.

"That's true, but still…you guys always say that you hate to admit it, but the Slytherins have the second best Quidditch team." Mavis argued with a smile appearing on her lips.

"They do…but we'll still beat them." Jack said and Merida eagerly nodded with a bright smile.

"Of course you will. After all…they're only _second best._" Flynn agreed before taking a sip of his juice.

"And we'll be there to support you guys." Mavis told them with a warm smile.

"Well, then there's no way we can lose." Merida said excitedly and they all smiled at her in response.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

As he was walking along the old stone corridors next to Fishlegs, and let out a big yawn due to how little sleep he'd gotten today, he found the absence of his Viking friend's eager voice quite unfamiliar. They were making their way towards the dungeons in silence, since Fishlegs was in a slightly sad mood today, so Hiccup had decided to give him some space. He knew that his friend was missing Meatlug every day, but today was a particularly bad one. He really wished that he could help him, but of course there was nothing he could do. Meatlug was back home on Berk. He felt a strong pang of sympathy in his chest, as he imagined the pain of being away from your dragon, and he once again found himself feeling incredibly grateful for being given the chance to have Toothless here with him.

They reached the old staircase to the dungeons and quickly made their way down the stone steps before entering the gloomy classroom. They walked to their usual workstation and both took a seat, while waiting for Jack and the others to come to class. Usually, Fishlegs occupied himself with talking to him or eagerly writing down some notes or reading in the Potions textbook, but today he was just sitting on the chair, looking depressed and wringing his hands a little.

Hiccup reached out and rubbed a few circles on his friend's back to show his support, and Fishlegs briefly turned his head and looked at him, a small but genuine smile tugging at his lips.

"Is there anything I can do, Fish?" he gently asked, as he let his arm drop to his side again. He was pretty sure he already knew the answer though.

"No, I don't think so…but thanks." Fishlegs told him with a small smile. "I just want to be a little sad right now."

"Of course…" Hiccup said. "You know…people always say "oh you shouldn't be sad" or "turn that frown upside down"…that kind of thing, but…it's natural to be sad sometimes, and it's better to just express it than to push it down and pretend it's not there." he told his Viking friend.

"Yeah, you're right…" Fishlegs agreed with a few nods and then his lips twitched a little.

"Just let me know if there's anything you need."

"Thanks, Hiccup." Fishlegs told him with appreciation in his voice.

Suddenly he spotted that familiar head of white hair, as Jack and the others entered the classroom and headed straight to their usual workstation. They all waved and shot smiles at him and Fishlegs, which they returned, although Fishlegs did it with less enthusiasm than usual.

Jack motioned with his hand for him to come over there, so he briefly looked at Fishlegs to silently ask him if he was okay with being by himself for a moment and his Viking friend nodded in reply.

He got to his feet and covered the distance to the four Gryffindors' workstation.

"What's wrong with Fish?" Jack asked, his forehead creasing in concern. Flynn, Merida and Mavis all watched him intently, as they awaited his answer, clearly also wondering what was going on with their friend.

"He just misses Meatlug." Hiccup explained, feeling the sympathy bubble inside him.

"Well, that's understandable…it's been a long time since he saw her. I'm sure you miss Toothless as well?" Mavis asked him with an understanding smile.

"Yeah…I miss Toothless whenever he's not by my side." Hiccup told her. It wasn't a lie. He really _did_ miss Toothless whenever his best friend wasn't around, even if he had almost_ just_ seen him not too long ago. He couldn't exactly tell them that though.

As Merida began talking about how much she missed her horse Angus, Hiccup's mind suddenly wandered to Astrid. He knew that she missed Stormfly terribly as well, but she was usually better at hiding it than Fishlegs was. Still though…he really admired his two friends' ability to get through the remaining school years separated from their dragons, only seeing them when they were back home for the holidays. He definitely would_ never_ have been able to do that. He couldn't be away from Toothless for that long, so if headmaster Lunar had not agreed to let him bring Toothless here in exchange for professor Brown studying him, then he would have given up finishing the rest of his magical education to be with his best friend.

Now that he thought about Astrid and Stormfly, naturally his thoughts also drifted towards the separation that had taken place between him and his blonde friend. He was still really hoping that they could remain friends, but in the end that was Astrid's decision. He did feel a little more hopeful these days though, as Astrid had begun to smile at him again, whenever they saw each other in class or passed each other in the corridors and such. The first week, she hadn't even looked at him at all, but now she actually smiled at him and once in a while gave him a small wave, so that was definitely progress. Hopefully it would continue to get better until they could once again spend time together, because he really missed her already.

"Hiccuuuuuuuuup." he suddenly heard Jack's voice say teasingly, pulling him out of his thoughts.

He blinked. "Yeah?" he asked his pale friend, turning his head to look him in the eye.

"You were just like…gone from the world for a while there." Jack told him with an amused smile on his face.

"I was having an inner monologue. Thanks for ruining it, Snowball." Hiccup shot back and rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on…nothing that goes on in there is really_ that_ important, now is it?" Jack teased him with a challenging raise of an eyebrow.

"You're an_ evil_ snowcone…" he muttered, causing Jack and the others to instantly chuckle.

"Oh really? Maybe we should ask the other students about that? I seem to be pretty popular, you know." Jack said innocently.

"You don't need people's opinions on a_ fact_, Jack. If that was the case, you might as well ask them: is water wet? Do shoes exist?" he told his friend while gesturing with his hands to underline the point.

"Is Hiccup awkward when_ any_ attention is directed towards him?" Jack shot back, making the other Gryffindors giggle.

"Yes, well everyone knows _that_." He replied.

"The sooner you get used to it, the better, Hiccup. You're one of us popular people now." Flynn said teasingly with a grin on his face.

"You guys know that I don't _want_ to be popular." he groaned, and as usual his reluctance towards his popularity seemed to be_ very_ amusing to his friends, as they all chuckled in response.

"Well, you know Hic…if you didn't want to be _even more_ popular, you kind of made a serious mistake beginning to hang out with _us._" Jack grinned as he gestured to himself and the others. Flynn quickly hummed in agreement.

"I know that, but I realized it too late and now I'm stuck with you." he told his white-haired friend and sighed, pretending that this was actually a huge burden.

"Yup…you_ definitely _are." Jack replied, a fond smile gracing his lips. "You're still a dork though. _That _hasn't changed." the pale teen finished in amusement and nudged his shoulder. Hiccup couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He knew that Jack always called him a dork in an affectionate way…just like when he called Jack an idiot sometimes.

"I _like _being a dork…I just miss being a mostly _ignored_ dork."

"Those days are gone now Hiccup, you might as well not reminisce about it." Flynn said with an amused smile and a dismissive wave of one hand.

"Yeah, and besides…watching you blush all the time is just too entertaining." Jack told him, Merida, Flynn and Mavis quickly humming in agreement.

His four friends were all so comfortable in their own skin and used to attention, so they took great joy in watching him being all weird about his popularity. Those evil Gryffindors…

"I swear to Thor, you all enjoy my awkwardness way too much…"

"Of course we are. It's hilarious." Flynn said with a bright grin and Jack quickly nodded.

"Well, I'm glad my suffering _amuses_ you. You guys suck." Hiccup said and then pretended to pout a little for comic effect.

"Awww, poor Hiccy…" Jack cooed at him, tilting his head a little. His pale friend reached out and ruffled his brown hair a little, and as usual the touch was warm and familiar to him.

"No, Jack…no." he told him firmly. Jack sometimes brought up that nickname just to annoy him and he was _not_ going to have it be a regular thing.

"You'll get used to it." Jack said with a grin. "And if you don't want us to find your suffering hilarious, then simply make it more boring." the pale teen shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You know…sometimes I wonder why we're friends." Hiccup shot back, furrowing his brow to pretend to be in deep contemplation about this.

Jack scoffed. "I'd say that's pretty obvious, Hic…you _clearly_ need someone who's not _just _amazingly brave and strong and fun, but who's also cunning and devilishly handsome to look out for you."

"Really?" Hiccup asked in mock curiosity. "Then what I am doing with _you_?"

The other teens chuckled in amusement, and Jack scowled at them, pretending to be offended.

"Wow, _that _was cold, dragon boy." Jack told him, but was unable to keep an amused smile away.

"Hey, you walked right into it." he replied and nudged Jack's shoulder playfully, causing his white-haired friend to grin brightly at him.

"You totally did." Merida agreed with a happy smile on her face.

"Traitor." Jack told her and stuck his tongue out, which only caused Merida to smile even more.

Their conversation and friendly banter was interrupted by professor Creek entering the room, so Hiccup quickly went back to the workstation that he and Fishlegs were sharing with two Gryffindor girls that Hiccup didn't know the names of.

Their professor informed them that they would be brewing Volubilis potion today, and he explained that this potion could alter the drinker's voice or restore it if it had been lost, for example due to a silencing charm.

When professor Creek had finished a quick lecture on the potion and encouraged them to begin working, everyone started to lay out the needed utensils and move around the old, gloomy classroom in search of the correct ingredients from the dusty shelves. Hiccup had quickly found the needed ingredients and then cursed at Jack for once again nudging him in the back, causing him to drop something, as his white-haired friend seemed to love doing in _every single_ Potions class. Of course that pale snow-loving idiot quickly disappeared to avoid revenge, but he was _not_ getting off the hook that easily today. It was time for payback.

Hiccup let his eyes glide over the many containers with potions ingredients, before landing on a particular one. He smiled to himself, as he reached out, grabbed the dusty container and took the lid off. His fingers closed around one of the small vials in the container and then took it out, before putting the container back on the dark shelf. He looked at the vial of green liquid in his hand for a minute before returning to his and Fishlegs' workstation.

After working in silence for a little while, he glanced towards his Gryffindor friends' workstation to see what Jack was doing. As usual, he was helping Merida survive the class, and he actually had his back turned to his own batch, so it seemed like it was a good time to prank him now.

Hiccup quietly snuck closer and closer to the workstation, keeping an eye on Jack at all times, but his white-haired friend was still busy showing Merida how to chop the pungous onions without getting juice in the eyes. As he approached closer, Flynn and Mavis both spotted him and turned their heads slightly. They questioned him silently with their eyes, but he just gave them an amused smile and put a finger to his lips to signal that they shouldn't say anything. They both grinned at him in response, but remained quiet. They kept watching him, although trying to be discreet about it so Jack wouldn't notice, and when Hiccup was finally close enough to the cauldron, he quickly took the cork out of the vial and poured the green liquid into the batch, before retreating back to his own workstation.

As he got back to Fishlegs, his Viking friend smiled at him in amusement, having obviously kept an eye on what he was doing. Then they both watched Jack and his cauldron for a few moments. Hiccup had specifically chosen that particular ingredient (Armadillo bile) to pour into it, because it was not just perfect for messing up almost every potion (except the few that actually required it), it also took a little while to work, giving him time to get away and time for Jack to finish helping Merida.

When the red-head put the onions into her batch, Jack turned back to watching his own potion. He began stirring it, when it, in only a few seconds, turned into a thick goo, foamed violently and then made a loud "pop" as it burst out of the cauldron, covering Jack's face and his white hair in the slimy, green substance.

Mavis, Merida and Flynn instantly roared with laughter, and Fishlegs and Hiccup joined in right away. That look of pure disbelief on Jack's face in combination with the gross, slimy goo that stuck to him was just way too amusing.

Jack reached out and grabbed one of the towels that hung on the side of every workstation and began wiping his face. His Gryffindor friends were still trying to get their laughter fit under control, and Hiccup couldn't keep himself from snickering. Jack had pulled so many pranks on him during their friendship, that it was only fair he got some payback once in a while.

After a little while, when his pale friend had removed most of the slimy goo from his face and his hair, he scowled at Merida, Flynn and Mavis.

"Which one of you was it? Who is going to be subjected to a genius but _brutal _revenge scheme?" Jack asked them, pretending to be offended and rubbing his hands together in that familiar I'm-plotting-something-evil way of his.

"Actually..." Mavis said with a small smile and then pointed towards Hiccup.

Jack turned his head and Hiccup couldn't stop the huge grin on his face, as he waved at his friend.

"Oh, it…is…on, Viking boy!" Jack told him while pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Oh please…you've sabotaged _my_ potions several times, and you can't even handle a little retribution, Frosty?" Hiccup told him, waving his hand in a dismissive motion.

"Do you _really _want to start a prank war with me, Hic? I'm the _master _of pranking, remember?"

"Jack…I'm a _Viking_" Hiccup shot back with a fake air of superiority. "Do you _honestly_ think that you can beat me at _anything_?" he said and raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"That sounds like a challenge…I would sleep with one eye open if I were you." Jack said and narrowed his eyes at him in a mock threatening manner.

"No need to. I'll take you down with my brutal Viking wrath, if you so much as blink near me in a questionable manner."

"Psshh, like that would ever happen…you've grown too accustomed to me to ever "take me down", Hic. Just admit it." Jack told him confidently.

"Hmm…I guess you're right. I mean, I _have_ sort of gotten used to you now…"

"That's better…"

"…the same way someone gets used to…a boil…or a mysterious and slightly worrisome lump."

"What?!" Jack said in mock outrage, while Merida, Flynn and Mavis laughed. "Hic…I'm warning you…you are_ so_ going to pay for that comment."

"What? I thought we agreed that I'd gotten used to having you around?" Hiccup said innocently and shrugged, pretending to not understand the problem. In moments like this, he realized just how much he loved their sarcastic, condescending banter…it was_ so_ much fun.

"Yeah, but you should never compare someone _this_ awesome to gross bodily stuff, you stupid Viking."

"Then maybe you shouldn't be so damn cocky, Snowflake. You're practically begging me to take you down a peg." he shot back.

"It's not being cocky, if it's true, you know." Jack replied and smiled brightly at him.

"Sure, Jack…_sure_."

After a little more bantering, Jack began cleaning up the mess the prank had left, before starting on a new batch. Of course Hiccup offered to help him get it done quicker, but his pale friend told him that he could manage just fine, so Hiccup went back to his own cauldron and finished brewing the potion. As it turned out, he and Fishlegs both made perfect batches, as did their four Gryffindor friends. Mavis focused on helping Merida, while Jack quickly caught up now that he didn't have to keep an eye on the red-head too.

After Potions, he, Flynn, Merida and Jack said goodbye to Fishlegs and Mavis and made their way towards Defense against the Dark Arts. After a quick walk through the corridors, talking eagerly and shooting sarcastic remarks at each other, they entered the familiar classroom and took their seats.

As he sat in the large, old room with his three friends, he was briefly lost in his own thoughts again. He and Fishlegs had planned on practicing some fighting later, as they did a couple of times a month. It was essential to keep up their skills and they both really enjoyed it too, because despite the pain, it made them both better fighters and it was also nice to blow off some steam that way once in a while. Also…it sort of reminded them both of home, where they regularly did that kind of thing with the other teens. Even though Hiccup had always preferred weapons training (mostly because he loved using the weapons he had made himself), it was necessary for a Viking to have experience with fighting without weapons and Fishlegs was a great training partner. However…they had had to cancel it, since Hiccup had to take it easy for the rest of the day after having phantom pains.

"Earth to Hiccup, what's going on in there?" Jack suddenly said and knocked on the side of his head a few times, interrupting his thoughts.

"I was just thinking…" he told his white-haired friend and turned his attention to him.

"No kidding. Once again, you're like…completely lost to the world. What were you thinking about?" Jack asked him, tilting his head in that familiar way of his that indicated curiosity.

"That it's too bad me and Fishlegs had to drop practice later." He explained and shrugged.

"Oh? I didn't know you had planned that."

"What kind of practice?" Flynn asked, training his brown eyes on him.

"Fighting." Hiccup replied as he met the eyes of his brunet friend. Jack was the only one of the Gryffindors who knew that he and Fishlegs did that once in a while, though he hadn't really told his white-haired friend much about it.

"You and Fishlegs practice fighting?" Merida instantly interjected, sounding quite excited about that.

"Yeah, we kind of have to…you know, to maintain our skills." He explained to the red-head.

"That is so cool!" Merida exclaimed happily and her blue eyes lit up. Flynn and Jack both chuckled, while Hiccup observed her with a warm smile. He really liked her enthusiasm.

"Thanks I guess?" he told his curly-haired friend.

"Maybe I could see you guys practice sometime…or you could give me some lessons?" Merida asked eagerly with her blue eyes a little wide, almost seeming ready to squeal with joy. She really_ would_ make a great Viking, since she was getting so excited over this, Hiccup thought to himself.

"Uhm…I'm not sure if that's such a good idea" he replied uncertainly.

"Why? You're uncomfortable having an audience?" Merida asked him, tilting her head a little, causing that massive mane of wild curls to sway just a bit.

"Not really, it's just…this isn't like the time you saw us play around with wooden swords. This is a lot more serious." he explained, gesturing with his hands.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, furrowing his forehead a little.

"It gets…pretty violent."

The three Gryffindors watched him in silence for a few moments, their eyes conveying the surprise they felt inside, and he could tell that they had a little trouble fully comprehending what he was telling them.

"Are you saying that…you and Fishlegs actually…_beat each other up_?" Flynn asked in disbelief.

"Uhm…yeah, kind of?" Hiccup said sheepishly. He knew it was _not _a normal thing to do for people here, but they were Vikings…it was normal for them to practice like that.

"Why do you do that?" Flynn then asked in curiosity, leaning forward a little in his chair.

"What do you mean?" he asked the brunet Gryffindor.

"Like…why do you have to _actually_ beat each other up just to practice?"

"Because practice is supposed to prepare you for the real thing…" Hiccup began to explain. "If we're just smacking each other around a little but not _actually_ getting hurt, then how is_ that_ going to help us, when we're being kicked in the stomach or punched in the face in a _real_ fight?...The more you get used to it, the better. We're Vikings, guys…we _need_ to be prepared for that kind of thing."

"That makes sense." Flynn replied and nodded.

"Do you and Fishlegs have any rules when you practice?" Jack asked in curiosity.

"Only three: no broken bones, no permanent maiming and nothing in the groin."

"Geez Hic, why even bother then? You might as well just braid each other's hair and pick wildflowers." Jack replied with a challenging smile, obviously trying to bait him. Merida and Flynn both snickered at that comment.

"Oh really, _Snær Flekkr_? I don't think _you _would last long in one of our fights." he told Jack and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh please…" Jack said dismissively and waved one hand a little, as if banishing Hiccup's objection. "I could defeat you both with one hand tied behind my back."

Merida and Flynn both chuckled at that.

"You think so, huh?" Hiccup replied with an amused smile tugging at his lips.

"I _know_ so."

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"How much experience do Fishlegs and I have with fighting?"

"Quite a lot?"

"Yes…so…Maybe you can see why it wouldn't be the_ best_ idea to challenge us?"

"That's just a minor detail, Hic. _No one_ can beat a ninja."

"For the hundredth time Jack, you are _not_ a ninja." Hiccup told his pale friend, but was unable to keep a smile from appearing on his lips. He had lost count of how many times Jack had insisted that he was a ninja or had "ninja reflexes" or "the stealth of a ninja" or some other variation of that theme.

"You know, Hic…denying the truth doesn't change it." Jack told him with one of those amused smiles.

Hiccup rolled his eyes in response and shook his head.

"How often do you guys fight?" Merida then said, observing him with genuine curiosity in her blue eyes.

"Usually about…twice a month, depending on when we feel like it."

"Aren't you walking around with bruises all the time then?" Jack asked, furrowing his forehead, indicating that he didn't like that idea at all.

"No, we make sure to get some healing potion, which helps the bruises heal faster, so they're usually gone in a few days." He explained to his three Gryffindor friends.

"Does Rapunzel watch you fight then?" Merida asked him.

"No…I mean, she's seen it a few times, but she prefers not to watch it, because she doesn't like to see us getting all bruised."

"Well, _I _would like to see that." Merida grinned. "Pleeeeeease, Hiccup. Can I come sometime? And can I get some lessons?"

"I don't know…." He replied hesitantly, briefly considering the pros and cons.

"Pleeease" Merida said and it was so unusual to hear her say that word that it spoke volumes of just how much she wanted him to say yes.

"Wow, Hiccup…I don't think I've _ever_ heard Curly use the P-word more than once." Flynn said with an amused smile and Jack chuckled.

"Shut it, Rider." Merida said and narrowed her eyes at him.

Hiccup sighed. "If it's okay with Fishlegs, then…I guess you can come next time." he told the red-haired Gryffindor.

"Great!" she said, her blue eyes conveying the joy she felt within.

"Yeah, well…we're coming too then." Flynn said and motioned to him and Jack.

"Uhh…what's that now?" Hiccup asked them.

"Come on Hic…if the evil Scot gets to see Viking fighting, then so do we." Jack said.

Hiccup sighed once again. "Fine, fine…you can all come then."

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

Jack and his friends had really been looking forward to this Defense against the Dark Arts lesson, as they were all excited to learn what their Patronuses were. That is…if they would actually manage to cast them properly.

The first half of the class consisted of another lecture on Dementors and Patronuses which he was very interested in. However, he couldn't stop himself from glancing at Hiccup once in a while. The brunet seemed to be getting more and more tired. After all…he hadn't gotten much sleep and he had been exhausted already from dealing with the phantom pains. Despite his tiredness though, Hiccup had still managed to participate a little during the class, raising his hand a few times to answer professor Bunnymund's questions, although with less enthusiasm than usual.

As Jack tore his eyes off Hiccup, his attention was drawn to Flynn, who was taking out a new sheet of parchment and beginning to write on it. It quickly became apparent to Jack that his friend was _not_ writing notes, so due to his natural curiosity he leaned over and observed the words being written on the page. Flynn was writing a flirty note to Ashley, who was sitting by the table next to theirs and who he had been interested in for a while and flirted with a few times. Jack smiled in amusement, as his eyes glided over the message. Geez…Flynn really _was _smooth. He knew exactly how to get girls to swoon.

Flynn eyed professor Bunnymund, clearly waiting for a good moment to send the note towards Ashley, but their stern, Australian professor didn't turn around for quite a while. Jack smiled when Flynn sighed as a show of impatience, but then the blue-haired professor turned his back to them to illustrate something on the blackboard. Flynn quickly enchanted the note to make it fly towards Ashley, but almost as soon as the little piece of paper had taken off and was floating through the air, professor Bunnymund chose to turn around, so Flynn instantly broke the spell. The note glided downwards and landed in Hiccup's hands.

Jack was already chuckling, as Hiccup unfolded the note and read the words. A tiny ghost of a smile tugged at the brunet's lips, revealing his amusement, as he grabbed his quill and wrote something on the note. When professor Bunnymund focused his attention on the blackboard again, Hiccup made it fly back to Flynn.

As Flynn unfolded the note, Jack leaned in and watched the words written on the paper.

_"__Look Flynn…You're a great guy, but I'm only interested in friendship…Thanks for the comment on my 'kissable lips' though. I guess it __is__ one of my best features."_

Jack and Flynn both almost choked on their own laughter and professor Bunnymund spun around and sent them a stern look, so they immediately tried to get it under control. Jack looked at Hiccup and gave him a bright smile, and Hiccup's lips twitched in amusement.

When professor Bunnymund continued his lecture, Jack did his best to scribble down some notes on this, because it was a fairly complicated subject. When he had finished writing a particularly long sentence down, he turned his head slightly and looked at Hiccup again. The brunet was too occupied with writing down notes at a fast pace and listening to their professor to notice. Not that that was unusual…the more he found himself observing Hiccup in class, the more he discovered just how little attention Hiccup usually paid to his surroundings when he was in class, because he was so focused. Jack smiled a little to himself, as he continued to watch the Ravenclaw, who was now biting his bottom lip, something he had a habit of doing whenever he needed to concentrate.

Suddenly he could see Flynn lean in next to him in his peripheral vision.

"You know, Jackie…if you keep staring at him like that, he might _actually_ begin to notice." his friend whispered to him and then leaned back again.

Jack instantly broke his focus on Hiccup. He definitely did _not_ want the Viking to notice. He looked at Flynn who was smiling a little now at his flustered reaction.

Jack did his best to focus on only listening to their professor's lecture and _nothing else _for the next 10 minutes. Then professor Bunnymund wrapped it up, and walked to the middle of the classroom, eyeing the students sitting around him.

"Okay. Now we're going to practice the Patronus charm. As I've told you before, it is a very difficult spell to cast, so not all of you will succeed today. We will practice it more in the following lessons, until everyone here has successfully cast a full-bodied Patronus. To cast a Patronus charm effectively you need to think of the happiest memory you can…and by the happiest, I don't mean the time you got to eat a whole cake by yourself or when you received a great Christmas present" their professor told them, making the last sentence sound quite stern to emphasize that this was not going to be as easy as some students may be expecting. "You need to think of a memory that fills you with genuine happiness and focus intently on that one memory…Now…pair up in groups of four and begin practicing and remember…if anyone casts_ any_ other spells, there's detention in it for you" professor Bunnymund reminded them and then crossed his arms.

The scraping of chairs and shuffling of shoes across the stone floor could be heard all around them, and Jack quickly got to his feet, eager to try to cast a Patronus. He knew it was probably more likely that he wouldn't be able to do it right away, but he was still excited about it. He briefly wondered what sort of animal would appear to him. He was quickly pulled out of his thoughts though, as he watched Hiccup slowly get to his feet. The guy seriously needed rest. Flynn and Merida also left their seats and the four of them walked a short distance away from their table to get some space.

"Hiccup, are you sure that you're not too tired for this?" Jack asked his friend softly, his gaze meeting the other teen's tired eyes.

"I'm fine, Jack." Hiccup said, but Jack managed to say it with him in unison. Hiccup lifted an eyebrow, and his lips moved in a small smile.

"Come on Hic, that phrase is like your motto by now." he grinned, earning him an amused smile from the Ravenclaw. It was true though…If Hiccup belonged to some ancient noble family or something, their coat of arms would definitely be a Viking rolling his eyes and the words: "House Haddock: We're Fine". Jack snickered at the thought, causing Hiccup to shoot him a questioning look.

"I just imagined something funny." he explained, still laughing a little. Hiccup's eyes brightened slightly at that, and his lips twitched.

"Okay, are we going to do this or what?" Merida asked, rubbing her hands together, clearly eager to get started.

"Sure, you go ahead, Red." Flynn said and gave their red-haired friend a nod of encouragement.

"Okay." Merida quickly agreed, as she grabbed her wand from one of her pockets. Then she took a few deep breaths to prepare herself and held out her wand in a straight, extended arm.

"Expecto Patronum." she said confidently and did a flick with her wrist. Nothing happened though. She groaned instantly in disappointment.

"Expecto Patronum." she tried again, but still no white light appeared. She tried a third and a fourth time.

"Okay, next person" Flynn interrupted, causing Merida scowl at him.

"Fine Rider, you go" she said stubbornly and crossed her arms.

Flynn got his wand out from a pocket and held out his arm with the wand gripped tightly in his hand.

"Expecto Patronum" Flynn spoke and did a quick movement with his brown wand. No white light appeared. He waited a few moments before trying again, but it didn't work that time either.

Jack glanced at Hiccup as Flynn tried to cast the charm a few more times. The Viking boy was observing Flynn with interest but his eyes were dull from tiredness. Jack was hoping he wouldn't put too much pressure on himself now. Hiccup had told him that he would take it easy, but he had still been active in all his classes. He really needed some more sleep. Not that Hiccup would see it that way, he mentally snorted. The guy could be _incredibly_ stubborn sometimes but Jack had quickly learned that that was a Viking thing.

After several tries Flynn told Jack to try. Merida snickered in triumph and shot Flynn a gloating look.

"Yeah yeah, Red you couldn't do it either." Flynn told her.

Jack took out his wand and held out the pale piece of yew wood with the phoenix feather core. He closed his eyes for a few moments and thought back to the time where he, Emma and his biological parents had been playing in the snow almost all day. They had been so tired and cold, when they'd come back inside, and they had snuggled up next to the fireplace with hot chocolate and cookies. Emma had fallen asleep on his lap, as they watched a Christmas movie together, and when his parents tucked them in, they both kissed his forehead and told him they loved him. That was a few days before they died. Jack took a few moments to just let the memory fill him like professor Bunnymund had said, and then opened his eyes.

"Expecto Patronum" he said and a white light briefly emerged from his wand but then disappeared before creating any shape.

"Wow!" Flynn said happily and practically beamed at Jack. "You almost had it, Jackie!"

"Yeah, that was awesome, Snowflake" Merida agreed and Hiccup hummed in agreement while watching him with a bright smile.

"Yeah, that was pretty close." he told his friends as a grin spread across his face. Maybe it wouldn't take him long at all to cast a real Patronus, and that thought filled him with anticipation and eagerness. He really really wanted to be able to do that.

"I'll try again." he told his friends, who all nodded in response with encouraging smiles on their faces.

He once again closed his eyes, thought of that particular memory, letting the pictures associated with it surge through his mind, as he focused even more intensely on it than before. He remembered the smell of hot chocolate…the warmth of Emma sleeping in his lap…the soft feeling of a kiss being placed on his forehead…the crackling and the warm glow from the fire…

"Expecto Patronum" he said in determination and opened his eyes. A white light once again appeared from the tip of the wand, slowly ascending towards the ceiling. This time it didn't disappear, but just kept drifting upwards to begin forming some kind of shape.

Merida and Flynn were gaping in shock, and after smiling at them, Jack looked at Hiccup. The brunet's green eyes were bright with excitement and…pride? Jack thought. He felt those damn butterflies flap violently in his stomach, and he forced himself to break eye contact with Hiccup and focus on his Patronus. He was _beyond_ happy and excited that he had actually managed to do it, and he felt his stomach tingling in anticipation to see what sort of animal would appear.

The whole room had now gone quiet, every student in the room observing the gentle, white light floating upwards and assembling itself into something.

His eyes widened as he saw the white light form into a gleaming, arctic fox that began to run excitedly around the room in the air, leaving long, wispy traces of white light behind it. He couldn't stop the bright grin that spread across his face as he watched his Patronus playfully dart around, rolling and jumping once in a while. Well, it fit his personality that was for sure.

"That's _definitely_ you." he heard Hiccup say in what sounded like an equal mix of affection and amusement next to him and he felt his grin widen even more.

"Well done, Mr. Overland. It's very rare for a student to cast a full-bodied Patronus that quickly." Professor Bunnymund spoke in a raised voice from the front of the class. Jack nodded his thanks at the professor. It was rare for him to hear praise from the stern DADA professor, and he felt a little surge of pride within him.

His Patronus then faded and disappeared, leaving only a few wisps of light, before they dissolved as well. He turned his attention to his friends once again. Merida and Flynn both still looked shocked, but they were currently recovering from it. Hiccup was observing them with amusement evident on his face.

"_How_ did you pull that off?" Merida asked in disbelief, and Jack couldn't stop himself from chuckling at her completely puzzled expression.

"I'm just_ that_ good" he replied, giving her an amused smile and a wink. She groaned in response and rolled her eyes.

"That was wicked, Jack." Flynn said in genuine excitement.

"Thanks." he said with appreciation.

"Yeah, that was great." Hiccup agreed and Jack gave the Viking a bright smile in response.

"Your turn Hiccup." Flynn said and looked at the tired Viking boy in front of them. Jack seriously doubted that Hiccup could cast a Patronus right now…or any other demanding spell. He was very talented with magic, the best in their little group of friends, but his lack of rest would probably affect him right now.

Hiccup found his wand in one of his pockets. "Expecto patronum." the Ravenclaw said as he held out that dark cherry wand of his, but no white light emerged. He tried four more times but nothing happened. A look of disappointment crossed his face.

"My turn." Merida said, eager to get another go at the spell.

"No wait…one more try." Hiccup said, as if he'd come up with some idea that could help him. Merida nodded in agreement, a rare show of patience from her side, and Jack watched Hiccup curiously. The Ravenclaw closed his eyes for a minute as Jack had done himself before casting the Patronus. What was he thinking?

Hiccup then opened his green eyes. "Expecto patronum." he said confidently, and this time a white light emerged from his wand, drifting upwards. Jack's eyes widened at the sight, and Merida's and Flynn's jaws dropped once again.

All sound instantly died down in the classroom, everyone observing this new Patronus take form above them. The white light gathered itself slowly into a figure, while everyone watched in eager anticipation.

"You've got to be fucking _kidding_ me…" Jack said in surprise, as he watched the spell form a recognizable shape. "Your Patronus is a goddamn _dragon._" he continued in disbelief as the large white dragon began flying majestically around the room, once in a while opening its mouth to spew flames or let out a loud roar. It was…beautiful. The other students around them observed it with wide eyes or spoke to each in hushed, excited whispers.

He tore his eyes off the Patronus and met Hiccup's eyes. The Viking was now grinning triumphantly and his pure joy was shining in those vibrant green eyes.

"It would seem so." Hiccup said, unable to hide his bubbling excitement. Jack felt a bright smile creep across his own face at the brunet's obvious happiness. He liked seeing that look of pure elation light up Hiccup's face.

He turned his attention back to the white, soaring dragon as it flew past Astrid, who seemed captivated by it. She was following it with her gaze, a soft gentle look in those blue eyes and a faint ghost of a smile on her lips. She looked almost…proud? Jack thought…almost as if Hiccup had achieved something that she had known was inside him all along.

"That's like…fate or something." he heard Flynn say, still in slight disbelief. He turned his attention back to his three friends, as Hiccup's Patronus vanished, leaving only a faint trace of white wisps hanging in the air, before they slowly disappeared as well. A low buzzing of noise filled the room once again, as the other students began practicing the charm themselves.

"I doubt that." Hiccup replied with obvious skepticism in his voice.

"What are you talking about? You're a dragon trainer, the first one to _ever _train a dragon, and your Patronus is a dragon…That's hardly a coincidence?" Flynn argued and Merida hummed in agreement.

"No, it isn't…but the shape of the Patronus is significant to the caster, and since my best friend is a dragon and I deal with dragons all the time, of course they're important to me" the brunet Ravenclaw argued.

"Yeah, but it also says something about the casters personality." Merida said with a smile on her lips.

Hiccup shrugged at that, and Jack knew that she had him there.

"Face it Hic, you're part dragon." he said affectionately and nudged the other guy's shoulder, causing that familiar spark of electricity that made him feel warm inside.

The statement made Hiccup's face split into a huge grin.

"That's probably the _best_ thing you could have _ever_ said to me." the Viking said happily, his eyes gleaming with appreciation and Jack couldn't hold back the huge smile that spread across his own face. He _loved _that he had made Hiccup this happy, it practically made him feel bubbly inside.

For the remainder of the class, Merida and Flynn continued to try and cast their Patronuses, while Jack and Hiccup watched with great interest. A few other students in the room had managed to pull off the spell, and besides Jack's and Hiccup's Patronuses, they had seen a hummingbird, a crow, a cat and a red panda.

When there was about 10 minutes left of the class, Merida's wand let out the familiar white light and it floated upwards.

"Yes!" the red-head exclaimed in excitement and did a little jump, as she kept her eyes on the white light that was slowly turning itself into an animal shape.

"That's _very_ fitting." Jack said and Flynn quickly agreed, as they watched Merida's light take the shape of a large bear swinging its paws and roaring once in a while.

Their curly-haired friend was practically over the moon, as she continued to observe the large, white bear with joy in her eyes.

A little while later, Flynn also managed to pull of the charm, his Patronus taking the shape of a dolphin swimming around happily in the air, doing elaborate acrobatic jumps and making excited clicking noises. That definitely made sense too…dolphins were extremely social as well as joyful, adventurous, and protective. Just like Flynn, Jack thought to himself with a fond smile as he observed the Patronus do another air jump.

Jack suddenly spotted a Patronus running past him, leaving a mass of white traces in its wake, and he didn't even have to look to confirm who it belonged to. The proud lioness that was currently roaring towards the sky could only belong to a certain blonde Viking girl.

After Defense against the Dark Arts, Jack and Merida had Quidditch practice, so after a quick, excited talk with Flynn and Hiccup about all of their Patronuses, they went back to the Gryffindor tower to change into their red and yellow Quidditch uniforms, before the two of them walked towards the Quidditch pitch, engaged in even more eager conversation about the class they had just had.

Astrid turned out to be a true slave driver today, working them extra hard to prepare them for the match against the Slytherins. No one complained though, as everyone was eager to win and willing to put in a lot of effort to achieve that. Luckily it didn't rain today, which made it a lot easier to stay focused and pull off the drills Astrid had planned for them. Jack really enjoyed being in the air on his broom, doing awesome maneuvers and yelling taunts at Merida as usual. Astrid remained concentrated throughout their practice and expertly led them through different scenarios that they needed to be prepared for, and once again Jack actually found himself admiring her natural abilities as a leader.

He still found it a bit…strange to be around her though, since things were now a little tense between her and Hiccup. Well, tense wasn't the right word…more like…weird. However, he was also relieved that he had no reason to be jealous of her anymore. Hiccup didn't feel that way about her and that actually made him like Astrid better than he had before, now that she wasn't a threat to his friendship with the Ravenclaw.

After practice, he was not just sweaty and dirty from the intense training but also feeling sore all over, his muscles aching from use. Many people probably didn't know it, but Quidditch was actually a lot of hard work, especially when you had to go at it for hours.

After saying goodbye to the rest of the team, he and Merida walked side by side, brooms in hand, back towards their dormitories. Their sweaty clothes began getting cold and clingy on their skin from the chilly autumn wind, and while he wasn't that affected by it (as usual), Merida began shivering a little.

They made their way towards the castle with brisk steps, both eager to get out of their wet, sticky clothes and get a nice, refreshing shower. When they reached the castle entrance, a gentle drizzle of rain had begun, and Jack found himself grateful that it was only starting now.

They quickly walked down the corridors, eagerly discussing Quidditch strategy and their expectations for that rematch against the Slytherins. When they reached the common room and entered, they split up and headed towards their separate dormitories to get cleaned up.

As he was standing in the shower, the warm water softly trickled down his pale skin, making his muscles relax. He closed his eyes and leaned his head under the running water, letting it soak his snow-white hair and trail down his face, leaving its warm, gentle touches on the skin. Then he leaned his head back again, quickly rubbed his eyes to remove a little water that was irritating his vision and then began focusing on washing his body. He grabbed the bottle of liquid soap and squirted a little of the fluid into his hands, before rubbing them together, creating soft white bubbles. As he gently moved his hands along his pale skin under the pleasantly warm water, his thoughts once again wandered to a certain brunet Ravenclaw. Not that that was unusual...he was thinking about Hiccup almost constantly these days.

Even though he still enjoyed his friend's company immensely and wanted to be near him all the time, it was sometimes really difficult to be around him, because of those thoughts that kept popping into his head. Ever since Hiccup had turned Astrid down and Jack had been pulled out of his depression and gotten..._somewhat_ back to normal, he had begun to get these...urges. He had had plenty of thoughts about kissing Hiccup, holding him, running his fingers through his hair and such, since he realized how he felt about the Viking boy, but this was different. These new thoughts and sensations weren't _just_ about his feelings towards his brunet friend, but also about his strong attraction to him...like how he sometimes found himself thinking about what it would be like to just...let his hands slide under Hiccup's clothes and allow his pale fingers to glide across that smooth skin, touching and exploring every single part of the dragon rider.

He felt his heart beat faster at that thought. Geez...why did he have to have such a hopeless crush?...It was_ frustrating_ that he couldn't do_ anything_ like that_. _It left him feeling...tense and dissatisfied. As the warm water kept running gently down his skin, he couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like to just...corner Hiccup somewhere secluded and kiss him deeply over and over, their mouths melting together, the wet, warm, sweet sensation making them both lose their minds, as they eagerly pulled each other's clothes off. He looked down himself and sighed. Well, that was just great...now he would need to take care of..._that_.

When he had tended to his '_problem_', he finished his shower and then quickly dried himself off with a soft towel and began putting on some dry, clean clothes.

This wasn't the first time he had had this particular..._issue_ in the past two weeks. In the beginning he had just tried to ignore it, because he felt so embarrassed about it, but then...he began to give in. The first time he had done something about it, he had cringed so much afterwards and felt his face heat up from the utter_ shame_. He had been horrified that he had just done..._that_...by thinking of his friend.

He really shouldn't have been surprised that these new thoughts began to enter his mind more and more though. After all...he had feelings for Hiccup and he was a 17 year old boy filled with hormones. It only made sense, even though he still felt_ really_ embarrassed by it...but it helped him deal with his emotions as he felt a lot calmer afterwards, because he was no longer quite as frustrated.

At least that was something.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: A FEW DAYS LATER

He had a headache and felt quite tired as he was making his way towards the Ravenclaw tower to change out of his school robes and into something more comfortable. He was meeting his friends by the lake, and he was really looking forward to being around them and getting some fresh air. Both of those things would definitely help with his headache and fatigue.

It had been a nice although fairly uneventful day today, and his last class had been Building, Managing and Repairing Magical Objects which he loved as usual. He had stayed a while after class and worked on the bow he was crafting for himself. He was almost finished with it and he was really looking forward to practicing archery side by side with Merida, where they could both shoot at the same time instead of taking turns. Now that he knew that Astrid and Merida both had weapons successfully hidden here, he didn't hesitate to have one too. It would be nice to have the option to just retreat into the forest and fire arrows, if he needed to get his mind off something. It was soothing for him just like sketching was.

As he walked down the corridors among a lot of other students, either on their way to more classes or finally enjoying some time off after a long day, a lot of people greeted him, waved at him and smiled. He returned the greetings politely, even if the attention still made him uncomfortable. It was true what his snow-haired friend had said a few days ago. It seemed that ever since he had begun hanging out with Jack and his friends his popularity had increased even more.

When he turned a corner and continued along another passageway, a person suddenly stepped in front of him, stopping him dead in his tracks. He observed the girl who had interrupted him and recognized her although he didn't know her name. From the look of her school robes, she was a Slytherin, and she was quite pretty, with pale skin, long, wavy dark brown hair and green eyes. Hiccup remembered having seen her around in classes and such, but had never had anything to do with her.

"Hi Hiccup." she said with a friendly smile. He still wasn't used to people knowing his name. It took him by surprise every time.

"Uhm…hi." he replied, shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

"Sarah." she said and smiled, having obviously picked up on the fact that he didn't know her name.

"Nice to meet you." he said politely, although it wasn't quite true. Sure, she seemed friendly but…he really wasn't too fond of being approached by strangers.

"How are you?" she asked, observing him curiously with those quite green eyes, as she adjusted her bag to hang more comfortably on her shoulder.

"I'm okay." he replied casually and shrugged.

He _definitely _wasn't. Quick emotional status update: how was he feeling? Awkward? Check. Anxious? Check. Self-conscious? Check. Great…so just like _any _other time this sort of interaction had ever happened. _Ever_.

"Can I ask you something?" Sarah said and a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

No.

"Yeah, sure?" he ended up saying. He wasn't rude after all. He was just hoping that it wouldn't be about dragons…or himself…but that was a slim chance.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me some time? There's a trip to Hogsmeade this weekend, so if you want, we could spend some time together?" Sarah asked rather confidently. She didn't seem shy or nervous like most girls who approached him these days.

Unlike Sarah though, he was _definitely_ feeling shy now. No matter how many girls passed him notes, smiled at him or asked him out, he would_ never_ get used to it and that feeling of self-consciousness and embarrassment would _never_ cease to pop up in these situations.

"Uhmm…" he said hesitantly. "Thanks…you seem like a nice person, but…I'm not really looking to date right now." he finished and gave her a small smile, doing his best to let her down gently.

"Oh…okay." Sarah said, obviously disappointed by his answer. "Well…if you change your mind, come find me." she then told him and smiled warmly, before winking at him and turning around, walking away down the corridor.

He felt a blush creep into his cheeks. Girls should_ never _be allowed to wink at him…that was like…one of the ultimate awkwardness triggers.

He looked at Sarah walking away for a few moments, before pulling himself out of his own weirdness. Just as he decided to continue on his way to the Ravenclaw tower, he heard a familiar, very angry voice behind him.

"Haddock."

He sighed and turned around to face McGowan. What did _he_ want? He was already feeling the annoyance swirl inside him, because he now had to deal with this jerk. That was never good.

McGowan was standing a little distance away from him with Levin by his side as usual. The large Gryffindor's body language was very tense. His fists were clenched, his eyes were narrowed and his forehead furrowed. Hiccup had obviously done something to piss him off, but what? They hadn't even interacted in any way since that potions class on their first day of classes after the summer and thank Thor for that.

"What?" Hiccup asked impatiently, crossing his arms in a defensive manner. He didn't want to play games and he didn't care about being polite in this situation.

McGowan took a few steps towards him, slowly and menacingly. Hiccup wasn't intimidated though and he kept his cool, neutral facial expression in place.

"Why were you talking to Sarah?" McGowan demanded to know, his voice laced with annoyance. The large guy was observing him with those narrowed eyes that were currently filled with anger.

Ah, okay…

Great…jealousy._ Just_ what he needed. A large brute of a guy with a temper problem, who apparently thought he was hitting on the girl he liked. Well…this encounter just got unpredictable…if there was something that could make people lose their mind it was jealousy…and revenge.

"She came over to talk to me." he explained calmly, not breaking eye contact with the big guy in front of him. He _refused_ to back down first. He hadn't done anything wrong.

"You stay away from her, Haddock. I'm not kidding." McGowan spat and crossed his arms.

"Okay…_not_ really a problem, since I'm not interested in her?" he replied casually and shrugged. McGowan could have Sarah all to himself. He didn't even know the girl, so why would he care?

"Do you think I'm stupid?" the large Gryffindor growled at him.

Yes. _Definitely_ yes.

Despite his thoughts, Hiccup chose to remain silent, not wanting to escalate the situation. As usual, he would try to stay calm. If there was going to be some kind of conflict, he was _not _going to be the one who started it.

The air was thick with tension between them, but Hiccup just watched the two Gryffindors with neutral eyes, waiting for them to decide if they wanted to move along or keep bothering him.

"Just don't _ever_ talk to her again, or we'll have a_ real_ problem." McGowan sneered, his nose wrinkling in disgust as he chased the quietness away.

Hiccup felt the irritation grow inside him at that moment. Of course he didn't plan on spending any time with Sarah, but he _really_ didn't like being threatened and especially not over something _this _stupid.

"And what if _she_ talks to me again? Is that somehow my fault as well?" he asked the large, annoyed guy in front of him and tilted his head a little in a questioning and irritated gesture.

"Look, it's very simple…you stay away from her or you get my fist in your face." McGowan told him and now his demeanor had changed. He practically seemed bored, as if he had made that kind of threat a million times in his life…which he probably had. He_ was_ a bully after all…well known for bothering other students on a regular basis.

"You know…I'm my own person." Hiccup stated, remaining calm and collected, although his voice had taken on an icy tone now.

"Are you seriously giving me shit right now? Are you_ that_ stupid, Haddock? Don't you remember what we did to you in our second year? Do you _really_ want that to happen again?" McGowan immediately spat, narrowing his eyes threateningly.

"I remember it _vividly_. I just don't appreciate being threatened." he replied coolly.

Hiccup glanced to his side and noticed that several students had now stopped in their tracks to observe his discussion with McGowan. Great…_Just _what he needed right now.

"Oh really?" McGowan sneered and then took a few more steps towards Hiccup in another attempt to intimidate him. It didn't work though. Levin was still standing a little behind his friend for obvious goon-support.

Hiccup still made sure to not break eye contact or back down in any way. He was_ so_ sick of dealing with these kinds of people for years now. They always thought they could just get anything they wanted through threats. Well, that was _not _going to work with him.

The adrenaline began shooting through his body, as he mentally prepared himself for what was probably about to come, if McGowan's body language was any indication. He could instantly feel the quick bursts of energy that spread through him, causing his heart to beat faster and his senses to become hyper-aware. His mind quickly flipped through different scenarios of how this could play out.

"Yes, really." he said icily, keeping his collected demeanor in place, although the adrenaline surges were making his body feel restless from the excess energy. He instinctually placed his feet so it would be easy to dodge an attack. If they were going to do something, he would be prepared for it.

McGowan's face contorted in rage and Hiccup's assessment of the situation was confirmed. Thank the gods that he was used to fighting people bigger than him. He would need that experience now.

The large Gryffindor lunged at him. A fist swung towards him. Hiccup jumped to the side. The punch meant for his face came rushing through the air next to his head in a blur of knuckles.

Gasps and hushed voices erupted all around him.

McGowan charged towards him. He attempted to land a blow on his head.

Drop to one knee. Jump to the side. Get up. Don't let him get close enough.

McGowan turned around, and Levin came lunging at him all of the sudden.

A fist came flying towards him. He jerked away to avoid a hard smack in the face.

Right after Levin had tried to hit him, Hiccup moved in and kicked him hard in the stomach. Levin had the air knocked out of him and stumbled back a little.

McGowan once again threw himself at him trying to get a hit in.

Hiccup sprang to the side and whirled around. Then a force from behind slammed him violently into the stone wall. A jolt of pain shot through his spine. McGowan turned around and planted a fist in his face.

The pain rushed through Hiccup's nose and cheek. He saw spots. His mind temporarily went blank.

He was grabbed by the shoulders, spun around and shoved brutally against the wall face first. Sharp jabs of pain rushed through his nose and mouth. Warm blood seeped from his nose, leaving a wet trail down to his chin. A familiar metallic taste spread through his mouth.

His mind refocused. He shoved his elbow backwards brutally into McGowan's gut, while stepping hard on one of his feet. The grip on his shoulders was instantly released.

He whirled around. A fist shot through the air heading for his face.

Hiccup ducked, air rushing through his hair.

Drop down. Grab his legs. Knock him off balance. Get him down.

McGowan crashed to the stone floor. The air was knocked out of him. A pained hiss escaped the large boy.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Levin moving. He turned. Levin moved his arm to start a punch. Hiccup quickly evaded the larger boy and then kicked him on the kneecap with full force. A cry of agony came. The large boy's legs wobbled.

Hiccup launched a fist hard on the guy's nose. A cracking sound. The feel of knuckles breaking hard cartilage. He kneed him in the gut, shoving his kneecap into the skin and organs. Levin stumbled backwards, gasping for air, his eyes wide and his legs even more unsure now.

A sharp pain spread through Hiccup's knuckles. His heart pounded in his chest.

The sound of footsteps.

He turned his head. McGowan had recovered and came towards him, his face scrunched in rage. He swung his fist and tried to hit him.

Hiccup ducked and the Gryffindor's fist met the stone wall instead. An angry, painful shout erupted. Hiccup wrenched himself upright and whirled around the large boy. He shoved McGowan brutally into the wall face first.

He glanced at Levin, who was now moving again. Before the Gryffindor could swing a punch or a kick, Hiccup planted a fist in the guy's face. More pain surged through his knuckles. Levin staggered back and swayed and his mouth and nose were bleeding, leaving crimson trails down his face.

Hiccup watched him for a few moments, waiting for the guy to make a move or give up. He didn't want to fight unless he_ needed _to. He was breathing heavily. His heart was beating incredibly fast. The adrenaline and the anticipation of more fighting streamed through his body.

"You fucking little shit" he heard McGowan say in disgust. He turned around. The big Gryffindor quickly closed the distance between them and lunged at him, eager to bash his face in.

Before McGowan was close enough to do anything, he surprised him by suddenly jumping towards him and then kicked him hard in the stomach. The large boy stumbled into one of the stone walls. Hiccup used this to his advantage. He shoved the guy into the wall once again, and then swept one foot behind McGowan's legs and knocked him off balance.

McGowan landed hard on his back and grunted in pain.

Levin had had time to pull himself together, while Hiccup dealt with McGowan. He came towards him. A punch was launched, aiming for his nose, but the guy's injuries left the fist less powerful. Hiccup grabbed the hand in a tight grip. He was fighting two enemies, he needed to incapacitate one of them. He pulled the fingers back in one forceful move. The sound of bones breaking filled the air. Levin howled in pain and slumped down on the floor instantly.

More gasps and scattered outbursts from all around him reached his ears.

"You broke my fucking fingers!" the Gryffindor shouted in what sounded like equal amounts of rage, pain and disbelief.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw McGowan getting up from the floor. After a brief moment of steadying himself, the large boy ran towards him, roaring in anger, his hand clenched tightly.

Block the punch. Shove him away.

The large boy took a few steps back, unsure on his feet, and then Hiccup saw the opening to end this. He sprang into action and kicked McGowan hard in the ribs. A loud, sickening cracking noise erupted. A pained scream escaped the large Gryffindor, echoing through the corridors. He instantly dropped to the floor like a limp puppet.

Hiccup glanced at Levin whose narrowed eyes and wrinkled noise was clearly conveying the rage he was feeling on the inside, but he was not moving to get up.

Hiccup took a deep breath and was relieved that this was over, although he really didn't like having to fight someone like this…and especially not in the middle of the goddamn hallways.

He was breathing heavily and erratically from all the fighting and his body was feeling sore, but the surges of adrenaline hadn't stopped coursing through his veins, so he was still restless and hyper-aware. The taste of blood lingered in his mouth and the wet sensation under his nose and from his lip to his chin told him that he probably had quite a lot of the crimson liquid on his face.

His green eyes quickly began to dart around his surroundings and took in all the students who had been watching his little…encounter with the two Gryffindors. They were now gaping at him in shock, some of them whispering to each other, other's just staring at him with wide eyes. He began to feel extremely self-conscious, as he was practically being _studied_ by all of these people.

"What on earth is going on here?!" professor Bunnymund's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and he snapped his head towards the sound. The stern, Australian professor was standing next to some of the students with his arms crossed, eying Hiccup intently. He did _not _look pleased at all.

Hiccup sighed. Great…now he might be expelled because two jerks decided to attack him in the hallways.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

After classes he and his three Gryffindor friends had gone to their usual spot by the lake. A blanket of clouds in different grey nuances was spread across the autumn sky, and the air was getting chillier each day, signaling the coming of winter, much to Jack's delight. His friends had all worn coats outside for a long time now, but Jack had only recently begun to put on his black jacket when he left the castle. Sure, he had a very high tolerance to cold, but he wasn't _immune_ to it and the temperature had dropped a lot in the last week.

As he sat on one of the blankets they always brought with them down to the lake, he and his friends were discussing the newest homicidal plant that Flynn and Mavis had had to deal with in herbology.

Suddenly Merida's and Flynn's heads snapped towards something, causing Jack's and Mavis' attention to be pulled towards that direction as well. A person was approaching them, running across the moist grass, brown jacket flapping in the wind. Jack instantly recognized Jim who was obviously in a hurry to get to them. He had no idea what to expect from this. What was going on?

When Jim was by their side, they all looked at him expectantly in silence, eager to hear whatever it was he had to tell them. The brunet was panting from running and took a few moments to catch his breath before he spoke.

"Guys, I think you should go find Hiccup." Jim told them quickly, still slightly breathless.

Jack instantly felt concern turning his stomach to knots.

"What? Has something happened to him?" He blurted out, unable to keep the worry out of his voice.

"Well" Jim began to explain, his eyes darting back and forth between them. "He was attacked by McGowan and Levin in the hallways, but-"

"What!?" all four of them exclaimed in unison, interrupting Jim, who shut up immediately. Jack felt the anger roil violently in his gut and he clenched his fists by his sides.

"_But_" Jim tried again. "Apparently he managed to take them down. The whole school's talking about it." He finished and now he almost seemed a little giddy by this.

Jack instantly turned his head towards Mavis, Flynn and Merida. "We need to go." he told them and they all nodded and quickly got to their feet.

The five Gryffindors ran towards the castle, wanting to get to Hiccup and find out everything that had happened. Jack asked Jim if he knew if Hiccup was okay, but Jim told him that he had no idea. Jack felt the hostility and the worry thrash inside him. He _really really_ hoped that Hiccup wasn't hurt…and if those idiots weren't expelled for this, then he would make damn sure that they _never_ touched him again.

When they reached the castle entrance, Jack stopped and turned to Jim.

"Do you have any idea where he is?" he asked his brunet friend.

"I heard that professor Bunnymund took him to see professor Lunar, so I guess he's at his office?" Jim replied.

Jack nodded. "Let's go" he told the others and they all walked briskly through the corridors towards the headmaster's office in silence. Jack's thoughts were swirling in his head and he was impatient to see Hiccup to find out if he was hurt.

They moved down more hallways and up more staircases until they reached the third floor. The familiar gargoyle entrance to the headmaster's office came into view, and as they approached, Jack spotted Rapunzel and Fishlegs waiting next to the entrance. He picked up the pace, eager to get to them and find out if they knew anything. His friends followed his increase in tempo.

Fishlegs and Rapunzel turned their heads towards them, when they heard them approach.

"You guys have any idea what happened?" Jack quickly asked the two Ravenclaws, when he and the others were standing in front of them.

"We heard from some other students that Hiccup was attacked and that he defended himself against McGowan and Levin." Fishlegs quickly explained.

"So you haven't seen him? You don't know if he's okay?" Jack asked, not bothering to hide the concern he was feeling on the inside.

"No." Rapunzel replied and her green eyes conveyed that she was just as worried as he was. "From what we've _heard _he isn't badly hurt, but we're not allowed to go in there." she added and glanced towards the entrance to the headmaster's office. "Apparently professor Bunnymund and headmaster Lunar are talking to Hiccup and some of the students that saw the whole thing."

"Do you know where McGowan and Levin are now?" Flynn asked the two Ravenclaws, voicing something that Jack also wanted to know.

"No." Fishlegs replied. Rapunzel shook her head to indicate that she didn't know either.

"They're in the hospital wing" Jim then said, causing everyone to turn their heads to look at him. "Apparently Hiccup hurt them _pretty _badly."

"Good." Jack said in satisfaction.

"Yeah." Merida quickly agreed.

"Did you guys know that he is like…good at fighting?" Jim asked them curiously, his eyes a little wide with excitement now.

Jack chuckled. "Yeah…we knew that."

Jim nodded. "Although I'm _pretty_ sure everyone's exaggerating…you know how it is with gossip. They're practically making him sound like some kind of ninja."

"He's not a ninja, Jim…he's a Viking." Jack told his brunet friend, and he felt a tug of affection in his chest as he said those words.

"Huh…Well, I never expected him to be able to do something like _that_…" Jim replied and now he had a thoughtful look on his face.

_'__There's always more' _Hiccup's words echoed in his mind.

"Trust me, Jim. He's full of surprises" Jack said and a fond smile graced his lips, as he briefly thought about all the times in their friendship when Hiccup had surprised him in some way.

The seven teens waited close to the gargoyle entrance for about an hour, trying to pass the time by talking, although they were all pretty impatient to see Hiccup for themselves. Jack and his Gryffindor friends were sitting on the floor, leaning against one of the stone walls, while Fishlegs and Rapunzel were standing in front of them, apparently not wanting to sit down. Jack and the other Gryffindors had taken their coats off and thrown them in a pile next to where they were sitting.

Suddenly their attention was pulled towards the gargoyle entrance, as that circular staircase behind it began to move and a very familiar brunet Ravenclaw descended the stairs.

"Hiccup!" Rapunzel exclaimed and immediately rushed to her friend's side with Fishlegs right behind her.

Jack quickly got to his feet, as did the others, and they all moved towards the dragon rider at a fast pace. As Jack took in Hiccup's appearance he felt a strong mix of anger and relief. Hiccup was obviously not seriously injured and he was very relieved by that, but a large, angry, dark red bruise marred the right side of his face, from under one eye to most of the cheek, he had dried blood caked under his nose and his lip was split, a fairly deep looking wound that appeared almost black with dark blood, leaving a red trail down to his chin.

Hiccup smiled fondly at Rapunzel and Fishlegs as they approached, but he immediately winced and hissed a little when Rapunzel threw herself at him and wrapped her arm around him.

"Sorry." Rapunzel instantly said, regret evident on her face as she took a few steps back. "What's wrong?"

Jack and his four friends had now also reached Hiccup and were standing in a sort of half-circle in front of him.

"I just…have some bruises on my back and you kind of…put a lot of pressure on them." Hiccup told her with a small smile, obviously to reassure the blonde girl that she hadn't hurt him too much.

"Sorry." Rapunzel repeated sheepishly and wrung her hands a little.

"Hic, are you okay?" Jack asked in concern, looking over the Ravenclaw for any injuries he might not have discovered yet.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Hiccup replied, sounding quite calm, as if this whole situation didn't really affect him that much. Fishlegs gave the brunet a gentle squeeze on one shoulder and Hiccup turned his head and gave the chubby Viking a small smile.

"I guess your theory that bullies were at least smart enough to not attack someone out in the open was sort of shot down, huh?" Fishlegs then told Hiccup.

"Yeah, well…usually they_ are_, but…jealousy makes people do insane, irrational things." Hiccup replied and then shrugged.

"Jealousy? What happened?" Jack asked, wanting to hear Hiccup's side of the story and get some answers.

"Some girl asked me out and apparently McGowan has a thing for her or something…I don't even know what the story is there…but anyway, after she left he began threatening me and telling me that if I ever talked to her again, he would bash my face in…I tried to keep myself calm but I told him that I don't like being threatened…so him and Levin decided to come at me." Hiccup explained, gesturing with his hands.

"Those jerks" Jack spat angrily and he narrowed his blue eyes a little. His friends muttered several annoyed words of agreement form all around him, everyone irritated that those idiots had bothered Hiccup.

"Yeah, they really are." Hiccup agreed and nodded.

"Well, we're really relieved you're okay Hiccup." Flynn said genuinely and all the other teens nodded eagerly to show that they agreed.

"Thanks." Hiccup replied, as he looked at Flynn with appreciation in his green eyes.

"You're not going to get in trouble because of this, are you?" Rapunzel asked Hiccup uncertainly, shifting her weight from one leg to the other.

"No." Hiccup shook his head. "There were a lot of witnesses and they told headmaster Lunar that it was self-defense. It seems like McGowan and Levin are going to get expelled though."

"About time." Jack said and Flynn quickly muttered a "Yeah."

"It's not the first time they've been starting fights…and it's always with people smaller than them" he added, remembering the times he'd seen them threaten other students or hearing that they'd been involved in a fight.

"I know." Hiccup told him, now sounding quite tired. He rubbed his eyes for a brief moment.

"What? You know?"

"Yeah..." Hiccup said hesitantly. Jack did not like where this was going.

"What are you not telling us?"

Hiccup sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I probably shouldn't have said that…anyway, you might as well know. Twice in our second year McGowan and some of his friends beat me up…and I _don't _mean like a single kick or punch, but _really_…beat me up."

"What?" Jack asked in disbelief, furrowing his forehead. He felt the anger swirl inside him, as he thought about what Hiccup had just told him.

"You heard me."

"How did they _not _get expelled for that?" Mavis asked, unable to keep the irritation out of her usually kind and gentle voice.

"They got some of their friends to cover for them and tell the professors that they'd been with them all night. There was no proof." Hiccup shrugged.

"Except for Hiccup's blood and bruises!" Rapunzel spat angrily, surprising everyone with her sudden hostile outburst, as that was very out of character for her.

Hiccup's eyes softened. "I'm fine now" he said reassuringly to his friend, while squeezing her shoulder gently.

"I know, I know…" Rapunzel said, sounding more resigned than angry now. Fishlegs gave Hiccup's shoulder a small squeeze, mirroring Hiccup's action towards Rapunzel. This caused the brunet to smile softly at his other friend. Jack felt renewed fondness towards Fishlegs and Rapunzel. They were great friends.

"There was actually blood?" Merida asked with a confused look. "How come no one saw or heard anything?"

"It was in an isolated place. I'd gone there to think some things over, and they sort of ambushed me".

"Cowards" Jack muttered angrily. He still felt the violent waves of anger and hostility crash inside him. It was a good thing that it seemed like they'd never have to deal with those morons ever again.

"Yeah, they were…" Hiccup agreed.

"Well, it's great that you managed to kick their asses now, Hic…Now people know not to mess with you." he told the brunet with a small smile.

"Yeah, that's good." Merida agreed and nodded.

"That's_ not_ good." Hiccup told them.

"What? Why not?" Jack asked, tilting his head a little. Why wouldn't that be a good thing?

"Now people know that I can handle myself in a fight, so if anyone _wants _to mess with me they'll be prepared for that…it's _always_ better to have people underestimate you."

Jack nodded. "That makes sense…" he told his Viking friend. He really didn't like that it made sense though, as that meant someone who might potentially bother Hiccup would know what to expect from him.

"How did you even manage to win, Hiccup? Those two are_ huge_." Jim asked in curiosity and with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, they're big guys…and they're definitely a lot stronger than me…but they don't have any real experience. All they've done all these years is beat up people smaller than them, who didn't know how to fight either." Hiccup explained.

"Yeah. The size of an opponent actually doesn't matter that much, if you have experience and they don't." Fishlegs said, gesturing eagerly with his hands.

"Well, it's impressive nonetheless." Jim told Hiccup with a certain respect in his voice.

"Thanks…although I wish it could have been avoided." Hiccup replied and Jack could see the conflicted emotions in his green eyes.

"Jim told us they're in the hospital wing. How badly hurt are they?" Merida asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"Uhm…well, they're not _that _hurt, but they're definitely going to need some healing, because I broke a few bones."

"You broke bones?" Flynn asked in disbelief, expressing the surprise that Jack also felt inside.

"Yeah, well…they were two against one and much bigger than me, so I needed to incapacitate them somehow…it had to be enough to make them stay down."

"Well who cares if they're hurt?" Merida said and the other teens seemed to quickly agree. Jack understood Hiccup's conflicting emotions, but he also didn't care much about McGowan's and Levin's wellbeing.

"Come on guys…Even when it's in self-defense and they're jerks, I don't like actually hurting people, so…I did what I needed to end the fight but nothing more." Hiccup told them.

"Yeah, we know, Hiccup." Rapunzel said softly and words of agreement were uttered among the other teens.

They stayed there by the entrance to the headmaster's office for a little while longer, as they asked Hiccup more questions about what had happened. The brunet explained everything that occurred between him and McGowan and Levin, like how he'd gotten that bruise and the blood on his face. Jack felt incredibly grateful in that moment that Hiccup knew how to fight and defend himself…if he hadn't, he would be seriously injured by now instead of having the fairly limited damage he currently had. He still felt worried about him though…there was bound to be pain from all of this and once again in his life, Hiccup had had to deal with jerks who wanted to hurt him somehow.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

As he slowly walked along one of the large stone hallways, feeling the bruises on his back protesting from any kind of movement, he thought about how he could definitely use some sleep right now, even though his mind was still kind of swirling with thoughts and images about the fight. McGowan and Levin hadn't left him a choice, but he still really wished that it could have been avoided. He didn't like fighting people when it was serious and not just practice.

He had let his friends know that he was going to get a change of clothes and then rest a little, as being in a fight had been exhausting. Now that he was calming down from all the adrenaline shooting through his body and the aftermath of the whole thing, he was sensing the tiredness taking over him. Many people didn't know that even a short fight would drain almost anyone, because of the combination of hard physical activity and adrenaline bursts that stresses the body.

He had left his friends by the entrance to headmaster Lunar's office. They were apparently going to spend some time together, probably by the lake as usual, and were beginning to head out, when he said goodbye to them and went in the other direction towards the Ravenclaw tower. He hadn't gotten far down one of the corridors though, before he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Hic."

He stopped in his tracks and then turned around to face Jack, who was standing a little distance behind him.

"Yeah?" he asked his pale friend curiously, not really sure what Jack wanted, since they had just seen each other a few moments ago.

"You need to get cleaned up." Jack said, observing his damaged face with worry in his piercing, blue eyes.

"Yeah, I know…I'll take care of it." he told him and shrugged, not wanting him to be concerned. After all…the damage was minor.

"Come here…I'll help you" Jack told him with a small smile, motioning with his hand.

"That's okay, I can do it myself" he replied, not wanting to be a burden. After all…he'd cleaned his own wounds many times during the years, so it was no big deal.

"Hic, just…let me help you, okay? I want to do something to help." Jack said insistently, and Hiccup recognized that feeling from himself…whenever one of his friends was hurting somehow, he wanted to do something to help too…no matter how small a thing it might be.

"Okay." he replied softly and nodded a few times. If it would make Jack feel better, then he would let him clean his wounds, even though it wasn't really necessary.

A fond smile spread across Jack's face and Hiccup was happy that his white-haired friend was already feeling less worried, now that he had agreed to let him help him. It warmed his heart that Jack was _this_ concerned about him, and it reminded him that Jack really was one of the kindest people he knew.

"Come on." the pale teen said and motioned with one hand for Hiccup to follow him, as he turned around and began walking down the corridor.

He followed Jack along the hallway for a few moments, before they came to the door of one of the bathrooms. Jack opened the door and they both went inside. It was one of the larger bathrooms in the castle, with plenty of stalls, a few large stone pillars and a lot of sinks placed in a circle in the middle of the room. Behind the sinks, large arch windows let sunlight stream through, illuminating the room in a warm glow, making the fairly cold stone surroundings seem less dull and uninviting. Underneath the windows there were several low, stone window sills and Hiccup approached them and then sat down on one of them and pulled his legs up, sitting cross-legged.

He turned his head and watched Jack, who was standing by the sinks and had taken one of the little bowls the soaps were placed in. The white-haired teen removed the soap and rinsed the bowl under the running tap, before filling it with clean water. Then he carried the bowl towards the window sill where Hiccup was sitting, put it down and then walked away towards one of the little, brown cupboards in the corner of the room, where the bathroom supplies were stocked. He opened it and pulled out some tissue paper, before closing it again and approaching Hiccup.

Hiccup watched as Jack placed himself in front of him on the low stone windowsill, also sitting cross-legged. Jack met his eyes and Hiccup smiled softly at his friend even though the action hurt a little due to the damage on his lip. Jack ripped out some of the tissue paper from the packet, crumbled it into an uneven ball and dipped it slightly in the water in the small bowl.

Jack scooted a little closer and then extended his arm towards him with the paper in one hand. Hiccup felt the wet, paper leaving cooling touches on his skin, as Jack slowly began to scrub gently under his nose to remove the dried blood that had caked there. The Gryffindor went through several of those wet, crumbled pieces of paper, forming a small pile of red stained paper next to them, before he had successfully cleaned all the blood off from under Hiccup's nose.

"One down, two to go." Jack told him with a gentle smile on his lips.

Hiccup nodded in response and returned the smile. Despite the fact that this wasn't really necessary, it was a nice, heartwarming gesture that Jack was cleaning him up. It spoke volumes of how close they'd really grown and how much Jack cared about his wellbeing.

Once again the white-haired teen pulled out some paper, crumbled it and then dipped it in the cold, clear water, before he reached out his hand towards Hiccup again and swiftly removed the trail of blood his split lip had left down to his chin. As Jack removed the paper again, the air coming into contact with the remaining water lingering on his skin, made him feel a little tingling chill.

Jack briefly got to his feet and grabbed the small pile of bloodstained paper next to them. He briskly walked towards the bin and threw them out, before once again placing himself in front of Hiccup. He took the packet of tissue paper again and pulled out more clean paper.

The only thing left for Jack to clean up was his damaged lip, which was an actual wound and not just dried blood. As soon as the Gryffindor placed a touch on the split lip, he winced a little because of the sharp sting from the wound.

"Sorry." Jack said apologetically, furrowing his brow in concern and temporarily retracting his hand.

"It's fine." he reassured his friend. After all, it was just stinging a little.

Jack nodded in response and then once again reached out and placed the cold, wet paper against his wounded skin. The stinging sensation was immediately back, but he restrained himself and avoided wincing, now that he was prepared for it. It wasn't that bad and he didn't want Jack to worry.

He scratched the back of his head a few times, while Jack removed the paper from his lip, to get some new, clean paper once again. They were going through quite _a lot_ of paper doing this.

Then Jack carefully leaned in towards him, his forehead creased in concentration, as he began meticulously cleaning the wound, doing it very slowly and gently, obviously to avoid causing him more pain. The pale teen bit his lip as a result of his focus on his current task and his blue eyes were observing the wound intently, as he continued to move the paper softly across it to rinse it.

When his friend leaned in even more to get a better look at the damaged skin, Hiccup realized just how close their faces were to each other. Jack had never been _this_ close to him before…

His heartbeat sped up rapidly and he stopped breathing for a few moments. Something fluttered _vigorously_ in his stomach, making nervousness and excitement flow through his entire being, as Jack continued to remain _so_ close to his face and placed soft, caring touches on his lip. This was so…strangely intimate and gentle. As he began breathing again, he inhaled and exhaled a little erratically, and some kind of anxious but bubbly anticipation began spreading inside him, making his entire body restless and nervous.

His heart beat faster and faster in his chest, and suddenly _all _he could think about was how _close_ Jack was to him and how easy it would be to just…get rid of that annoying distance between them and…

_What!? _His mind suddenly screamed at him.

His green eyes widened in sudden and anxiety inducing realization. No…no no no….not _that_…anything but _that_!

An anxious, sharp intake of breath from this shocking revelation drew his friend's attention.

"Sorry." Jack muttered, still focusing on cleaning his damaged lip, having apparently mistaken his panic as pain, which he was _incredibly_ grateful for.

He felt the anxiety churn inside him, spreading through his body, making the nausea rise inside him, invading his stomach with its uneasy, horrible presence. He sat still to not alert Jack that anything was wrong, even though his heart pounded so much in his chest from the stress of this epiphany that it threatened to jump right out…but he _forced_ himself not to react outwardly in _any _way.

His mind, however, was racing now. Scattered, confused, panicked thoughts whirled through his head at incredible speed, and he tuned out the feeling of Jack's touch on his wound.

How…_how_ had this slipped past his defense mechanisms without him even knowing? How could he _not _have seen this coming?

It all made sense now…

Gods, it was so_ obvious_! All those…_weird _moments with Jack, where he'd felt something that he couldn't quite explain but then just dismissed it as a result of his awkward personality…all those times Jack had touched him and it had left that comforting, lingering warmth…the way his heart would feel a tug of affection whenever Jack gave him one of those soft, caring smiles…the way he would feel all happy and warm inside whenever he heard his bubbly laughter…the way he wanted to be around him all the time…

The anxiety streaming through every cell in his body increased and the nausea in his stomach sank its claws even deeper into him.

Okay…

He _really _needed to calm down. _Now_. He needed to think rationally about this and he also couldn't let Jack see that he was currently having an inner freak out.

He closed his eyes for a few moments and just tried his best to relax and will the panic away. He focused on steadying his breathing to calm himself a little and opened his eyes again. Even though the confusion and the anxiety were still roiling inside him, he felt the panic lessen. It was a good thing that he was used to self-control…if not, he might have just run off right now to get as far away from Jack as possible.

His friend was still occupied with cleaning the blood away and apparently hadn't noticed the turmoil Hiccup was currently going through. Thank the gods for that! He_ really_ didn't need any questions right now...He had enough trouble with his _own_ thoughts.

He had no idea how to deal with this…

He began to wring his hands a little to keep himself occupied with _something_, while his thoughts were rushing through his mind and his heart was still beating rapidly as a result of this sudden realization.

The more he thought about it, the more he got a sinking feeling in his stomach.

This was _horrible_…this had the potential to completely _destroy _their friendship, if he wasn't careful. This was…_really _dangerous emotional territory.

_Why_ did this have to happen? This was…this was..._not _supposed to happen.

Jack had apparently finished cleaning his split lip without him even noticing as he was too occupied with the confused thoughts and feelings raging inside him. The white-haired teen leaned back once more, creating distance between them. Hiccup was incredibly relieved about that.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jack asked him, tilting his head a little and furrowing his brow.

No.

In no way whatsoever…in no _possible_ definition of the word.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he replied, making sure to keep his voice steady, covering up the anxiety that still hadn't subsided completely. He couldn't really meet Jack's eyes though. "I uhh…just…need some time to think." he finished honestly, but naturally Jack had no idea what he needed to think about. His friend was probably going to assume that it was about this whole fighting thing.

Jack nodded slowly in understanding, a small smile gracing his lips. Hiccup knew that just like Rapunzel and Fishlegs, Jack didn't like it when he isolated himself. Right now though, he didn't know what else to do…he needed to find _some_ way of figuring all this out…

"Okay…that's fine" his friend told him. "I'll see you later then, Hic".

Hiccup got to his feet quickly, eager to leave and be alone with this. He met Jack's eyes briefly.

"Yeah, see you…and…thanks Jack" he told him before turning away from him and walking briskly towards the door.

He hurried down several corridors as fast as he could without running, not looking _anyone_ in the eye or returning any of the greetings that were spoken to him. He just needed to get away from here. Right now. The more he thought about this new situation, the more horrible he felt inside, because of the hopelessness of it all.

As he made his way outside the castle from the main entrance, the anxiety had melted away and was replaced with sadness and anger bubbling inside him. He clenched his fists as he kept walking in a fast pace across the grass. He was _so _angry with himself right now that he couldn't even_ begin_ to describe it. His mind began to scold him, as it always did when he got that sting of self-loathing. This was an _awful_ situation and he had put _himself _in it.

Gods…really, Hiccup? Really!? that angry voice in his head said to him.

This is what you do? You let your guard down so much that something like this grows inside you!?

Sure, why not? I mean…it's not like you're the future leader of a Viking tribe and live in another country…and your life is just_ so_ easy and casual that you obviously need _more _complications in it, right?

Wrong!

How_ stupid_ was this? How could he have let this happen? He should have seen this sooner…should have done something to keep it away…should have kept up his walls somehow…

The _last _thing he needed was to have unrequited feelings for one of his closest_ guy_ friends and end up getting hurt. He did not need_ more_ hurt.

He should have broke-

He stopped that thought before finishing it.

Maybe…no…he couldn't have done that no matter what.

He sighed deeply to himself and continued to walk with angry, brisk steps towards the forest area around the lake. He had a specific destination in mind, and the longer he walked, the more the sadness and frustration built up inside him to the point where he thought he might actually explode from all these horrible emotions streaming through his entire being. His mind continued to yell angrily at him for letting this happen and he just…let the awful thoughts continue, because he definitely deserved _all of it_.

You couldn't just have feelings for Astrid or some other girl back home like a normal Viking, could you Hiccup? That frustrated voice said.

You just _had _to go and develop feelings for a_ guy_…who's not_ just_ straight and could never actually return your feelings, but who isn't even from the same part of the world or the same culture…By Odin, you really _are _an idiot. You've just opened yourself up to _more_ emotional damage. Well done.

You know…I thought you were supposed to be intelligent? Isn't that what you always comforted yourself with, whenever people called you useless and made you feel like you weren't even worth the dirt under their fingernails? That at least you were smart and observant…at least you had brains. Well, apparently you don't even have_ that_ anymore, since you weren't even aware of what was going on in your _own_ damn mind.

He reached the forest area and walked through the trees, the dried leaves and twigs cracking and snapping under his frustrated footsteps. After walking for about 10 minutes, letting his mind continue to fill him with horrible thoughts and clenching and unclenching his fists, he found the spot, where he and Merida practiced archery. He quickly located that hollow tree, where Merida hid her bow and her arrows, and he crouched down, took them out, walked a few steps away from the tree and immediately started to fire arrows into a nearby, large oak tree.

Every arrow launched from the bow and landing in the tree with a loud "thud" was a show of his hopelessness and depression and frustration and with each arrow he fired the amount of force he put behind it increased. Every time he drew the bow, his back protested from the use of muscles for this act, as he was still damaged from the fight, but he really could _not_ bring himself to care.

Gods, he was so stupid!

*Thud!*

This was just…

*Thud!*

Unbelievable!

*Thud!*

How was he even supposed to be around Jack now?

*Thud!*

This might actually ruin their friendship.

*Thud!*

This was going to _hurt_.

*Thud!*

This was going to complicate his future _even more_.

*Thud!*

*Thud!*

*Thud!*

*Thud!*

He wasn't sure how long he spent just firing arrows, retrieving them and then firing them again, but it had to have been over an hour, as it began to get dark in the forest. He put away the bow and the arrows in their usual place in the hollow tree and decided that after a quick stop by the dormitories to leave a note for Fishlegs and Rapunzel, he would head straight to Toothless. He was going to skip dinner…in fact, skip_ any_ social interaction for the rest of the day to just be around his best friend. He didn't want Fishlegs and Rapunzel to worry when they couldn't find him though, so he needed to leave them a note saying that he was okay but needed some time alone. He wanted comfort right now, but he did_ not_ want to be around people. As usual, he needed isolation to deal with his thoughts. It was a good thing that it was the weekend now…he didn't actually have to interact with Jack until Monday, unless he chose to do so…and right now…he wasn't at all sure that he would choose to do that.

As he walked past the Quidditch pitch and towards the castle, he began to feel the exhaustion seep into his very bones, making them feel heavy inside him. His whole body was tired, sore and aching from not just being in a fight earlier, but then straining himself even more by launching arrows for so long. He still didn't care though…At least physical pain was something that was…familiar…easy to understand and grasp…unlike the confusing emotions swirling inside him, making him feel sick to his stomach.

He had quickly made his way back to the dormitory and left a note on Fishlegs' bed, before returning outside again. Luckily he didn't meet anyone he knew on the way, which he was grateful for. He didn't have the energy to pretend that everything was okay right now.

A little while later, as he sat inside the cave with Toothless by his side, the Night Fury was extremely worried about him. Hiccup had made a small fire that the two of them sat by, and he had just stared into the bright, orange flames for a long time…probably hours…trying to make sense of all the thoughts whirling in his stressed out, tired mind. Toothless stayed patiently beside him, waiting for him to be ready to share his thoughts. Hiccup stroked him and scratched him once in a while, wanting to reassure his best friend a little, as he continued to attempt to understand those confusing feelings he was experiencing.

"Toothless, I have a serious problem…" he then sighed and rubbed his eyes with one of his sleeves. His scaly best friend observed him with deep concern in those vivid green eyes and let out a small, grumbling sound that indicated discontent.

"I've realized that…I like Jack…_a lot_. I have feelings for him." he told the Night Fury. It was so…strange and depressing to actually say it out loud. Somehow it made it more real.

Toothless' large green eyes narrowed slightly in confusion for a few moments, before he nudged Hiccup's shoulder, flattened his ears and let out a low, whining sound. Hiccup knew that he had understood and that he was conveying his sympathy and concern.

"Thanks bud….I have no idea what to do with this".

Toothless butted his muzzle against the side of Hiccup's head gently a few times as a reassuring gesture. Hiccup reached out his hands and stroked the black dragon a little, feeling those rough scales against his fingertips and taking comfort in the familiar act and the closeness of his best friend.

"It's just…how the _Hel_* am I supposed to handle this, Toothless? How am I even going to face him now? This is going to mess everything up…I think it might actually break our friendship, unless I find_ some _way of being around him." Hiccup explained.

Toothless sat down on his hind legs before tilting his head and letting out a specific warbling sound that Hiccup had come to know through the years as encouragement. He knew what it was Toothless was trying to tell him. In moments like this, he felt grateful for their close bond that always seemed to make them understand each other.

"I _can't_ tell him about it, bud…You know as well as I do, that we have to go back home….when I'm done with school here, we _need_ to go back to Berk."

The Night Fury let out a deep sigh to indicate that he indeed knew this but didn't like that it was complicating things for Hiccup now.

"This…these new feelings, they just…they _don't_ fit into that. It's not_ just_ a question of liking someone who will never like me back…I'm the chief's son, Toothless…I need to take over when my dad dies or decides to step down and…I'm supposed to find a girl to settle down with and have children to continue the bloodline….and…you and me are going to study dragons and explore the lands and help protect them…together. We _belong_ in the archipelago and Jack…he doesn't. He belongs _here_…in between the wizarding world and the muggle world…he has a family and friends that he loves and needs to stay with. He's not a Viking or a dragon rider."

Toothless continued to watch him with worry and sympathy evident in those green eyes that Hiccup knew so well.

"But…it's not like it really matters anyway, since he'll never see me that way…and that's probably for the best. At least that way only _one_ of us is hurting."

His scaly best friend let out a whine once again and then rubbed his head against Hiccup's shoulder a few times in a comforting gesture.

"Thanks bud…I can just imagine now how disappointed my dad would be, if he knew I have feelings for a guy."

He was fairly certain that his father wouldn't be very understanding. The most likely scenario would be that horrifying look of disappointment to reappear in his eyes, whenever he looked at him.

It was also likely that the tribe wouldn't want him as their next leader, if they knew the truth about his sexuality. Being bisexual or homosexual was a rare occurrence among the Vikings of the archipelago. In fact, Hiccup couldn't remember having ever met someone like that, except that boy who kissed him when he was 12. On the other hand…if there were someone, they would probably hide it from other Vikings. It wasn't that homosexuality was considered unnatural, but it wasn't approved of either. A Viking was expected to settle down and produce children to help the survival of the tribe…after that, people were a little less judgmental, although it definitely would not be considered normal in any sense of the word...but if Hiccup continued to have feelings for Jack, he_ couldn't_ exactly just find someone to settle down with and have children with in good conscience.

He felt the approach of a serious headache, as he found himself dreading the future even more than he usually did. He rubbed his temples a little and sighed deeply to himself. He briefly looked at Toothless, who was still observing him with obvious concern, the flames of the fire reflecting in the dragon's caring, green eyes.

It seemed very likely that his sexuality _would_ probably become a problem sooner or later…especially if he ended up falling in love with a guy and wanted to settle down with him. Gods, he hoped that would never happen…Of course there was also a chance of him falling for a girl, but…it had been a long time since he considered a girl anything more than friend. The last one had been Astrid, when he was younger…by Odin, why couldn't those feelings just have lasted? Then he could be happy with Astrid now and that would just be _so_ much simpler than this…

He shook his head a little to himself and watched the dancing, crackling flames of the small fire for a little while, his dull green eyes filled with the hopelessness of this whole situation.

Shouldn't he have the right to be himself and be accepted by the people he loved? He hadn't even told Rapunzel and Fishlegs the whole truth about his sexuality, but he was certain that they would accept that side of him without hesitation. Wasn't it fair to expect the same from his own father? From Astrid? From Gobber? From all the other Vikings?

Hiccup hadn't been very comfortable knowing all these years that he_ could_ be attracted to guys. He had pushed it down into the darkest corners of his mind, trying his best to never let it see the light of day, because it was just too complicated to deal with. Now though…he couldn't push it down any longer…it was impossible to ignore it now that it had all come rushing to the surface like this. He_ definitely_ had feelings for Jack…his heartbeat quickened and it felt like dozens of tiny tiny Terrible Terrors were flapping their wings inside him when he thought about that snow-haired guy who had become so important to him.

He placed his face in his palms for a few moments, taking comfort in the peaceful darkness. When he lowered his hands and lifted his head again, he sighed to himself.

He was a logical, rational person. He knew that Jack would never see him like that, but even in the _impossible_ case that Jack for some _strange_ reason returned his feelings, they could never be more than friends…They had different directions in life that they needed to follow. The thought hurt him, made his stomach almost bubble over with nausea and deep sadness, but he needed to be realistic about this. Hope was a dangerous thing and it could drive people mad, so he needed to squash _any_ stupid thoughts about him and Jack possibly being together and just…find some way of dealing with this and move on.

As he kept watching the flames in the small fire, he thought about the future. Once they graduated, he'd see less and less of Jack. Sure, they could write each other and visit, which he really hoped they would, but it wouldn't be the same as now. He felt his stomach clench tightly at the thought and the depression sank it's sharp, horrible claws deeper into him, as the nausea intensified and swirled unpleasantly inside him.

He cared _so _much for Jack…until today, he hadn't realized just _how_ much but he wanted to be near him all the time. Jack made him feel…_happy_…and happiness just wasn't something that Hiccup had had a lot of in his life. That pale white-haired Gryffindor brought so much laughter and joy and fun into his days that it brightened his life just to know him. Not to mention that…Jack was always there for him…always. Unconditionally. He was there by his side when he needed help or just company when the phantom pains crashed over him, he was there to listen and try his best to understand when something was bothering him even when he couldn't fully tell his pale friend everything about it, he defended him fiercely against anything that might bother him even if Hiccup could take care of himself, and…Jack was always there with supportive, caring words when he doubted himself or let the many years of people's condescending, horrible words still get him down once in a while…he could actually make him feel better about himself and the way Jack genuinely saw so many good things in him was heartwarming…

It would hurt him _so much_ when the time came for them to split up and not be a part of each other's life on a daily basis anymore. He would miss him beyond what words could really express, he knew that now. He felt a strong pang of sadness in his chest and his breathing became a little strained for a few moments.

He pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them, still staring at the dancing flames intently, as thoughts of that pale snow-haired boy wouldn't leave his mind, no matter how much he tried to stop thinking about him.

It was true what he had told Jack a few days ago, when he had helped him with his phantom pains. He really was _amazing._ He lifted the spirits of everyone he knew with his cheerful, child-like personality, his infectious smiles, his bubbly laughter and his playfulness, always able to make people laugh or cheer them up whenever life had knocked them down. He was fiercely loyal and protective of everyone he cared about, not ever hesitating in protecting them against anything that might potentially hurt them and always being supportive no matter what. He was incredibly kind and caring even to people he didn't know very well, and was always ready to help anyone who might need it. He just wanted everyone around him to be comfortable and happy, which was _such_ a heartwarming trait…He was confident and comfortable in his own skin, able to talk to _anyone_ and make them feel good about themselves, no matter if they were one of the popular kids or an outcast…and he was smart and quick-witted as well, able to shoot those hilarious retorts back in Hiccup's face when they were bantering.

And then…there was his past, where he was emotionally damaged from the day he had rescued his sister but lost his parents and the guilt and grief of their deaths still haunted him. As a result he was doing everything he could to be the best big brother he could possibly be to Emma.

It was no wonder that he had developed feelings for the guy…he really was incredible. Hiccup wouldn't change a single thing about him and that thought was actually a little frightening….of course he knew that no one was perfect, but in his mind…Jack was closer than anyone would_ ever_ get.

Toothless had lied down on the ground and lifted one of his wings up. Hiccup knew what that meant and he appreciated the comforting gesture from his best friend. He got to his feet and approached Toothless, before lying down next to him against his side. Then Toothless lowered his wing, shielding him from the rest of the world.

As Toothless wing lowered above him, the darkness took over and somehow he found the lack of light a little comforting right now. He felt the warmth radiate off Toothless' side as he lied next to him and felt grateful that at least he had his scaly best friend to always be there for him no matter what.

"I love you bud." He told Toothless and he heard a warbling sound from the dragon in return.

As he laid on the ground, lost in his own thoughts, one thing was clear. He could never be with Jack, no matter how much he wanted to, so he was going to have to suffer in silence. At least he was good at that. He knew that he could do it, despite how horrible it was. He was just going to have to…find a way of being around Jack without ever telling him about this or somehow show it…He just had to pretend, like he had done so many times in his life…push down the pain and pretend that everything was fine. At least that was familiar.

He felt a few tears stinging in the corners of his eyes and his vision went blurry, but he quickly willed them away. He absolutely _refused_ to cry, no matter how much the depression and hopelessness was crashing its waves inside him…no matter how much it felt like he had a huge hole in his heart…no matter how sick to his stomach he felt that he might screw up his friendship with Jack…

Crying would hurt the small amount of pride he_ did_ have, despite his bruised ego. He really didn't need tears reminding him how weak and vulnerable he was right now. At least he could cling to that…that he did _not_ cry.

All those horrible things people had told him over the years somehow echoed in his mind. He sighed deeply. He was such an _idiot_ to have put himself in this situation.

"Do yourself a favor Hiccup…don't _ever _let someone new in again…It just brings you pain." he muttered to himself as he continued to lie under his best friend's wing in the darkness, trying desperately not to think about that snow-haired boy but failing miserably.

** Author's note:**

So...let the mutual pining begin! :P

I was so excited about letting Hiccup kick some ass and show off his fighting skills in this chapter, and I hope you liked it :) Obviously he's not some kind of super-human, so he got damaged too before he managed to take down two enemies bigger and stronger than him by using his experience :) Now...I've never written a fight before and I haven't been in a real fight myself, but I tried my best to make it realistic and I hope you think I succeeded in that.

Regarding their patronuses, I chose an arctic fox for Jack, because they're playful and mischievous, energetic and obviously his patronus would also have to be something living in cold conditions among snow and ice. Hiccup's patronus couldn't be anything BUT a dragon in my opinion, so that one was fairly obvious :) Even though it's very difficult to cast a Patronus, Jack and Hiccup are both able to do it fairly quickly, because first of all they are both talented with magic and second of all, they have both been through traumatic experiences which causes the memories they choose to be extra powerful for them.

Hiccup has a very different emotional response to realizing his feelings than Jack did and this is for several reasons. 1) He doesn't have anyone kissing the guy he likes right in front of him, threatening to take him away just as he realized his feelings for him...like it happened with Jack. 2) Hiccup already knows that he can be attracted to guys (unlike Jack who thought he was straight), he has just pushed it down for so long, because it doesn't really have a place in his future as a Viking leader. 3) Hiccup has self-esteem issues as a result of his troubled past where everyone always told him he was useless. Because of that, he tends to blame himself a lot and that's the reason why Hiccup reacts with depression AND anger towards himself, while Jack sank into depression but didn't do the whole self-loathing thing. 4) Hiccup inititally panics when he realizes his feelings, but he quickly manages to calm himself down enough to appear somewhat normal to Jack and make an excuse to get away from him to think about it all. He is a logical, rational person who is good at picking thoughts and feelings apart and analyze them, and he is also used to self-control. For those reasons, he is able to quickly realize that he needs to calm down and then get away to be able to just sit down and think.

*Hel: the underworld in Norse mythology. Ruled by Loki's daughter who is also named Hel. It's the place where many (such as the people who died of disease and old age) go when they die. Beliefs in other kinds of afterlives existed too (and could vary from place to place in Scandinavia). For example, half of the warriors who died bravely in battle go to Valhalla, because Odin wants the best warriors to assist him in the battle during Ragnarok (the end of the known world). Half of the dead warriors goes to Freyja's place Fólkvangr. There are other kinds of afterlives too but I won't get into that now. Hel is not a place of punishment and suffering for deeds committed in life like the Christian idea of hell (although the Christians took the word from Hel).

Regarding Vikings and homosexuality, their relationship with it was a bit more complicated than it is in this story...Vikings didn't actually mind homosexual sex (although actual relationships were not approved of at all), BUT...it was considered extremely shameful to be the submissive part in a sexual relationship with another man.

So...what did you think? :) As always reviews = love.


	12. Only you

**Author's note:**

Hi everyone! :) Here's the newest chapter, where some major mutual pining is going on as well as a little sexual tension, he he. I hope you'll enjoy reading it.

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has left reviews, I really appreciate it :)

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

These last few days had been horrible. There was no other way to describe it. As he sat with his friends at the Gryffindor table at breakfast, he really didn't feel like eating anything. He felt sick to his stomach, tired and sad like he had done for the last two days and it was all because of that dragon rider he cared so much for. Ever since Hiccup had taken some time alone to think, after he'd cleaned him up after the fight, the brunet had been isolating himself and seemed very depressed. Hiccup hadn't come to dinner later that day and neither Jack nor the others had seen him for the rest of the night. For the two following days, Jack only saw him at meals and even then, it was not a comforting sight. Hiccup looked exhausted, as if he hadn't slept properly but had been kept awake by horrible thoughts and he seemed melancholy. He didn't really talk to anyone, not even Fishlegs and Rapunzel, but sat by the Ravenclaw table in silence, pushing his food around on his plate or eating a few bites but then leaving the rest of it alone.

That exact thing was happening right now. Jack observed the brunet, as he just pushed his fork in and out of a pancake repeatedly, his green eyes staring blankly into the air, obviously deep in thought. Jack's focus was quickly drawn towards that red bruise that still marred one of Hiccup's cheeks. The fact that the Viking hadn't even bothered to cover it up with a concealment spell was a clear indication that he was in a terrible mood. Usually, Hiccup would avoid anything that drew attention to him, but now it seemed like he just didn't care. As Jack continued to look at the bruise, he felt quite satisfied by the fact that McGowan and Levin had both been expelled, so Hiccup wouldn't have to deal with them again.

Rapunzel and Fishlegs were both shooting very worried glances at Hiccup, but Jack knew that they had no idea what was going on either. The day after the fight, when Hiccup began showing up for some of the meals again and Jack and the others instantly noticed that something was very wrong, he had had a talk with Rapunzel and Fishlegs. The two Ravenclaws had told him that Hiccup didn't want to tell them what was wrong, and in Jack's mind that was probably the most worrying thing of all…that he couldn't even talk to his two oldest friends about it.

He and the others had spent a lot of time together by the lake as usual for the last two days, since it was the weekend. Hiccup however, was nowhere to be seen and obviously wanted to be alone. Jack had discussed the Viking's mood several times with his friends, since they were all very concerned about Hiccup. Rapunzel told him and the others that it had been a long time since Hiccup had isolated himself without being able to tell them why and that it was a bad sign. Hiccup didn't want to talk about his problems very often, but he usually gave her and Fishlegs an idea of what was going on with him. Now though…they were completely puzzled and this filled them all with worry. Jack had immediately felt his stomach turn to knots in concern as his two Ravenclaw friends told him this. What could possibly be so horrible that Hiccup couldn't even tell Rapunzel and Fishlegs? They had known him for years and Jack knew that he trusted them completely, so what was holding him back?

Now it was Monday and as Jack stabbed his fork into some of his food but without eating it, he thought about how much he was longing to just _talk_ to Hiccup…to be near him. The fact that he hadn't interacted with him at all for two days, except for those few attempts he did after a couple of meals to get Hiccup to talk before the brunet disappeared to be alone, was strange and unpleasant. It was like something familiar and vital was missing. It was like he couldn't function properly, when he knew that Hiccup was depressed…like their moods were somehow linked. It would be a relief to be around him in classes today as that would put an end to his isolation, but at the same time he was kind of dreading having to watch Hiccup be all melancholy without being able to do anything about it.

He took a swig of his juice as he tore his eyes off Hiccup, turned his head and sighed to himself. Mavis, Flynn and Merida were all watching him with sympathetic looks, as they quietly ate their breakfast. They knew just how much he was worrying about Hiccup right now. That he was pretty much driving himself crazy. He hadn't been able to really focus on anything else all weekend and he was feeling worn down as a result of this. Jack knew that they shared his concerns about their Viking friend, but he had a closer relationship with Hiccup than they did…not to mention that his feelings for the guy were definitely also affecting him a lot right now.

Since Hiccup had become depressed and isolated almost right after having that fight…_somehow_ the two things had to be connected. How though, was very difficult to figure out. He had had the thought that maybe Hiccup felt bad for having to hurt someone, but he had pushed that idea away, because it didn't seem very likely. He had still asked Fishlegs and Rapunzel about it to be sure though. The two Ravenclaws quickly dismissed the thought and told him that Hiccup had hurt people before in self-defense and he had never felt bad about it, because it was necessary.

Jack sighed to himself, as he pushed his plate away, still not feeling like eating anything. He was back to square one…which meant having no fucking clue what was going on with the guy that meant so much to him. It was making him fret that Hiccup was guarding himself and putting up those emotional walls of his. Hiccup had opened up to him more than he could have ever imagined during their friendship…and Jack _really_ didn't want him to start closing himself off again. All he wanted was to break those walls down…smash through them and just crumble them to dust and soothe the pain that lied behind them, whatever it might be. That would be easier said than done though…Hiccup did _not_ appreciate when people tried to force themselves in, and Jack had promised him early on in their friendship that he would never do that.

If only Hiccup would _at least _talk to Rapunzel and Fishlegs…

"I wish we could help him somehow." he heard Mavis' gentle voice say and he trained his blue eyes on his black-haired friend, who was watching Hiccup with concern.

"Yeah…me too." he said quietly and ran a hand through his snow-white hair.

"There's not really anything we can do, when he won't tell us what's wrong." Flynn said with a sad expression on his face.

"Yeah, but…it_ has_ to be connected to that fight somehow, right? I mean…it happened almost right after, that _can't _be a coincidence." Merida argued before taking a sip of her juice.

"No, but...none of us have any ideas on what it could be." Jack said and once again felt the concern turn and twist inside him, making him feel slightly nauseous.

"None of it makes sense…Hiccup wouldn't feel bad about defending himself and…what else could there be to it?" Flynn asked and shrugged.

"I have…absolutely no idea." Jack said honestly and sighed. God it was so frustrating…he just wanted to go over there and pull Hiccup into a tight hug and tell him that he was always there for him, but that wasn't exactly possible right now.

"Ugh…" Merida suddenly groaned. "Why can't they just leave him alone?" she said in frustration, as she watched something, her forehead wrinkled in disapproval.

Jack turned his head and saw two Hufflepuff guys approach Hiccup, Fishlegs and Rapunzel. Hiccup watched them with a tired and slightly annoyed expression before Fishlegs seemed to tell them to go away and they once again retreated, looking fairly disappointed.

"Yeah…either people just don't see that he's uncomfortable with that kind of attention or they just don't care because they're too curious." he said, unable to keep that hint of annoyance out of his voice.

After the fight Hiccup had had with McGowan and Levin people seemed to be _even more _curious about him than they already were, which made Jack incredibly frustrated because Hiccup disliked the attention so much and he just wanted to shield him from it. He understood _why_ people were curious…Hiccup had always kept up that dorky, sarcastic, bookworm image and suddenly he was not only a dragon trainer but knew how to fight as well. He had hidden his Viking side and his dragon trainer side so well during the years, that no one had ever expected anything unusual from him. Now though, the perceptions that people had previously had of him had been completely _shattered_, so of course they were drawn to him. That didn't mean they should just approach him whenever they felt like it though. It was intrusive and shallow.

"I definitely think it's the last option." Flynn said and Mavis and Merida both nodded with frowns on their faces. Jack knew that they also felt protective of Hiccup and wanted to spare him from things that made him uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I do too…and it seems to have gotten worse now after the fight." Jack told them.

"Yeah…I heard from Jim that all kinds of gossip and rumors are going around about it and that some guys were considering asking Hiccup to teach them self-defense." Flynn said before taking a bite of the eggs on his plate.

"Pfft…he won't want to do that." Jack said. There was no way Hiccup was going to teach a bunch of strangers who never gave him the time of day before. He was sure of that.

"No, he definitely won't." Flynn agreed with a few nods.

"Well, it's not just the guys Hiccup's going to have problems with…Liam told me that plenty of girls are swooning over him even more, now that they know he has fighting skills." Mavis told them before furrowing her forehead a little.

"He won't like that _at all_." Jack said and if he was honest with himself, neither would he. It was bad enough as it was, watching girls approach Hiccup, flirt with him and give him notes….and now it might get even worse? That was going to annoy him to no end.

"No, I think that's safe to say." Mavis agreed with a small, sympathetic smile. "And…sorry Jack." she added and lowered her voice so no one would accidentally hear them.

"Yeah…" he said and sighed. "But there's not really anything I can do about it."

"Jackie…are you sure you won't just…_consider _telling Hiccup about this?" Flynn whispered to him so only the four of them would hear it and watched him with those warm brown eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure. That would just make everything worse." he told Flynn, before he sighed a little and took another sip of his juice.

He _wanted_ to tell Hiccup about it instead of just bottling it up inside…he _wanted_ to hope there was just a _tiny_ chance that Hiccup might feel something for him too, but that wasn't very realistic and he certainly couldn't risk messing up their friendship over it.

The rest of the meal went by mostly in silence between the four friends, as they were all feeling rather gloomy by the current situation. The next time Jack glanced towards the Ravenclaw table, Hiccup, Fishlegs and Rapunzel were gone. He would be sharing his first class of the day with Hiccup and Rapunzel though, so it wouldn't be long before he could be around the Viking he cared so much for.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

The sound of his charcoal pencil scraping across the paper and the familiar presence of Rapunzel sitting next to him were both a little soothing for his mind, but still didn't manage to quell the depressing feelings that were infecting his entire being with their unwelcome presence. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about Jack and his complicated feelings for him for more than a few brief moments at a time and it was _exhausting_ that his mind couldn't just_ rest_ for a little while.

He sat by one of the dark wooden desks in the old Transfiguration classroom next to his blonde friend in silence. He had taken out his sketchbook from his satchel and had begun working on a new sketch of Toothless to at least _try _to occupy his mind with something. Rapunzel didn't attempt to strike up conversation, which he was grateful for, since he didn't really feel like talking. She was obviously trying to give him some space, although he knew just how difficult that was for her, because of her incredibly caring nature. He was well aware that she wanted nothing more than to help him and he really appreciated it…but she couldn't help him with this. His blonde friend pulled out her textbook from her brown bag and began flipping through pages, reading up on some stuff for today's class.

He briefly glanced at one of the birdcages in the corner of the classroom, where some of the birds they sometimes used for Transfiguration were kept. They were currently chirping quite happily. He turned his attention back to his sketch and continued to try his best to push thoughts of Jack out of his mind but of course he failed miserably at this. During the last two days he had come to a sort of acceptance of his feelings for his pale friend, but unfortunately that didn't stop the following depression, because he knew that nothing could ever happen between them.

When he spotted movement and a flash of white in his peripheral vision, he knew it was Jack and Flynn without having to look closer. He kept his green eyes trained on his sketch and just continued to move the pencil across the paper.

The two Gryffindors greeted Rapunzel and then turned their attention to him.

"Hi Hic…" he heard Jack's voice say, a lot more quietly than usual, and Hiccup knew it was because he was worried about him.

"Hey Hiccup." Flynn said and the concern was also evident in his voice.

"Hi Jack." he replied without looking at them. "Hi Flynn."

His white-haired friend sat down in the seat next to him, while Flynn placed himself next to Jack as usual. Hiccup kept focusing on his drawing, gripping his charcoal pencil a little tighter than before, as he continued to trace lines across the paper to eventually form a representation of Toothless.

Just having Jack near him right now was…comforting and yet unpleasant. He had really missed him this weekend but at the same time it was making him depressed to have to interact with him again, because everything had become so complicated. He was used to their friendship being so easy and simple but now everything had been turned upside down.

He put down his pencil, before rubbing his eyes in a frustrated gesture and then letting out a deep sigh. He could sense Rapunzel turning her head and observing him with those loving green eyes, but he didn't look at her. Somehow, avoiding eye contact was a little comforting. It made him feel a little less exposed.

When Rapunzel turned her head again, he could still feel eyes on him and he knew it was Jack. Hiccup didn't have to look at him to know that he had that concerned, caring expression in his blue eyes that he had come to know so well. He felt a tug of guilt in his heart for making Jack worry about him, but he didn't know what else he could do right now.

Suddenly Jack reached out and rubbed some slow, soothing circles on his back and the touch was warm and familiar as usual but the feelings it was sparking inside him were_ not_. He felt his heart beat faster, as he both savored and disliked the feel of Jack's hand on his back. It was…weird and unnerving having all of these conflicting emotions but he couldn't help it. Jack's touch was gentle and reassuring…affectionate and familiar…and yet…it made him feel horrible at the same time, because he knew that he could never have more than this. Nothing could ever happen between them. These friendly touches were all he was ever going to get from Jack.

Jack retracted his hand and despite the depressing thoughts it had been sparking, Hiccup immediately missed the contact. He could still feel Jack's eyes on him, but he didn't meet his friend's blue gaze. He just felt…weak…vulnerable. Being around his friends again like this after two days mostly filled with isolation was comforting but unpleasant all at once. Now that he had had some time to sit down and think about his feelings by himself, it was kind of nice to be close to the people he cared about again but at the same time he was well aware that they were all extremely worried about him, and he really didn't like the eyes burning into his skin, the concerned questions or the pang of guilt that followed for making them worry.

He sighed a little to himself once again, as he took out his Transfiguration textbook from his satchel and began flipping through the pages before he landed on the page needed for today's lesson. If these feelings continued, he knew he would have to tell Rapunzel and Fishlegs about it at some point. He had briefly considered telling them yesterday but somehow he just wasn't ready to talk about it yet except with Toothless. He needed more time to process this by himself.

He grabbed the charcoal pencil again and kept his head down, as he began working on the drawing of Toothless once more. Drawing was familiar…comforting…a way to be distracted for a little while. He gently moved the pencil, shaping Toothless' large, black wings, making sure to draw them in just the right proportion, while trying to ignore that continuous feeling of eyes on him.

If he was just a normal guy then maybe…_maybe_…he could actually man up and confess his feelings to Jack at some point, even if he would definitely just get hurt anyway. That wasn't in the cards though…his future was anything but normal and so was he and that was the main reason why he and Jack could never be more than friends, even _if_ Jack some day actually shared his feelings. Which he wouldn't, since he was straight…so why was he even tiring himself by thinking about this all the time? It didn't matter in the end.

He put down the pencil and crossed his arms while just observing the sketch in front of him for a moment, as the thoughts continued to rush through his head.

Jack didn't even know that he was the future leader of a whole Viking tribe. All he knew was that he had a fairly awkward and previously tense relationship with his dad, because he had certain expectations of him and that his future was pretty much planned out. He briefly wondered how Jack would react if he actually knew the whole truth about it…except for extreme surprise. Not that he was going to tell him…he was not in any way ready to share that. Even though he trusted Jack completely by now, this wasn't just about trust. It was also about how relieving it was that people in this castle didn't know about it, except for Rapunzel, Fishlegs and Astrid…that people here didn't see him as the chief's son, a future leader, but just as another normal teenager. Well, normal was probably a bit of a stretch, but they didn't know about his future responsibilities and that made his time at Hogwarts much easier because at least he wouldn't be labeled based on it.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes in a few frustrated movements. Even though Jack was keeping quiet right now, just having him sit next to him was putting Hiccup on edge and causing the depressing thoughts to swirl in his mind. He knew that he had to figure out some way of handling this, unless his and Jack's friendship was going to be completely broken. He could_ not _let that happen, so he would need to pull himself together soon…to find some way out of this depression. _Why_ did he have to realize that he had feelings for the guy? Everything was a lot easier in the land of denial. He wished he could have stayed there.

At that moment professor Hyde entered the classroom and walked along the tables until he reached the big wooden desk at the front of the class and gently placed his books on it with a light thud. All the students in the room stopped talking and focused their attention on the professor.

Professor Hyde told them that they were going to begin on human transfiguration today, which caused excited whispers to echo through the classroom, but those quickly died down, when their professor explained that today's lesson would only be a lecture. They needed to get a lot of theoretical knowledge in place, before beginning to handle the practical aspect of it, which they would be doing next time. Hiccup found himself being a bit disappointed by that, but on the other hand…it was definitely better to be properly prepared before dealing with this kind of advanced transfiguration. They were actually supposed to have begun on human transfiguration last week, but professor Hyde had been ill, so they'd had a substitute, who was not supposed to let them start on this complicated subject.

Hiccup kept himself busy throughout the whole class, writing notes and listening to anything their professor said that could come in handy later. At least this served to distract his mind temporarily. Next to him, Rapunzel was doing the exact same thing, her neat and beautiful handwriting filling the parchment quickly, as her attentive green eyes darted back and forth from their professor to the paper. In most classes, they were pretty much the same…both eagerly paying attention to soak up more magical knowledge, quickly writing down useful information and tuning out distractions.

When Professor Hyde briefly turned his back to make an illustration on the blackboard, Jack slipped him a note. He quickly unfolded it and took in the words on the crinkled piece of paper.

_"__I know you don't want to talk about whatever's wrong with you Hic, but just know that I'm here for you if you ever need anything, even the smallest little thing. Just name it! I want to see you smile again, you dork."_

Without being able to hold it back, he gave Jack exactly what he wanted, as a small smile tugged at his lips. How did Jack have that amazing ability to always be able to make him smile no matter what? He felt a tug of affection in his heart as he thought about how it was sometimes difficult to comprehend just how kind and caring Jack really was. Even back when they didn't know each other that well yet, he had been incredibly concerned every time Hiccup was in a bad mood and willing to cheer him up and help in any way he could. Jack was always there for him and he truly appreciated it.

It was in that moment that he made a decision. He could either wallow in depression and self-loathing or he could pull himself together and just…try to enjoy the time that he actually _had _with Jack until he had to go back home to Berk in a year and a half, when their education was finished. Would it hurt unbelievably when he would have to say goodbye to him? Yes. Would it hurt even more if he hadn't made the most of their time together? Yes, definitely.

He smiled a little to himself, as he still watched the note in his hands and thought about how that snow-loving idiot had really just…slipped through his defenses in a way no one else had ever done. He took out his quill and began writing on the piece of paper, before sliding it across the table to Jack.

_"__Thanks Snowflake. You're great."_

Jack gave him a bright smile that made a fluttering sensation appear in his stomach, before the pale teen wrote a reply on the note and slipped it back to him.

_"__I completely agree, dragon boy."_

Hiccup smiled and shook his head a little. At least their familiar banter would be comforting to him. He quickly wrote a retort and thus a small conversation continued between him and Jack for the rest of the class, making his mood improve drastically.

_"__Wow, not even a tiny bit of fake humility? Your ego seems to be growing every day."_

Jack chuckled at this before writing his answer.

_"__Why would I pretend to be humble? Anyone who is __this__ amazing need to share it with the world without restraint, you know."_

_"__Right…I'm sure the rivers would run dry, the birds would stop singing and the grass and trees would wither and die if you toned down that ego of yours. Better safe than sorry."_

_"__I knew you'd see things my way, Hiccy."_

_"__Stop that annoying nickname, Frosty."_

_"__Never! It's too much fun watching you get all irritated about it."_

_"__You're devil spawn, you know that?"_

_"__Oh please. Vikings don't even believe in the devil."_

_"__No, we don't…but if he was real, you would be related to him."_

Jack chuckled once again and then began to write his retort on the note. Hiccup found himself just watching him for a little while…taking in that smooth, pale skin, those piercing blue eyes, that snow-white hair…Gods, he really wished that he could just pull Jack closer to him and feel those soft looking lips brush against his and just let his hands glide through those snowy locks.

No no no…don't go there. Don't even_ think_ about that. It's _seriously _risky emotional territory.

Jack smiled at him as he passed the note back.

_"__Pfft…as if. You always hear about the devil but never about his relatives. I don't need the hassle of someone overshadowing me like that."_

Hiccup laughed a little at that, but made sure to keep it quiet enough to not draw the attention of their professor. It felt really good to laugh after several days of depression and self-loathing. Jack's whole face instantly lit up in response and this only made a warm smile tug at his lips.

He really shouldn't be surprised that Jack was the one to make him feel better about all of this, even if he was the cause of it in the first place. Jack always seemed to be able to chase the darkness inside him away and replace it with warmth and light.

He shook his head a little to himself. Gods…how sappy was _that_? You're a Viking, Hiccup. Pull yourself together. Vikings feel things _strongly_…but they are _not _sappy.

On the other hand…it's not like you were ever a normal Viking anyway, so who cares? Be sappy if you want, his mind told him and he quickly agreed with that. It's not like anyone would know anyway.

When Professor Hyde dismissed the class, he and the others quickly packed up their things and headed out into the corridors that were now filled with students on their way to their next class, the wide array of noises echoing through the passageways. Jack and Flynn had Charms next while he and Rapunzel needed to go to the greenhouses for their Herbology class, so they parted with their Gryffindor friends and began to head towards one of the exits to get outside.

He didn't see Jack until later that day (except for very briefly at lunch), since they had different classes. In Herbology, he, Rapunzel and Fishlegs had to handle Snargaluff plants, where they needed to extract its pods, which were bright green and each the size of a grapefruit. Unfortunately, once again the plant they were dealing with in Herbology was _not_ defenseless, so they had to work together in order to overpower it. The Snargaluff looked mostly like a gnarled wooden stump, but inside it there were several thorny vines that could spring out of the top and grab whoever tried to take the pods. Needless to say that by the end of the class, Hiccup's hands and a little of his arms were completely covered in red scratch marks. Oh well…at least this time the plant wasn't venomous too. Rapunzel and Fishlegs both told him how happy they were that he was in a better mood and Hiccup had replied that he was sorry for making them worry. As usual, his two friends were nothing but completely supportive and told him not to feel bad about it at all.

After Herbology, he and Rapunzel walked through the corridors to get to the art room, while Fishlegs had Ancient Runes. As he and his blonde friend headed towards their destination while keeping up conversation about human transfiguration and how excited they both were to practice it in their next Transfiguration class, Hiccup quickly noticed that people were staring at them and whispering. Not that that was surprising. It had been happening ever since the day the fight happened, but gods…he really wished that the other students would just stop being so curious.

"Maybe you should do something about that bruise if you want to draw a little less attention." Rapunzel told him, as they kept walking next to each other down one of the hallways.

"Oh right…I'd forgotten all about that." he replied. It probably didn't help with the attention to have a large, dark bruise on his face.

He took out his wand from one of the pockets in his school robes and pointed it at his face before mumbling the correct words to place a concealment spell on the bruise, so it would no longer be visible. Then he tucked his dark brown wand back in the pocket. At least his face wouldn't look all damaged now. Maybe that would lessen people's curiosity just a little bit.

"We should see if we can find a spell for healing bruises the next time we practice." Rapunzel said, as she reached out her hand to her shoulder and petted Pascal a little.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." he agreed. Unfortunately, healing wasn't taught at Hogwarts except for a few minor healing potions and such, so he and Rapunzel had both agreed a year ago that they would start practicing together a little once in a while, since they both wanted to know more about it. Knowing healing could make a big difference back home in the archipelago but unfortunately he and Rapunzel could only teach themselves basic healing spells, as the more advanced ones would require much bigger risks to practice, since something could so easily go wrong when you were dealing with that kind of magic.

When they reached the art room they quickly took their seats and waited for Mavis, who arrived a few moments later. As they sat in the familiar old classroom filled with art supplies and the smell of dried paint, Mavis told them about the Charms class she had just had with their other Gryffindor friends, where they had to practice several charms non-verbally including the Tickling charm, much to Jack's and Flynn's delight.

When their professor arrived, they were told to pick up where they left off in the last class, so Hiccup continued to work on that painting of Berk that he had spent time on in the last few lessons. Of course his thoughts kept drifting to Jack and what he was doing right now, which was ridiculous since there was no way he could actually find out, so why spend time thinking about it? He couldn't help himself though…Jack was pretty much on his mind _constantly_, except for those few brief moments that he managed to distract himself. That was the consequence of having such a major crush…not really being able to focus properly on other things.

During the class, Rapunzel managed to finish her painting of a lot of lit lanterns floating upwards into the night sky while Mavis kept working on the painting she was doing after a picture of her and their three Gryffindor friends in front of the Shrieking Shack. Apparently they had taken that picture after one of their Christmas shopping trips to Hogsmeade and it was a fond memory for all four of them. They kept themselves busy throughout the class, painting, talking and laughing and Hiccup was relieved that his mood had improved so much thanks to Jack.

When he and Mavis observed each other's paintings and gave some friendly feedback on them, he also found himself thinking that he really appreciated his friendship with the black-haired Gryffindor…it was really nice to have another artistic friend that he could share that hobby with, not to mention all her other great qualities like her sense of humor, her intelligence and her incredible kindness.

When their teacher dismissed the class, they put away the art supplies, placed their paintings in the corner to dry along with the other students' paintings, before washing their paint brushes and then their hands by one of the stone basins in the room, cleaning their skin of dried paint.

As the three of them walked through some of the old stone corridors towards one of the exits of the castle to go to the forest area by the lake and meet up with the rest of their friends, Hiccup listened to the conversation between Mavis and Rapunzel about Mavis' overprotective dad. It was common knowledge in their group of friends, that her dad had some trouble letting her grow up, and apparently he had once again practically interrogated her in his latest letter on whether she was eating right, if any boys had tried anything with her, if something dangerous had happened in any classes and so on. Mavis' dad still sometimes treated her like a child and she was not happy about that in the slightest. However, she knew that he meant well and that softened the problem a little bit.

As he kept walking next to Mavis and Rapunzel, he once again thought about Jack and felt a slight tingling of happiness in his stomach, because he was about to see him again. They hadn't been away from each other for very long, but he already missed him…which was _completely _pathetic, but he just didn't care right now. He was finally in a better mood and he didn't want to spoil it by thinking depressing thoughts.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

A few grey clouds drifted lazily across the blue sky, while the brisk November wind swept through the treetops, rustling the leaves. Lately the temperature had dropped a lot, and as Jack exhaled after filling his lungs with the refreshing, cold air, he could see his own breath form wispy, white mist. After their last class of the day, he, Flynn and Merida walked side by side towards the forest surrounding the lake. They were heading to a particular place in the area, where Merida and Hiccup practiced archery, so they could all hang out together, while the two of them shot some arrows. Their footsteps flattened the soft grass, while Jack listened to Flynn's and Merida's banter and bickering, although slightly absent-minded, because his thoughts were occupied by a certain Viking boy as usual.

He was feeling that familiar excitement spread inside him because he was going to see Hiccup again in a minute. Even though they'd only been separated for a few hours, it didn't make a difference at all. Every time they were apart, he wanted to see him again. It was actually almost bordering on being obsessive, he had to admit.

They approached the lake and began walking through the trees in the forest, the dry autumn leaves making crackling sounds under their feet. The foliage of the trees was beautiful in its red, yellow and orange nuances and once in a while a few leaves gently drifted from their previous places on the branches down to the ground, signaling that soon it would be winter and all the trees would be left bare.

After walking for about 10 minutes, their four friends came into view. Jack noticed that Hiccup was sitting behind Rapunzel, in the middle of braiding her incredibly long, golden hair into one thick braid, while Fishlegs was sitting next to Mavis and seemed to be reading something to the others from a book. Jack smiled softly to himself as he watched the Viking focusing on braiding that massive golden mane of hair. There was something very tender about the whole thing and situations like this reminded him of just how close of a sibling relationship Hiccup and Rapunzel had.

"Is he…braiding her hair?" Flynn suddenly asked with a wrinkled forehead as they kept walking next to each other towards their friends.

"Seems like it." Jack shrugged.

"_That_ must have taken a long time. Looks like he's almost done though." Merida commented.

"Yeah, but at least it's possible to actually _do_ something with Rapunzel's hair…unlike that massive lion mane of yours, Simba." Flynn said teasingly.

Merida scoffed. "As if I would ever _want_ to do something about my hair. It's just fine like this."

"Yeah, sure…if you like the whole escaped mental patient look." Flynn retorted with an amused smile.

"Oh, shut up Rider. Just because you're a pretty-boy, doesn't mean the rest of us have to spend so much time on our looks."

"Oh, I don't spend much time on it, Curly. I'm just naturally _this _handsome. It's one of nature's miracles." Flynn said and waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Merida merely snorted in response and rolled her eyes, while Jack couldn't hold back a small chuckle.

Shortly after, they were by their friends' sides.

"Hi guys!" Jack said happily and Merida and Flynn quickly greeted them as well. Their four friends all returned their greetings with warm smiles and a few waves.

Jack sat down close to Hiccup and Rapunzel, while Flynn and Merida placed themselves by Mavis and Fishlegs.

"So Hic, you're braiding girls' hair now? Kind of girly for a Viking, wouldn't you say?" he said teasingly and raised an eyebrow. The fact that it was a touching sibling gesture didn't change anything…he was still totally going to tease Hiccup about it.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "First of all, I'm not braiding _girls_' hair in general, I'm just braiding one of my friend's hair…and second of all, _I'm_ man enough to be comfortable braiding someone's hair. _You_ obviously aren't." the Viking told him with a challenging smile.

"Hey, I've braided my sister's hair plenty of times!" he objected.

"Oh? So it's just me who's girly for braiding someone's hair then?" Hiccup asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, _obviously _the same rules don't apply to you." he shrugged.

"Of course not. How could they? You're _obviously_ superior to me." Hiccup deadpanned.

"Finally you realize it!" Jack exclaimed happily and Hiccup shook his head.

"Don't tease Hiccup too much, Jack. I asked him to do it." Rapunzel told him with an amused smile.

"Why?"

"Vikings make the best braids, didn't you know that?" the blonde girl replied, as if it was obvious.

"No, can't say that I did…but I'm learning a lot about Vikings these days." he said.

He had actually never thought he would know quite so much about Vikings as he did now. Right from the beginning of their friendship, he had been interested in learning more about Viking culture, but now that he had feelings for a certain Viking boy, it made him soak up every single piece of information on Vikings he heard, like a sponge.

"Well, it must take ages to braid all of Goldie's hair." Flynn said to Hiccup.

"Goldie?" Rapunzel asked with a furrowed brow.

"A new addition to the nickname club, huh?" Jack asked Flynn with a grin.

"It was about time." Flynn shrugged. "I mean, Fishlegs is called Fish, and Hiccup…wait a minute…I don't have a nickname for you either, Hiccup."

"That's okay." the Viking reassured him, seeming more than happy about that.

"No no no…I'll figure something out._ None_ of my friends go without nicknames." Flynn insisted and Jack smiled at that. Flynn was definitely a huge fan of nicknames, although Merida was the one he had given the most of them…mainly to rile her up.

"Oh joy." Hiccup said sarcastically. "I can hardly wait."

They all chuckled in response to that, even Flynn.

"Aaaand we're done." Hiccup then told Rapunzel, who glanced behind her and smiled at the Viking.

"Great! Thanks Hiccup." the blonde said happily and grabbed the long braid and swung it over her shoulder, so it rested on her chest.

"Ready to shoot some arrows now, Hiccup?" Merida asked, having waited for Hiccup to be done with this. Jack found himself thinking that Merida was actually more patient with Hiccup than she was with the rest of them and he briefly wondered if it was because she had finally found someone to bond with over weapons and such things…and because Hiccup had already done quite a lot for her in their brief friendship, like make a bow and arrows for her, helping her train so she can get better…and even said that she could come and watch him and Fishlegs fight the next time and maybe get some lessons.

"Yeah, sure." Hiccup replied with a happy smile and got to his feet.

His two friends walked towards that hollow tree where Merida had her bow and arrows hidden. The red-haired girl crouched down and grabbed the weapon and the arrows, before they both stepped away from the tree and turned around the face those targets they had painted on several other trees nearby when they had first started to practice together.

"It's going to be great when you're done making that bow of yours, so we can shoot at the same time." Merida told their Viking friend.

"Yeah." Hiccup agreed. "I'll probably be able to finish it the next time I'm in the workshop."

"Wicked." Merida replied with a happy grin, which Hiccup returned. Then the two of them began training, taking turns to use the bow. Throughout, Hiccup gave Merida useful tips on how to improve and once in a while adjusted her grip on the bow or the arrow.

As time went by, Fishlegs entertained Mavis with more knowledge on dragons and his black-haired friend eagerly asked questions and listened to the large chubby Viking rant off long, excited answers, while Rapunzel and Flynn talked about Pascal, while Flynn sat with the small green lizard in one hand and petted him with the other. Jack sat cross-legged on the blanket next to Rapunzel and kept his eyes on Hiccup and Merida practicing. At the moment his red-haired friend had begun complaining about her mother to Hiccup and the Viking watched her with sympathy evident on his face.

"A lady doesn't stuff her gob. A lady doesn't raise her voice. A lady _always_ strives for perfection. Ugh!" Merida exclaimed, quoting her mother and releasing an arrow that landed in one of the painted targets.

"Yeah, your mum_ really_ likes her rules, doesn't she?" Hiccup said and Merida made a grumbling noise of agreement in response. Then she handed him the bow and an arrow. He drew the bow and let the arrow fly into a target, landing perfectly in the center.

Jack continued to just observe his two friends practicing, while he tuned out Flynn's and Rapunzel's talk as well as the dragon conversation going on in the background. Usually he would be very interested in learning even more about dragons, but first of all he could always ask whatever he wanted to know at another time and second of all he kind of wanted to just…watch Hiccup be all amazing at shooting arrows. He and Merida practicing archery had become a fairly regular sight to him now, because he and the others had begun to hang out here as well and somehow he just didn't get tired of watching Hiccup do this. It was oddly fascinating to watch him draw the bow and then release an arrow, making it hit the target perfectly almost every single time. He made it look so incredibly effortless.

As Hiccup once again held an arrow in place, drew the bow and then made the arrow whoosh through the air, landing dead in the middle of one of the painted targets, Jack continued to just look at him. He was sort of reluctant to admit it, even to himself, because it made him feel like he was no better than those girls swooning over Hiccup, but it was _seriously_ attractive that he could fight and use weapons. That combination of his awkward, shy, sensitive side and his tough, experienced Viking side was just…_perfect_ and he felt a blush creep into his pale cheeks, as he found himself suddenly thinking some not-very-innocent thoughts about his brunet friend. It was moments like this that required him to really focus and hold himself back so he wouldn't end up just grabbing Hiccup and snogging him right into the ground.

Hiccup handed the bow back to Merida, and the curly-haired girl drew the bow and let an arrow fly. It landed on one of the targets on the tree, but not very close to the center.

"Ugh, I wish I could just like…turn her into a bear or something!" their red-haired friend exclaimed in frustration as she drew her bow once more. Hiccup quickly moved in and adjusted her grip on the weapon, before taking a few steps back again.

"What would _that_ accomplish?" the Ravenclaw then asked skeptically.

"I don't know! Maybe she could get a dose of reality. You know…having to sleep outside, catch her own food, all of that stuff." Merida explained, as she released another arrow that landed in the tree, this time a little closer to the middle.

"And she would need to be a_ bear_ to do that?" Hiccup said in amusement, raising an eyebrow.

Jack chuckled at that and Hiccup turned his head and gave him an amused smile, before training his eyes on Merida again. Jack found himself thinking that he was incredibly happy that Hiccup had so easily made friends with Merida, Flynn and Mavis. It meant a lot to him that they all liked each other so much…and Rapunzel and Fishlegs too of course.

"Look, I didn't say it was a perfect plan, okay?" Merida replied, lowering her bow and looking at Hiccup now.

"I don't even think it qualifies as a "plan", never mind a perfect one." Hiccup shrugged.

"Oh shut up, Hiccup." Merida said and rolled her eyes before being unable to hold back a small smile.

"A bear would also be a sort of inappropriate choice don't you think? Considering how your dad got his leg bitten off by one?" Hiccup asked her, tilting his head of brown hair.

"Who cares? He loves to tell that story to _anyone _who'll listen."

Hiccup nodded and then turned his head and looked at their targets for a few moments.

"You know…maybe I should build some actual targets for us."

"Yeah, that would be great." Merida said with joy in her blue eyes.

Hiccup nodded. "I'll do that."

Hiccup walked towards the trees with the painted targets on and began to pull the arrows out. Merida quickly followed him to help and afterwards they placed the bow and arrows in the hollow tree as usual, before joining Jack and the others.

Hiccup slumped down on the blanket next to him and gave him a fond smile, which instantly made Jack feel all bubbly inside. A warm smile tugged at his lips in response.

"So…what are the strengths of the Gronckle then?" Mavis asked Fishlegs with genuine interest, tilting her head a little. Her and the chubby Viking were still in the middle of their dragon talk.

Fishlegs' face instantly lit up at that question.

"Oh, there are so _many_ strengths!" the Viking began. "The Gronckle have a devastating fire attack and even though it has a six shots limit like most dragons, it can quickly refill them by eating rocks and then melting them in its stomach. It's a strong dragon and they have extremely tough scales, some of the toughest of all the dragons and that makes them able to withstand a lot of damage. It functions pretty much like armor. They can also hover which some people might think isn't worth much, but it can actually be quite dangerous for someone to be up against a Gronckle who simply hovers out of reach whenever they try to attack and then releases its flames. They have very sharp teeth too and they can use that club tail of theirs as a very powerful weapon." the chubby Ravenclaw finished explaining, almost breathless from speaking so eagerly.

Jack smiled a little. Fishlegs' enthusiasm was definitely one of the best things about him.

"Gronckles are seriously underrated!" Fishlegs then said and Hiccup instantly chuckled. Jack felt his smile widen. He was so incredibly happy that he had managed to cheer Hiccup up and pull him out of that depression he'd been in for the last couple of days, so right now…_every_ time he laughed, it made his stomach do flips.

"What? Do you disagree, _Burlufotr_*?" Fishlegs asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not at all." Hiccup said but didn't stop smiling.

"He's laughing because _every _single time you talk about Gronckles, you say how underestimated they are." Rapunzel explained and then smiled fondly at Fishlegs.

"Well excuse me Hiccup, but we can't_ all_ ride the rarest dragon species on earth." Fishlegs said and crossed his arms, pretending to be a little offended, even though he clearly wasn't.

"Of course not. Then it wouldn't be the rarest now would it?" Hiccup replied with his usual sass.

"Wait…Toothless is the rarest dragon species?" Jack asked. Hiccup hadn't told him that.

"Yeah. Well…at least from what we know so far. He's the only Night Fury we've seen."

"Wow, that's really cool." Flynn said, sounding a little impressed.

"Do you think he misses being around his own kind?" Mavis asked.

"It doesn't seem like it but…I _would_ like to find more Night Furies sometime…if they're even out there somewhere." Hiccup told her.

"Isn't it enough that Toothless has to suffer being around you? No need to bring other Night Furies into it." Jack asked, wanting to rile Hiccup up a little for fun.

"Please." Hiccup said dismissively. "Toothless loves my company."

"Sure he does." Jack said sarcastically. "Who wouldn't love being around a sarcastic, brainy, dorky know-it-all"?

"_You_ obviously do, Snowcone." Hiccup told him with an amused, crooked smile.

Cheeky Viking…

Jack grabbed his wand from his pocket and mumbled a spell, as he pointed it towards Hiccup. Instantly a blue spark shot out of the tip of his wand and flew towards the brunet. The second after, the top of the Viking's hair and his eyebrows were covered in white, sparkling frost.

The other teens instantly laughed.

"Oh I really wish I had a camera right now!" Jack chuckled, unable to hold it back.

Hiccup scowled at him and then brushed the frost out of his hair before rubbing his eyebrows and making the ice disappear there as well.

"What was the purpose of _that_?" Hiccup asked him, pretending to be annoyed.

Jack shrugged. "What better way to take you down a peg and say: "Jack Frost was here" all at the same time?"

"Why would you even_ need_ to say that?" Hiccup asked with an amused smile.

Hmm…maybe because he felt a slight sting of possessiveness once in a while?

"Why not? The whole world's my playground, you know." he replied casually and shrugged.

"Right. How could I forget? You're the guardian of fun."

"Exactly, my awkward Viking friend." he told the brunet with a grin. Then a thought occurred to him.

"Hey, by the way…we've been meaning to ask you guys if you wanted to come along on our Christmas shopping trip to Hogsmeade?" Jack asked their three Ravenclaw friends.

"Yeah sure, that sounds great." Hiccup said with a few nods.

"Yeah, I'm in!" Rapunzel exclaimed happily, her green eyes a little wide with excitement.

"Me too." Fishlegs agreed with a warm smile.

"Great!" Jack replied. He was very happy with those answers. Sure, it had always been his and his three best friends' tradition, but they had all agreed that it would only be even more fun, if their three Ravenclaw friends came too.

"Speaking of Christmas…" Merida said happily. "I can't wait to see my brothers!"

"I'm really looking forward to seeing my dad...and Wayne and Frank and Griffin and Murray." Mavis said with a smile and tucked a lock of black hair behind one ear.

"Who are they?" Rapunzel asked in confusion.

"They're Mavis' dad's weird friends, who are sort of like uncles to her." Merida replied with a crooked smile.

"Hey, they're not weird." Mavis protested.

Jack chuckled. "They're weird…but in a good way."

Which was true…they definitely had some quirks but they were nice guys and Mavis meant the world to them.

"Well…that's better, I guess." Mavis replied with a small smile.

"I can't wait to go to your house again this year, Jackie." Flynn said with obvious excitement in his brown eyes.

"Yeah, it's going to be wicked as usual!" Merida exclaimed.

"I think North and Anna are really looking forward to it too…and Emma of course. They probably already have_ tons_ of stuff planned for us." he told his three friends. He could just imagine North now coming up with all sorts of fun activities. He really was a child at heart and that was one of the things Jack appreciated most about him.

"As usual." Mavis said with a bright smile. "It's _never_ boring."

"What about you guys? Are you all excited about going to Berk?" Flynn asked the three Ravenclaws.

"Yeah, it's going to be so amazing seeing Meatlug!" Fishlegs said excitedly and hugged himself a little.

"Yeah, and it's going to be fun to see Rapunzel meet the dragons and the other Vikings." Hiccup told them and then turned his head to look at his blonde friend.

"You must be really excited about that, Goldie? I wish I could see dragons and all the Vikings." Flynn said, voicing something that Jack definitely agreed with. He really wished that he could go to Berk and see all of that…that would be amazing.

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it! But…it's also going to be a bit strange being away from my parents at Christmas." Rapunzel replied and then placed Pascal in her hands and stroked him a little.

"Yeah, but at least you won't have to put up with that frustrating aunt of yours." Hiccup told his blonde friend.

"That's true." Rapunzel agreed with a few nods.

"What aunt?" Jack asked curiously. He hadn't heard Rapunzel mention an aunt before.

"My aunt Gothel. She isn't too…_fond _of Hiccup and Fishlegs." Rapunzel replied and then put Pascal on one of her shoulders.

"_That's_ a fair summation." Hiccup deadpanned.

"Why?" Flynn instantly asked.

"She can't get past the whole Viking thing…she thinks we're some insane psychopaths." Hiccup explained. "She even called us ruffians and thugs at one point." he finished explaining and rolled his eyes.

The four Gryffindors instantly chuckled in response.

"She called you…and Fishlegs…ruffians and thugs?" Jack asked in disbelief with a grin on his face. "_You_…and _Fishlegs_?" he asked again, underlining just how ridiculous that notion was. Hiccup and Fishlegs were some of the gentlest, kindest people he knew…the thought of them actually being dangerous and unpleasant to someone innocent was_ completely _absurd.

"Yeah. She seems to think we're going to hurt Rapunzel or put her in danger somehow. She's seriously paranoid." Hiccup told him and Jack could sense the underlying irritation in his voice of being accused of something like that.

"Yeah, she's quite…overprotective." Rapunzel said sheepishly and wrung her hands a little.

Fishlegs huffed a little. "That's an understatement. Remember when we wanted to sleep in a tent in your backyard and she wouldn't let you sleep in the same tent as us? Apparently there was a_ very_ real risk that we might murder you or something." the large Viking said and Hiccup hummed in agreement.

"I know, I know…she's not very understanding about my friendship with you." the blonde Ravenclaw said with a slightly apologetic look on her face.

"Yeah…let's just say that she does _not_ like us and the feeling is mutual." Hiccup told Jack and the others and shrugged.

Rapunzel nodded. "Yeah, it's too bad that she can't really accept you guys."

Hiccup let out a small sigh. "The worst part is probably that she keeps trying to fill your head with all those paranoid thoughts. I remember when we first got to know you…you were afraid of _everything_ because of her."

"Yeah…" the blonde began sheepishly. "But…it could have been worse?" she said a bit hesitantly, as if she didn't really believe it herself.

"Rapunzel, the first night Fishlegs and I spent at your house, you knocked me unconscious with a frying pan in a paranoia fit!" Hiccup protested and then chuckled at the memory. Jack and the other teens all laughed at that, although they didn't know the story behind it. He could just imagine it now though.

"I thought you were a burglar!" Rapunzel exclaimed defensively.

"Yeah, well…serves me right for trying to go to the bathroom, huh?" Hiccup replied with a tiny amused smile tugging at his lips.

"Sorry." Rapunzel said and her cheeks were now a faint pink color.

"Come on, it's fine...it's just…she can't stop trying to make you afraid of everything and putting you down and disguising it as praise. You're not a "sapling" or a "sprout" or her "fragile flower." Hiccup said and Jack could easily sense the protectiveness coming from the Viking. He knew that Hiccup was _always_ looking out for Rapunzel and was ready to defend her against anything. He briefly thought about how this situation probably brought back unpleasant memories for Hiccup. Rapunzel's aunt seemed to be trying to bruise her confidence and self-esteem and that was _definitely_ something Hiccup could relate to.

"Yeah, she doesn't really have much faith in me." the blonde girl replied with a small sigh.

"No, she doesn't. If it was up to her, you would probably be locked away in some tower like a fragile princess." Fishlegs said, gesturing with his hands.

"Yes…she practically thinks you're made of glass, but we know you're much stronger than that." Hiccup told the blonde and now there was an underlying warmth and reassurance in his voice.

Rapunzel smiled fondly at him with appreciation in her green eyes.

"Thanks." she then said. "Growing up with two Viking boys as your best friends toughens you up a little." she added and smiled brightly at Hiccup and Fishlegs.

"If it hadn't, we obviously did something wrong." Fishlegs said with a toothy grin and Hiccup quickly agreed.

The seven teens spent the rest of the afternoon together in the forest area, just enjoying each other's company, until it was getting dark and it was time to head back to the castle. When they went inside, they split up, as the four Gryffindors and the three Ravenclaws went to their respective common rooms before it was time for dinner. The rest of the evening passed fairly uneventfully with a nice meal by the Gryffindor table (in combination with staring at Hiccup once in a while as usual), some friendly banter and amusing conversations in the common room with Jim, Harry and Liam too, followed by a pleasant night of uninterrupted sleep.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

TIME SKIP: A FEW DAYS LATER

Sometimes it was really difficult being away from Emma for most of the year. It wasn't just because he missed her so much, but also because it really made him feel like a lousy brother, whenever something was troubling her and he couldn't be there to help. As he leaned back in his chair in the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom, still waiting for the class to begin, he sighed a little to himself. He had received a letter from Emma about an hour ago at breakfast and apparently she was having nightmares about their parents' deaths and hadn't gotten much sleep at all for the last couple of days. Luckily it was a rare occurrence for her to have nightmares about that day, maybe because she had been so young when it happened, but it made him feel absolutely _horrible _to know that his sister was suffering now and that he couldn't even be there to give her a hug or stroke her hair to bring her some comfort or let her sleep in his bed beside him for support. He knew that he shouldn't be torturing himself with this…Emma would have nightmares once in a while, it was only natural considering what happened to their parents, but...he really couldn't help feeling responsible and guilty.

He remained quiet while listening a little absent-mindedly to the conversation taking place between Flynn and Merida about their next Quidditch match against the Slytherins, while thoughts of Emma kept whirling in his mind.

Hiccup was sitting next to him and had so far been writing notes, but now he had obviously figured out that something was off, since Jack could feel his green eyes observing him.

"Jack…is something wrong?" Hiccup asked him, almost whispering to avoid drawing attention from Merida and Flynn, who were now arguing about who the best professional Quidditch player was.

He turned his head to look at Hiccup. "Yeah, I just…Emma sent me a letter and told me that she's having nightmares about the day our parents died." he explained and then sighed a little.

"Oh…I'm so sorry." Hiccup told him with that familiar concerned look in his eyes.

"I just wish I could be there for her. Sometimes I feel like the worst brother in the world, because I've left her behind." he explained to Hiccup, wanting to share his thoughts with someone right now.

"You haven't left her behind. You're separated for most of the year, but you haven't _left _her. You're always there for her. You make sure to know what's going on in her life, you let her know that she can tell you anything and I know you would drop _everything_ if she needed you." Hiccup said softly and gave him a small, reassuring smile.

"Of course I would…" he replied quietly. There was almost nothing he wouldn't do for his sister.

"And she _knows_ that, Jack. You're not a bad brother. In fact you're one of the best I've seen."

"Really?" he asked hesitantly. He knew that he was very good at blaming himself whenever Emma was feeling down, because he couldn't be there by her side most of the time, so it was nice and comforting to hear Hiccup say those words.

"Really. You're always doing everything you can to make sure she's happy and safe and she can always count on you for support. That's what makes a great brother." Hiccup told him with a fond smile.

"Thanks Hic." he replied and gave the Viking a little smile of his own.

"Anytime, Snowflake." Hiccup said with that familiar warmth and affection in his green eyes that made Jack's heart skip a beat. Damn, how did Hiccup manage to _do _that?

Their Defense against the Dark Arts class went by very quickly, as they once again practiced the Patronus charm and Jack really enjoyed watching his arctic fox run around excitedly in the air leaving those long trails of light behind it. Not to mention that he could observe Hiccup's dragon Patronus as well, as it glided through the air and spewed flames, much to the Viking's delight. Jack hadn't noticed it the last time, but Hiccup pointed out that his Patronus looked a lot like Toothless, which was kind of fascinating.

Merida and Flynn managed to produce their Patronuses too and Merida's bear Patronus even took a playful swing at Flynn's dolphin Patronus at one point, as it quickly swam by and made joyful clicking noises, much to all of their amusement. Jack hadn't even known that Patronuses could interact with each other in any way, but similar situations kept happening during the class. He felt a combination of embarrassment and pure joy when he saw his arctic fox trying to play with Hiccup's dragon Patronus by running next to it and jumping over it several times, which caused the white dragon to do some pretty amazing maneuvers to evade the smaller fox, and thus a short, playful chase began between the two Patronuses. Hiccup seemed incredibly amused by this and they both laughed a lot by the fox's attempts to catch up with the dragon, until it gave up and resumed darting around randomly and joyously in the room.

The rest of his classes that day went by quite slowly and Jack suspected it was because he only had that one class with Hiccup, so they were separated for the remainder of the school day.

As he sat next to Mavis in Arithmancy and tried to listen to Professor Keller go on and on about some number charts that he couldn't care less about, thoughts of that dorky Ravenclaw filled his mind as usual. Next to him, Mavis was eagerly scribbling down notes as usual, the sound of the pencil scraping across paper reaching his ears. He knew that he should be paying attention, especially since he wasn't doing very well in this class because he had come to find it so _excruciatingly_ boring, but he just couldn't bring himself to care right now. It was _much_ more pleasant to just lose himself in thoughts of Hiccup…thoughts about his green eyes that reminded Jack of thick, lush forests, his dorky smile with the little gap between his front teeth, that little scar he had on his chin, his slightly long, soft, messy brown hair, those few discreet freckles he had on his cheeks…

He blocked out the sound of Professor Keller's voice, as his mind began to run through images of Hiccup biting his bottom lip when he needed to concentrate in class, scrunching his face slightly when he was sketching, blushing adorably at attention and compliments, being all vulnerable when he opened up about another secret of his, shooting arrows like it was second nature to him, being a wonderfully sarcastic, quick-witted shit when they were bantering, getting all excited and dorky about a new invention or project, the way his green eyes would sometimes soften with fondness and make Jack want to kiss him so badly…

He pulled himself out of his trance.

Bloody hell Jack…at least _try_ to resist these thoughts just once in a while. It was seriously dangerous to go down that road. He couldn't help it most of the time though...it was like Hiccup had invaded his mind.

Suddenly Mavis nudged his shoulder and pulled him out of his thoughts. She pointed to one of the large arch windows with a warm smile on her face. He followed the direction and saw thick, white, delicate snowflakes falling outside from the grey skies. His face instantly lit up in a huge grin and Mavis chuckled a little at his reaction. She knew just how excited he got when the first snow fell. Now he was even more impatient to get the rest of his classes over with. He wanted to go outside in the snow, watch it shimmer in the light, let those snowflakes leave cooling touches on his face and land in his hair, build snowmen and start snowball fights.

He smiled a little as a thought entered his mind. He was _definitely_ going to get Hiccup involved in a snowball fight.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

The chilly winter air was nipping at his skin, as he sat in one of the courtyards on a bench with his Herbology textbook. He adjusted his blue and white striped Ravenclaw scarf to cover a small piece of exposed skin that was getting touched by the brisk breeze. It had been his plan to study in the library, but Jack had insisted on dragging him outside because of the snow and his pale friend would not take no for an answer. Not that Hiccup actually _would _say no…Jack's childish excitement was like a secret weapon and it was seriously endearing how snow and winter in general made him so genuinely happy.

He had pulled his legs up on the bench and had his back against one of the armrests, while letting the heavy book rest on his thighs, as he tried his best to focus on his current task of studying. However…a certain white-haired Gryffindor was making it _extremely_ difficult.

As he once again heard Jack's bubbly laughter, he lifted his eyes from the pages and watched his pale friend a little. That laughter always made him feel warm inside.

Jack was trying to start a snowball fight with eight first year students and had sorted them into two teams of four. Then he made them pick team names, which was why he was currently laughing. Apparently the names the children had chosen were very amusing. The pale teen ruffled the hair of a small brunet boy and then directed the two teams to their starting positions and explained that he would throw at both teams, because it was clearly unfair if one team had all the advantages that came with his "pure awesomeness".

As Jack's blue eyes became wide with excitement and he gestured eagerly as he explained this to the first years, Hiccup could feel those tiny Terrible Terrors spread their wings inside his stomach and his heartbeat speed up quickly.

Gods…why did he have to be so amazing?…and attractive…and funny…and…okay Hiccup, stop that train of thought_ right_ there. Get a grip.

But really…why couldn't he have some kind of major flaw that Hiccup could focus on? That would make things a lot simpler. He wasn't that lucky though. Jack was _amazing_.

He lowered his gaze to his textbook again and tried his best to just focus on reading about the Chinese Chomping Cabbage, even though he would much rather just watch a certain white-haired prankster that made his heart beat faster. He kept his green eyes trained on the book though. He needed to get this done and also…he couldn't just openly _stare_ at Jack. That would definitely draw attention. He sighed a little to himself, as he read the same sentence for the fifth time, trying to get it to stick in his brain. By Thor, if these feelings lasted, his impressive grades would probably suffer and become a lot less impressive, unless he got better at pushing thoughts of Jack out of his mind.

As if trying to taunt him with his hopeless crush, his mind began to show him images of Jack's face lighting up when he was laughing his ass off after a successful prank, of him hilariously and adorably whine and pout over something, of that incredibly caring and warm expression in his blue eyes when they were having a heart-to-heart, of his infectious child-like excitement over seemingly small things like snow or winning a game, of the way he raised one eyebrow when he teased someone, of him running through the hallways laughing like a happy maniac, of him slinging his arm around Hiccup whenever they walked together, of his amusing arrogant and smug attitude when they were teasing each other, of his bright, confident and mischievous smiles that made Hiccup feel weak in the knees and gave him the sudden urge to kiss him…

He shook his head to himself. Oh come _on_, Hiccup…don't do _that_. You're just torturing yourself now.

Without his permission, his eyes drifted away from the book and once again landed on that white-haired boy. Jack was running around excitedly, laughing and gathering snow to form snowballs and throw them at the first years. Hiccup smiled warmly to himself. He loved Jack's playful and child-like side. It made him feel genuinely happy inside. He was also very relieved that Jack was in a better mood now. It was awful to see him be affected by guilt and grief and feel like a lousy brother because he couldn't physically be there for Emma right now. Hiccup had decided then to cheer Jack up by letting him in on another secret later that the white-haired teen was probably going to be quite excited about, and even though Jack was feeling better now, he was still determined to go through with it.

Jack was suddenly hit in the face by a snowball and then chased after a little boy with blonde curls to get revenge on him. After having simply grabbed an armful of snow and thrown it at the boy, covering him in the soft, delicate powder, Jack quickly retreated and ran around the courtyard in search of new victims. The first years were eagerly throwing snowballs through the air, running after each other and crouching down to pick up more snow to form into ammunition. Their joyful laughter and squeals were echoing through the air, and most of their clothes were now covered in snow. Some of them had been smart enough to build a few snow walls that they could use to duck behind for cover once in a while.

Jack had made his way around the whole courtyard by now, shooting snowballs and ducking once in a while to avoid getting hit, and he suddenly turned towards him and waved at him.

"Come on, Hic. Join in!" Jack yelled to him with a bright smile.

"I can't Jack, I need to study." he told his friend, although he couldn't exactly tell him how distracted he was making him.

"Awww, you stupid Viking." Jack pouted before turning back to the snowball fight, eagerly ducking and jumping to the side to avoid that snowy ammunition being thrown through the air, and quickly forming more snowballs to launch at everyone else.

Hiccup turned his attention back to the book and actually managed to focus for a little while now. That was quickly ruined though, when something cold and wet suddenly landed on his face and slowly slid down the skin, leaving freezing wet trails. He wiped his face with his hands and looked at the remaining wet pieces of the snowball on his jacket, before he put his textbook down and got to his feet. He didn't even have to look to know who just did that, but when he _did_ look, his suspicions were confirmed, as that pale snow-loving idiot was grinning widely at him.

"I challenge you, dragon boy!" Jack yelled with a huge smile and pointed at him.

"Oh, it's on, you devious Snowflake!" he shouted and immediately crouched down to collect some snow for ammunition. He formed the snow into a firm, dense snowball in his hands and ignored the cold wet sensation spreading through his fingers.

Screw studying. He needed to wipe that smile off Jack's face.

"Bring it, Hic! You're no match for me!" Jack said confidently and lowered himself to the ground to get some snow for a snowball as well. Behind him the first years were still in the middle of a snowball war, happy laughter, shrieks and battle cries ringing through the chilly winter air.

"Oh really!?" Hiccup yelled before he quickly launched a snowball and expertly hit Jack right between the eyes.

The white-haired teen groaned, dropped the snow in his hands and then wiped the snow away from his eyes, while Hiccup quickly collected more snow and formed another snowball, which he immediately threw through the air. It hit Jack in the face again.

"Aww man!"

"Still think I'm no match for you?" he asked Jack in amusement.

"Psshh, I was just letting you get a few hits in, so you won't feel so bad when I destroy you."

"Yeah right. I'd like to see that, Frosty." he replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Well…" Jack said as he crouched down and picked up some snow. "Prepare yourself, Viking boy. You're going down."

That was how he and Jack ended up sprinting around the courtyard, throwing snowballs and arms full of the white powder at each other, laughing and yelling insults. Like it was the case with that waterballoon fight they once had, he was a lot better at this than Jack, despite his pale friend's extensive experience with snowball fights. Jack managed to get some pretty good hits in too though and soon they were both almost completely covered in snow.

When three of the first years suddenly surrounded Jack and knocked him off his feet before stuffing a snowball down his jacket, Jack shrieked from the sudden chill. The kids ran way laughing their asses off, and when Jack got to his feet he scowled at them. Hiccup was unable to contain a chuckle.

"Hic, I suggest an alliance." Jack told him in mock seriousness and crossed his arms.

"I'm listening." he replied casually.

"Those rebellious children need to be taught a lesson." Jack said and motioned with his head to the first years running around in the snow.

"I agree. They need to respect their superiors."

"That settles it then."

"Yeah, you're right. It's a deal." Hiccup agreed and lowered himself to the ground to begin forming a snowball.

"Oh wait…we can't be a team without a team name!" he heard Jack say.

He stood up straight again and looked at his friend.

"Okay…any suggestions?" he asked the Gryffindor in front of him.

"Hmm…" Jack said, furrowing his forehead a little in contemplation. "Oh I know! Hijack!"

"What?" he asked skeptically, wrinkling his forehead. "Did you just…mix our names together like some uncreative first year?"

"Well, we can always go for my second choice: the electric ninjas!" Jack said proudly with a grin on his face.

"…Okay, Hijack is fine." Hiccup quickly replied. "But wait…why do you get your entire name in there, while I only get two letters?"

"Well, _obviously_, your part is first, so I have to be compensated somehow."

Hiccup shook his head. "Fine. Now, let's take down some first years."

"Yes!" Jack agreed with a huge smile and then ran to the nearest snow wall. Hiccup quickly followed and then they both started to form snowballs and launch them at the children, who quickly became aware that the two of them had teamed up against them.

It didn't take the first years long to make their own alliance and suddenly he and Jack were fighting eight children at once. Luckily the kids weren't nearly as good at throwing and hitting their targets, so that made it easier, but still…they were two against eight.

Jack was suddenly tackled from behind by four children at once and he fell backwards into the snow. The children were all sitting on him or pinning him down somehow, while the pale teen struggled and laughed. One of them squashed a snowball in his face and then they started to cover him completely in snow.

Hiccup turned around and began launching snowballs at them, hitting them expertly in the faces, which quickly caused them to retreat and seek the safety of the rest of their team.

"Jack, are you alive down there?" he asked with an amused smile, as he watched the pile of snow, where only a little bit of Jack's face and hair was sticking out.

"Hic…I'm dying." Jack wheezed dramatically.

"Really? Any last wishes?"

"Only one." Jack said. "Avenge me!" he then shouted in mock anger.

"No problem, Snowflake." Hiccup said and then turned around and began throwing snowballs at the children at a fast pace. Unfortunately they had had time to form a lot of new ammunition and they were eight against him. He crouched down behind one of the snow walls and continuously formed snowballs, peeked over the wall and then threw them accurately.

Apparently the children soon decided that they should put up a united front to beat him, which was bad news. They all approached the snow wall together at once, when he suddenly heard a voice behind him.

"I'M ALIIIIIIVE!" Jack yelled dramatically and Hiccup turned his head to see the white-haired prankster practically shoot out of the snow and on to his feet. "I'M ALIIIIIIIIIIVE!" he shouted again, his arms extended in front of him, as if he was a corpse being brought back to life.

"If you could just tone down your dramatic flair for a moment, I could use some back up, Frosty!" he told his pale friend with a grin.

"You got it!" Jack said and saluted him, before sprinting over to him and ducking behind the snow wall as well. His hair and clothes were completely covered in snow but that didn't seem to faze him the slightest. Jack peeked over the snow wall and saw the eight first years approaching.

"Okay, Hic. We're in a tough spot here…we're outnumbered and we're almost out of ammunition." he told him seriously, as if they were at war.

Hiccup put his face in grave folds. "Yes, it's not looking good. Any ideas?"

"Yeah." Jack replied with a knowing smile.

The Gryffindor took out his wand and pointed it at the ground while mumbling a few words and suddenly a bunch of snowballs appeared.

Hiccup grinned. He knew that Jack had practically taught himself every snow-related spell there was.

"Great! You keep supplying ammunition and I'll fire at them." Hiccup then told his friend. That would probably be effective enough to secure the victory for them.

"Sounds like the perfect plan." Jack agreed with an evil smile and then began conjuring more snowballs.

That was how he and Jack ended up winning a snowball fight against eight first years. They worked together as an efficient team, Jack kept producing snowballs and sometimes firing a few too, while Hiccup was releasing the snowy pieces of ammunition at a very fast pace, hitting the intended targets without much difficulty. In the end the first years surrendered and admitted that he and Jack were superior to them, much to Jack's delight.

Currently the first years were brushing off all the snow from their clothes and hair, some of them looking quite cold and wet now, but with smiles on their faces nonetheless.

As Hiccup brushed some snow out of his hair as well, Jack appeared before him after having thrown a snowball at Jim, who was walking past unsuspecting. This earned him a promise of revenge, but Jack only laughed in response.

"That was fun!" Jack exclaimed happily, his blue eyes a little wide with excitement. His white hair was filled with little snowflakes gleaming in the light, his pale nose and cheeks had that faint pink color from being outside in the brisk air and a bright smile lit up his entire face, making him look like he was practically ready to burst with joy. In this moment he was so _mind-blowingly_ gorgeous that Hiccup wanted nothing more than to just pull him in by the collar of his shirt and crash his lips against his and it took some _serious_ self-control on his part to not give in and do just that. It was _so _tempting. He felt a blush spread through his cheeks, but luckily Jack probably wouldn't notice since his cheeks were most likely already pink from the cold air.

He smiled warmly at his pale friend's enthusiasm and Jack's smile seemed to widen in response.

"And we won! We showed those kids who's boss!" Jack said happily and did a little jump.

"Of course we did. Those puny children didn't stand a chance against a Viking and the guardian of fun." Hiccup replied and motioned to him and then Jack.

"_Finally_ you recognize my title!" Jack exclaimed and gave him a little playful shove.

"Well…I can't really deny that you_ are_ fun to be around, Snowcone." he shrugged with a small smile.

"Likewise, my dorky Viking friend…now, maybe we should get inside. It's getting dark soon and we could probably use a change of clothes before dinner."

"Yeah, you're right about that. Come on." he agreed and began to walk towards one of the entrances. Jack quickly caught up and then slung his arm around him, as they made their way across the courtyard together.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

The night air was refreshingly chilly and a barrier of grey clouds drifted across the dark blue sky, obscuring the stars and the moon from view completely. Jack was currently finding himself in a very strange situation: following a certain brunet Ravenclaw out into the dark woods in the middle of the night. The snow was cracking under the pressure of his footsteps and every single branch and leaf in sight was covered with a soft layer of the white powder.

When he and Hiccup had gone inside after their snowball fight and needed to part ways to go to their own common rooms and get some dry clothes, Hiccup gave him a note with a strange, amused smile on his lips, before turning around and walking away without offering any explanation whatsoever.

As he had continued to walk along the corridors on his way to his own common room, he unfolded the note and took in the words. Then he smiled to himself in a mix of confusion and excitement. The note told him to sneak out and meet Hiccup at midnight by the castle entrance. Of course he had immediately been intrigued by it and he spent the rest of the evening wondering what on earth Hiccup had in mind.

That's how Jack now found himself in the middle of some small forest about 10 minutes away from the Quidditch pitch in the dark. He had never been here before and as he kept trailing behind Hiccup who was obviously hiding something from him, all kinds of strange scenarios about what this could possibly be about were going through his mind. The tip of Hiccup's wand glowed in the dark, bathing them in a faint light, so they wouldn't stumble over roots or rocks on their way to…well, wherever they were currently going, and the soft blanket of white snow all around them helped illuminate the surroundings further.

Jack suddenly chuckled to himself. "Hic, is this the part where I'm going to get brutally murdered in the middle of some strange forest?" he asked his friend.

"Oh yes." the Ravenclaw replied, his back still turned to Jack, walking a little ahead of him. He could hear the amusement practically seeping from Hiccup's voice.

"It's_ always _the shy ones that you should be wary of, isn't it? The one's that seem _completely _harmless and trustworthy."

"I'm not harmless, Jack." Hiccup said and it sort of sounded like an objection but at the same time there was an underlying amusement present.

"Oh please…you blush if a girl so much as looks your way."

"Yeah, true…but I can also kick your ass without even trying" Hiccup argued and Jack could almost _sense_ the self-satisfied smile on Hiccup's face, despite not being able to see it. He couldn't really argue with_ that_ though…but he wasn't about to admit it.

"Psshh…I've just been holding back, so I wouldn't damage your ego." he replied with that mock arrogance in place.

"Sure…Keep telling yourself that, Snowflake."

A few moments of silence passed as Jack continued to follow Hiccup towards their strange, unknown destination. The night air was chilly but his black jacket, his scarf and his unusually high tolerance of cold kept him warm and comfortable.

"So…where _are _we going, Hic? I'm not exactly used to being led out into a dark forest without even knowing where I'm going or why." he asked the Viking.

"Well…consider this a kind of friendship test." Hiccup told him, still walking in front of him.

"What?" he asked in confusion, furrowing his brow. What on earth was he talking about?

"As I said…a friendship test." Hiccup replied, not offering any kind of explanation at all.

Okay…

To say that Jack was curious now was an understatement. He was _brimming_ with curiosity and anticipation. What the hell was Hiccup talking about? What kind of friendship test could there be out here in the woods in the dark? Jack briefly revisited the whole serial-killer scenario and chuckled to himself. He had the feeling that Hiccup was just_ loving_ this…making him all curious and confused.

Suddenly they walked into a clearing and Hiccup seemed to slow down a little so he did the same, since he had no idea what to expect from all of this.

"Jack?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah?"

"No matter what happens, _don't_ take out your wand, okay?" the Ravenclaw told him firmly.

"Seriously Hic, are we going to die or something?" he asked Hiccup with an amused smile.

Hiccup chuckled. "Of course not. Just do what I say, okay?"

"Okay…" Jack said uncertainly. This was just getting weirder and weirder.

Hiccup then stopped walking, as he reached the middle of the clearing and Jack halted his steps as well, now standing next to the brunet Viking. Hiccup's Lumos spell illuminated their surroundings in a faint white light and as Jack looked around the clearing, he spotted a large cave. Huh...he would have to go exploring in there sometime. His natural curiosity prevented him from leaving such things alone.

"Come out, bud." Hiccup suddenly said and Jack snapped his head towards the brunet, instantly feeling the confusion and anticipation swirl inside him.

A large, black mass came out of the cave and bounded towards them at massive speed. Jack stopped breathing, quickly took some steps back and felt his heart practically jump right into his throat.

The large black animal stopped in front of Hiccup and pushed its snout against his forehead a few times. It almost looked like some kind of greeting.

"Heey bud." Hiccup cooed as he began to stroke the side of the animal's head in slow, affectionate movements.

Jack's blue eyes widened so much they might have popped out of his head, and he just stared at the massive creature standing in front of Hiccup. He recognized the dragon immediately.

No way…no…fucking…way. Toothless was _here_!?

"Jack?" he heard Hiccup's voice say, but he was still just staring at the fucking _dragon_ in front of him! The dragon who was currently being_ petted_ by Hiccup!

Toothless turned his head and watched him curiously for a few seconds, before he suddenly narrowed his eyes in an instant. He began growling at him, a low, animalistic sound that made Jack's heart almost stop in fear.

"Jack." Hiccup said firmly, pulling him out of his trance and he snapped his head towards his friend. His blue eyes were still wide in shock.

"Put down your wand." Hiccup said calmly, observing him with his green eyes.

Jack lowered his eyes and found out that he was actually holding his wand tightly in his hand, his knuckles almost turning white from the firm grip. Apparently he had pulled it out on instinct, despite Hiccup telling him _not_ to.

He slowly put his wand back in the pocket of his black jacket, while watching Toothless intently. Even though he was standing in front of a _dragon _and he would now be completely defenseless, he trusted Hiccup completely.

As soon as the wand was gone from his hand, the black dragon's eyes turned from angry slits to friendly, round black pupils, almost making it resemble a happy dog. Toothless tilted his massive head and observed him from in front of Hiccup with obvious interest.

Jack let out a sigh and felt the worry subside. Of course he _knew_ that Toothless was friendly…being Hiccup's best friend and all…but it was pretty intimidating standing in front of a growling dragon.

"Okay." Hiccup said calmly. "Jack, come here" he finished and motioned with one hand.

Jack slowly and carefully stepped closer to Hiccup and Toothless, watching Toothless in case he did anything else that might cause a change in the dragon's mood. When he was standing right next to Hiccup, he was only a few feet away from the Night Fury.

"Jack, this is Toothless…Toothless, this is Jack. Remember how I told you about him?" Hiccup said casually, as if he was just introducing a couple of friends, when in reality, Jack was meeting a bloody dragon!

Toothless tilted his head in curiosity and then slowly covered the few feet between them and started carefully sniffing at his hand. He could feel the brush of scales against his skin, but he just stood still for a while, not completely sure what to do right now. How do you act around a dragon?

"You…told him about me?" he asked Hiccup, feeling quite happy about that.

"Well, yeah. I tell him almost everything that goes on in my life." the Viking told him.

Toothless had stopped smelling his hands and just looked at him, as if waiting for him to do something. Jack then decided to reach out a hand towards the black dragon. He gently began to stroke the top of Toothless' head, feeling the rough black scales against his pale fingertips. The dragon was quite warm to touch, which made sense when he thought about it…after all, he could breathe fire.

"Hi Toothless." he said to the black dragon and gave him a smile, wanting to make friends with him, but not exactly knowing at all how you gained a dragon's trust.

The Night Fury began to make low purr-like sounds, leaning into the touch, and Jack was unable to hold back the huge bright smile that spread across his face. Toothless actually seemed to like him!

He continued to pet Toothless and used his other hand to scratch under the dragon's chin, which was apparently delightful for the Night Fury, as he closed his eyes and continued to let out those low sounds of contentment.

After a little while of stroking and scratching Toothless to bond with him, Jack retracted his hands and then crouched down in front of the Night Fury, looking him right in the eye now. He was no longer feeling intimidated by Toothless, so he wanted to take a closer look at him. The dragon was observing him with friendliness evident in his large, green eyes and that made Jack feel almost giddy inside.

"You're incredible…" he told Toothless in awe, and the black dragon warbled in reply, sounding very pleased with that compliment. In fact, Toothless looked almost _proud_, as he lifted his head up in the air a little. Jack grinned at the Night Fury in response. This was actually going pretty well…and Toothless was amazing. He seemed almost…human in his expressions.

He continued to sit in front of Toothless and then decided to talk to him a little to get the dragon used to him.

"I've never met a dragon before, Toothless…so this is really exciting." he told him, unable to keep the bubbling joy out of his voice. He quickly glanced at Hiccup, who was watching him and Toothless with a soft, fond smile.

As he trained his eyes on Toothless again, the dragon tilted his head and his tongue lolled out one side of his mouth, once again reminding Jack of a happy dog. He laughed a little at the joyful dragon and started to scratch under his chin again. Toothless seemed_ very_ pleased with that and closed his eyes as an expression of delight.

He was unable to wipe the grin off his face. This was just…_unbelievable_. He was talking to a dragon and petting it! He would never have imagined that in his wildest dreams.

"You're pretty great. I think you and I could become good friends." he told the black dragon and Toothless opened his green eyes and let out a strange, low sound that he didn't know what to make of.

Jack quickly looked at Hiccup for an explanation. Hiccup grinned at him. "He agrees." the Viking told him.

Toothless suddenly moved closer and gently bumped his snout against Jack's forehead before turning around and walking away.

Jack watched the dragon go to Hiccup, where Toothless stopped and warbled at the Viking.

He got to his feet and turned his head towards Hiccup, who was watching him with fondness in his green eyes while he had begun petting Toothless with one hand.

"This is…that was…it…" Jack said, struggling to find the words to express just how _much_ he appreciated that Hiccup had actually let him meet Toothless. "This is just amazing, Hic" he told his brunet friend, and a bright smile instantly spread across Hiccup's face.

"I'm glad you think so. I thought it was time you met my best friend."

Jack nodded. "Thanks…I never thought I would get to meet a dragon!"

Hiccup chuckled at his excitement. "Well, Toothless seems to like you."

"I like him too, he's great!" he exclaimed and Toothless seemed happy with that compliment as the dragon gave him what could only be described as a toothless smile. He remembered that Hiccup had told him that the dragon had retractable teeth.

Hiccup smiled and then turned to Toothless. "Are you ready, bud?" he asked the dragon, who immediately lowered his body closer to the ground in reply.

Hiccup quickly got on the dragon's back in a few swift movements, while Jack just stared at the whole interaction, still finding all of this quite surreal. Was Hiccup about to fly off now? He watched the Viking lean to the left to take off his shoe from his prosthetic, but his view of it was blocked by Toothless' body.

"Well…are you coming?" Hiccup then asked him with an amused smile.

Wait…what?

"What?" He asked Hiccup in disbelief, his blue eyes widening.

"Haven't you ever wanted to fly on a dragon?" Hiccup asked him with a grin.

"Yes!" he blurted out, unable to stop himself. Of course he wanted to fly on a dragon!

"Then come on." Hiccup encouraged him with a smile and motioned with one hand for him to come closer.

Jack's face split into a huge grin. Wow, this was actually happening?

"Really!?" he asked, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice.

Hiccup chuckled. "Yeah, otherwise I wouldn't have said it. Come on, Snowflake."

Jack approached Toothless and Hiccup and looked at the dragon for a brief moment.

Then he grabbed the side of the saddle and heaved himself up on the dragon's back, behind Hiccup. It was easier said than done, and the fact that Hiccup could make it look so effortless spoke volumes of his experience with this. There was a little room between them on the saddle, and Jack preferred to keep it that way. Otherwise he might just get…certain thoughts or reactions. He definitely didn't want that.

"Put that harness on." Hiccup told him and pointed towards a harness attached to the saddle.

Jack did as he was told and wrapped the harness around him and then clicked it into place. He definitely felt a little safer now. He was all for adrenaline rushes and excitement, but falling out of the sky would perhaps be a_ bit_ too much.

"Okay…now…grab those two straps on the sides and hold on_ tight_." Hiccup said calmly.

"That feeling that I might die today is slowly coming back, Hic."

Hiccup chuckled. "Don't worry, _Snær Flekkr_. I would never let anything happen to you."

Jack felt reassured by those words. Of course he hadn't actually thought that Hiccup would take risks with his safety, and of course Hiccup knew _exactly _what he was doing, but…Jack had never been on a dragon before, so this whole situation seemed quite unpredictable to him.

"Good to know, Hic."

"So…are you ready?"

"Yeah, I think so." he replied and tried to mentally prepare himself for what was about to come, although that would probably be impossible.

He heard a clicking noise and he knew that it was Hiccup clicking his prosthetic into place, so he could control Toothless' tailfin. He didn't lean over and look at the prosthetic, because first of all he didn't know if Hiccup would be bothered by that and second of all it was too dark to see it properly anyway.

"Toothless…Jack has never been on a dragon, so don't do anything too wild, okay? Just take it easy." Hiccup told the Night Fury and Jack appreciated that. Just being on a dragon's back and about to fly into the sky was surreal and exciting enough.

Toothless warbled in reply.

"Good, thanks bud." Hiccup said and stroked the top of the dragon's head.

Jack smiled and shook his head a little. It was cute how Hiccup was actually able to communicate with Toothless. It was like it wasn't a challenge for them at all to be two different species.

"Okay…let's fly!" Hiccup said happily.

Toothless crouched down and then took off from the ground, spread his massive black wings and began climbing upwards into the sky. The sudden movement of being shot through the air instantly made surges of adrenaline burst through Jack's entire body, making every nerve and vessel seem like it might pop with the pure thrill and excitement. He had stopped breathing, his stomach tingled vigorously, his heart pounded in his chest like it might jump right out of it, and his knuckles turned white from holding on to the straps so tightly.

Suddenly Toothless leveled out and they began simply gliding through the sky slowly instead of flying upwards at a fast pace. As he began breathing again, he inhaled and exhaled erratically because of the massive shock and adrenaline bursts, but he was unable to keep a huge grin off his face.

"That was awesome!" he exclaimed happily, wanting to express the major joy and thrill that was bubbling inside him right now. He heard Hiccup chuckle in front of him.

"I'm glad you think so." the Viking replied, sounding quite calm…but that wasn't so strange. He was used to this after all and Toothless was obviously holding back for Jack's sake.

Jack began to look around them now that he wasn't holding on for dear life and thinking he might die from an excitement overload. The brisk night air was rushing past him, leaving cooling touches on his pale skin. He found himself being glad that he chose to wear his warm jacket _and_ his Gryffindor scarf as well, as it was definitely_ very_ cold up here. There was a heavy blanket of grey clouds above them that looked soft and wispy. He wished he was close enough to reach out and touch them.

As he simply took in the surroundings and tried to mentally process the fact that he was currently on a dragon, he began to relax and his heart stopped pounding in his chest.

Everything up here in the sky was peaceful and dead quiet except the wind and the soft sound of Toothless flapping his large black leathery wings once in a while. It was oddly calming.

He looked down and the massive magical castle was so small in the distance, it was unbelievable. Hogwarts was huge but right now…it looked like a small toy castle. He couldn't believe that he was this high up. The entire world below was covered in snow and it was such a beautiful sight…hills, rooftops, trees…all sprinkled with a layer of that soft, white powder that seemed to almost shimmer.

"Are you okay back there?" Hiccup suddenly asked him.

"Yeah, just fine, Hic…this is just…amazing." he replied not knowing how else to describe it. It all seemed so unreal…he was flying on a dragon…he was looking down at the world below.

Hiccup turned his head to glance at him and the Viking gave him a warm smile, before once again looking ahead. Jack felt those damn butterflies flap their wings in his stomach again.

He heard Hiccup's prosthetic click as the Viking shifted the position of the tailfin and then they began slowly gliding downwards. The world below them once again came closer, as they neared the large lake where they often spent so much time together. Usually the lake would be dark in the night, but it was completely frozen and the pale ice glistened as they flew along the lake, right above the surface.

Jack watched the trees of the forest surrounding the huge body of water just fly by next to him, and even though he was no longer getting those shocking adrenaline bursts and despite the fact that Toothless was holding back and not flying that fast, he still felt a tingling in his stomach from the speed and movement. Being on a dragon and flying, even steadily and at a fairly even pace, was a bit like being on some kind of ride…it made you feel bubbly and excited.

As they reached the end of the massive lake, he heard that familiar clicking sound again and Toothless flapped his large black wings faster and began to once again ascend into the chilly, dark night sky. This time though, the dragon wasn't climbing upwards almost vertically, but was slowly increasing the distance between them and the ground and Jack knew that it was once again for his sake that Hiccup and Toothless were taking it slow…which he really appreciated. He watched as the pale icy lake and the snow-covered treetops became smaller and smaller below them, as they continued to fly higher.

Hiccup made Toothless turn around and then they began to fly towards the castle, although high enough into the sky, so the school looked fairly small. As they glided over the building that had become like a second home, it was just incredible to see it from above like this.

When they had flown passed the large, magical castle, Jack could see that they were heading for the mountains surrounding the school. He smiled softly to himself. He had always liked watching the view of the mountains that stretched all around Hogwarts. They weren't as tall as many other mountains and they didn't have sharp peaks. On the contrary, they were fairly smooth-looking with rounded tops. Usually large patches of them were covered in green moss, but with the recent snowfall, they were powdered with the white, delicate substance that currently appeared blue in the darkness of the night.

As they reached the mountains and began flying along the snow-covered tops, Jack felt quite grateful that he got to experience something like this. How many people could say that they had flown on a dragon and watched the world from above this way? Not many.

He and Hiccup didn't really speak, but it wasn't an awkward silence at all. It was more like they both wanted to just enjoy the view, the air against their skin and the feeling of freedom that being in the skies brought. Jack was perfectly comfortable and happy just like this…sitting on Toothless' back behind Hiccup, taking in the breathtaking surroundings and the tingling feeling of flying through the air.

When they had glided across the mountain tops for a while in peaceful silence, Hiccup made Toothless slowly turn around and then fly higher into the grey heavens. That blanket of clouds above began to come closer and closer. Now he might actually get to touch those soft, elusive clouds, Jack thought to himself with a small smile.

The soft sound of Toothless flapping his massive wings continued to reach his ears, and his nose began to feel the chill of the brisk night air. Not that he minded. He lifted his head to keep an eye on the clouds becoming larger and larger, until everything around him went grey and white as they gently passed through the soft barrier and they were completely surrounded by endless feathery-looking clouds as far as the eye could see.

Jack stopped breathing for a few moments and then couldn't stop looking all around him. He extended his arm to the side and let his hand drift through the grey and white bulbous marshmallow-resembling clouds. Of course you weren't actually able to grab hold of a cloud, so all he felt was a slight cold and damp sensation on his hand. Still though…not everyone could say that they'd touched a cloud.

Hiccup continued to guide Toothless upwards through their soft, white and grey surroundings. Jack heard the clicking of the Viking's prosthetic once in a while and once again found himself thinking that it was amazing that Hiccup had actually been able to design a tailfin that he could control with his artificial limb.

As they continued to float higher into the sky, Jack stroked Toothless on the side a few times and then once again fixed his eyes on the clouds encasing them all around like a bubble of fluffy snow.

When they suddenly broke through the highest clouds, the dark night sky was revealed, filled with thousands of bright, white stars shining their pale light down on them. The crescent moon shimmered, surrounded by a white glow and being this high up in the dark heavens right now was like being wrapped in the night itself. It was such a stark contrast to the endless fluffy clouds they had just been enveloped in, but it was nothing short of breathtaking and Jack felt his jaw drop.

"Wow…" he managed to say. It was just…_beautiful_. Amazingly, unbelievably beautiful.

"Yeah…" Hiccup agreed quietly.

As they softly drifted through the cool night air, surrounded by all those amazing bright stars against the dark blue sky, it was like time stood still. It was like he and Hiccup were the only people in the world and he felt a soft sensation of utter contentment spread inside him. He looked down and watched that blanket of grey clouds below them, covering the world underneath from view. He briefly thought about how strange it was that their entire lives…Hogwarts, their homes, their friends and family, everything…were under that barrier. It was like this was a whole other world up here, separated from the reality they knew so well.

He trained his eyes on Hiccup and watched the Viking's slightly long brown hair being ruffled by the brisk wind. He felt his fingers itching to just reach out and touch it…feel that familiar softness…or play with those two braids. He had to hold himself back though.

He lifted his head and looked at the bright, glowing moon. That large white orb had always managed to somehow calm him, soothe his mind, and he suspected it was because of the story of the man in the moon that his biological dad had told him, when he was little. He let out a small sigh.

"Are you okay?" he heard Hiccup's voice say from in front of him.

"Yeah…I just thought of a story my dad used to tell me about the moon." he explained to the Viking.

"Oh? Can I hear it?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah…when I had nightmares when I was little, my dad used to bring me to my window and we would just look at the moon for a little while. It was so big and so bright that it chased the darkness away…and when it did, I wasn't scared anymore. He told me this story of how the moon was actually a guardian…a sort of silent protector who watched over all the children of the world and their hopes and dreams to avoid them being overtaken by dark creatures. Sometimes the dark creatures would succeed and that's when children had nightmares…and fears…but in the end the man in the moon always managed to chase them away and bring the light back." he told Hiccup, thinking about all the times he and his dad had sat on the windowsill watching the moon and its light.

"I like that story." Hiccup told him, which made him feel kind of happy.

He briefly lifted his head again and looked at the bright moon and the stars surrounding it.

"Do you have something similar…in Norse mythology?" he then asked Hiccup and pulled his scarf a little tighter around his neck.

"Hmm, sort of…not about the moon protecting children but about someone being in control of it…in Norse mythology, a man named Mudilfari had two children, a boy and a girl. He thought his children were so beautiful that he named the boy Máni which means moon and the girl Sól which means sun. The gods didn't like this, because they believed it was an expression of arrogance, so as a punishment they threw Máni and Sól into the skies and gave them the job of guiding the sun and the moon across the skies, pulling them in two wagons with horses in front. They both constantly hurry in doing this, because later on, giants in the shape of wolves were born by one of the giants in _Jötunheimr_* and two of these wolves gained the ability to hunt in the skies. One of them constantly chases after Máni, while the other chases after Sól. When _Ragnarok_* is set in motion, Máni and Sól are both eaten by the wolves chasing them and the sun and the moon go dark." Hiccup told him and once again Jack really enjoyed hearing stories from Norse mythology. He had learned a lot about it since he made friends with Hiccup and Fishlegs.

"Wow…not a good ending for Máni and Sól." he replied with a small smile.

Hiccup chuckled. "I guess not…but a lot of stories in Norse mythology don't exactly have happy endings."

"What happens after Ragnarok?" he asked curiously.

"Well…after the world has ended, a new world rises with only a few gods and humans to have survived Ragnarok." Hiccup explained to him.

"Huh…so it's_ not_ the end of everything like most people think."

"No…although most of the gods and almost every single human and creature will die."

"That's kind of depressing." Jack chuckled in response.

"Yeah, it sort of is." Hiccup replied and Jack could hear a little amusement in his voice. "but…a lot of religions have some kind of 'end of the world' scenario."

"That's true…"

After a while they once again became silent and went back to just enjoying being in the air and watching the amazing surroundings. Hiccup then shifted the position of the tailfin and they began to descend slowly through the sky. As they once again drifted through the airy barrier of clouds, Jack couldn't resist reaching out and touching them once more. It was so incredibly beautiful and peaceful being in the middle of hundreds of large fluffy clouds that surrounded them and reminded him of endless hills of soft cotton.

Then the grey and white softness all around them gave way to the world below and he could now see the castle again, mostly dark but some windows illuminated with warm, yellow light. It was still tiny in the distance.

Suddenly Toothless dived down a little and Jack forgot _any_ previous reservations he had about the distance between him and Hiccup and just flung his arms around the guy and held on tight. He dug his fingertips into Hiccup's brown jacket and he didn't really have time to be embarrassed, but he instantly felt that familiar bubbly, nervous energy spreading inside him. Right now though, he was just focusing on the sudden shock he got from the unexpected, speedy movement.

When Toothless quickly leveled out again, he kept his arms around Hiccup and now the embarrassment and awkwardness began, as he felt his pale cheeks blush and his heart beat faster in his chest. Luckily Hiccup didn't say anything.

Even though Toothless was flying slowly and steadily again now, he decided to keep his arms wrapped around the Viking boy. Just for extra safety of course…_not_ because being this close to him was practically addictive and felt right in every way, no of course not.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

O-kaaaay…Jack had his arms around him now. That was an…interesting development.

It had taken him by surprise that Toothless suddenly dived a little and that Jack threw his arms around him like that. Now he was being _completely_ distracted by that snow-haired Gryffindor holding him tightly, and the butterflies were spreading their wings in his stomach. Being distracted was_ not_ a good idea when flying, no matter how much he trusted Toothless, but he really couldn't help it right now. The guy he was crushing on was holding on to him like it might kill him if he let go.

"What was that dive all about, bud?" he asked Toothless, who let out a very familiar warbling sound that Hiccup knew as laughter.

He rolled his eyes. Oh, for Thor's sake…that useless reptile had done that on purpose! Just to get him and Jack closer together. That…that…cheeky dragon!

"Toothless…" he said in warning tone to signal that he better not do that again, and Toothless grumbled in response to let him know that he had understood but wasn't happy about it. Not that that surprised Hiccup…Toothless may be a fierce, dangerous dragon but he was mischievous and playful as well and he enjoyed teasing Hiccup. In that way, his scaly best friend and Jack actually had quite a lot in common.

Jack continued to cling to him, his arms wrapped tightly around his waist. Hiccup's heart was pounding in his chest from this close contact and he tried to ignore the warm sensation spreading inside him from the touch, but failed miserably. Right now he really wished he had worn his armor instead of his normal clothes and jacket…that way he wouldn't be able to feel Jack's touch quite as much as he did currently.

By _Freyja_*, did that white-haired guy have _any_ idea what he was doing to him? Having Jack hold on to him like that was almost driving him crazy. He couldn't exactly tell him to stop though…he was obviously a little nervous about Toothless potentially pulling another stunt. Not that he _wanted_ Jack to let go, even though it _was_ distracting him. Having him this close was…amazing. He just wanted to pull him closer and never let go, but obviously he couldn't do that.

He shifted the position of the tailfin once more and began to guide Toothless towards the small forest. He tried his best to just focus on the act of flying and the wind against his face and _not _his crush clinging to him like this, causing his heart to beat rapidly and a bubbly sensation to spread inside him. He gripped the leather and metal steering rods attached to the saddle tighter, his knuckles almost turning white. He seriously needed to focus now.

His thoughts were interrupted, as he heard what sounded like a content sigh escape Jack.

Okay…

_Why _did Jack have to throw his arms around him? _Why_ did he have to sigh like that? It was doing unfair things to him. It was_ just _his luck having a crush who was perfectly fine with being all touchy…knowing Jack, he was probably completely comfortable with this situation and would laugh and tease him if he knew just how awkward Hiccup felt right now.

Okay, well…they were landing soon, so he really had to concentrate now. He blocked out the closeness between him and Jack and just focused intently on steering the tailfin. The small forest slowly came closer and closer until they could practically touch the white treetops, and then they glided into the clearing by the cave.

As Toothless landed on the snow-covered grass with a firm "thud", Jack retracted his arms much to Hiccup's relief. He clicked his prosthetic out of the saddle and then removed his harness from around his waist. He jumped off his best friend's back and landed on his feet on the ground. Then he quickly began to put his shoe on his prosthetic again.

Jack had removed his harness too and happily jumped off Toothless to the other side.

"That was awesome!" he heard his pale friend exclaim, unable to keep his bubbly joy in. Hiccup chuckled and then covered the distance between him and Jack, now that he had both his shoes on again. Jack was observing him with big, excited blue eyes.

"I know, right?" he told the Gryffindor. "Flying is amazing."

"It really is! I can't _believe_ I've actually gone flying on a_ dragon_!" Jack said, throwing his hands up in the air to express his happiness.

Hiccup couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. This was _exactly _why he had chosen to introduce Jack and Toothless today…to make Jack happy after the problems he had with the guilt of being away from Emma. It made him feel warm inside that he had actually succeeded in that.

"Maybe you can fly with us again sometime, Snowcone" Hiccup told him with an amused smile.

Although next time, Jack better _not_ wrap his arms around him like that…or he might not be able to restrain himself.

"_As if_ you could ever keep Toothless away from me…we're like best buds now!" Jack said and moved towards Toothless, before petting him on the side of the head, stroking the black scales gently. His best friend let out some low, content sounds and closed his eyes in response to the touch.

Hiccup smiled warmly and felt the affection bubble inside him. He felt even closer to Jack now that his white-haired friend had shared the experience of flying and met Toothless, who he seemed quite fond of. It meant a lot to him that Jack and Toothless already got along so well.

"Nah, the position as Toothless' best bud is already occupied by me." he told the Gryffindor.

"I could easily change that." Jack said with an amused smile.

"Right." Hiccup drawled. "Of course you could."

Jack stopped stroking and scratching Toothless and then approached him, the snow cracking under his footsteps. Then the pale teen brushed the snow off a big rock and sat down on it. Hiccup quickly followed and placed himself on another rock across from Jack. He took out his wand and murmured "Lumos" and the wand lit up their surroundings. Toothless moved towards them and then laid down next to him and let out a content sigh. Hiccup knew that his best friend also felt that pleasant calmness after a flight.

"So…how exactly did you decide to bring Toothless here?" Jack asked him, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Well…after everything with the Red Death I didn't want to be separated from Toothless. Ever. So I refused to return here unless I could bring him with me." he explained, gesturing with his hands.

"And what? Headmaster Lunar agreed to it just like that?" Jack asked skeptically.

"Not exactly…it took some convincing. You know, I had to persuade him that Toothless wouldn't be a danger to anyone and that we would actually be able to keep it a secret, so it wouldn't cause panic, and so the professors wouldn't get in trouble with the parents for knowing there was a dragon on the grounds…and also…I kind of had to promise him some things in return too."

"What kind of things?" Jack asked, furrowing his brow.

"I had to let Professor Brown meet Toothless and study him, and also let him pick my brain a little about dragons."

"What, really? _That's_ why he's on leave?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"Yup."

"But…I thought you wanted to keep all that dragon knowledge a secret?"

"I'm not telling him _anything _that could be used against us or the dragons in any way…like how to train them or the strengths and weaknesses of the species. I let him know from the start that it was only certain things I could share with him and he accepted that." Hiccup explained and began to gently rub Toothless on the side of the head. The Night Fury had closed his eyes, but cracked one of them open a little and let out faint purring sound before he once again had both his eyes closed.

"Isn't professor Lunar worried that some of the other students will find out about this?" he heard Jack's voice say and he once again turned his attention to his white-haired friend.

"No, not really." he shrugged. "I've had Toothless here for two school years now, so I've proven to him that it can be done, even though I have to sneak out twice a day."

"Bloody hell, Hic." Jack said and then shook his head with a smile on his face. "You've been going out here twice a day_ every_ day to fly on a dragon and no one except your friends and the professors ever knew about it."

"I'm good at keeping secrets." he replied with a small smile and shrugged again.

"I _know _you are, but still…" Jack replied. "So…that's why you didn't want to join the Quidditch team, even though I tried to convince you it would be fun?"

"Yeah. I get plenty of adrenaline surges and time in the air with Toothless."

"No kidding…You guys were holding back up there for my sake, right?"

"Yes. We usually do a lot of different drills and maneuvers, but that's not something I would ever do, when we have someone with us, who's not used to that."

"No, I can imagine that would be quite…overwhelming."

"Definitely" he quickly agreed.

"You know, Hic…you could have told me that we were going to see Toothless instead of just throwing me into the situation completely unprepared." Jack told him with an amused smile.

"And miss that _hilarious _look of disbelief on your face? I don't think so." he retorted.

"Wow…and you're always going on about how evil_ I_ am?" Jack asked him and gestured to himself.

"I'm not evil. I just have a_ great_ sense of humor." he replied with his usual sass.

"Sure you do, Hic." Jack told him and then the white-haired Gryffindor trained his eyes on Toothless, who was still relaxing on the ground, while Hiccup petted him gently.

"He's really amazing…" Jack said quietly, observing the content, relaxing dragon.

"Yeah, he is." Hiccup agreed with a fond smile.

"Can I tell the others that he's here or do you want it to stay between us?" Jack then asked and met his eyes.

"You can tell them. I trust them by now…but no one else of course."

"Of course. I would never do that."

Hiccup nodded with a smile tugging at his lips. He trusted Jack.

"You know…I'm really glad you chose to share this with me. I know these things aren't easy for you." Jack told him with that familiar, soft, caring expression in his blue eyes that had the ability to make Hiccup feel weak in the knees.

"Actually…this time it was." he replied softly.

"What do you mean?"

"I trust you, Jack and…I'd been thinking about letting you meet Toothless for a while now, but I wasn't sure when the time was right…but then you were in such a bad mood this morning, so I really wanted to cheer you up."

Jack's eyes softened at those words. "Thanks Hic…it_ definitely_ helped, I still haven't completely calmed down yet!"

Hiccup chuckled at that.

"By the way…I assume that Rapunzel and Fishlegs and Astrid all know that Toothless is here?"

"Yeah, of course. They come along with me sometimes to say hi to him and even fly with us once in a while." he explained.

It didn't happen that often, but Toothless was always happy to see them and especially Rapunzel was eager to come along and talk to Toothless and pet him. She also liked flying with them, as long as they took it easy and didn't do anything too fast or risky. Fishlegs and Astrid liked to see Toothless as well, but Hiccup suspected that their joy of seeing him was also a bit diminished by the fact that it reminded them of their own dragons that they missed terribly.

Jack nodded. "Well, I want to see Toothless again sometime too." he said and looked at Toothless with a bright smile.

"Hmm. Better be nice to me then, Snowball." he told Jack, pretending to be a little reluctant to let Jack come along again, when in reality, he wouldn't mind at all.

"I'm the _essence_ of niceness." Jack replied confidently with one of those teasing smiles.

"You know, you can't be the essence of niceness AND a ninja. You have to choose one or the other."

"That's just not correct, Hic. Someone like me can easily be nice and still be able to kill someone with my thumb." Jack told him, still with that mock arrogant attitude in place.

"Like_ you_ could ever kill someone with your thumb." he replied and rolled his eyes.

"Of course I can…I just usually choose to use my powers for good." Jack said and shrugged casually.

"If you had powers, you_ definitely_ wouldn't be using them for good."

"Be careful Hic, or I might just challenge you."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You'd just end up scarred for life." he retorted with a fake air of superiority.

"I'm already scarred for life, I'm friends with_ you_." Jack shot back, and Hiccup couldn't stop the laughter from escaping his lips.

They remained in the clearing for a little while, talking more about how he managed to keep Toothless a secret from the other students and how his meetings with Professor Brown had gone. Jack was just a tad envious of learning that he was allowed to wander around the castle at night without risking getting detention and his white-haired friend told him that he obviously wasn't exploiting that advantage enough, as there was potential for a lot of "mind-blowing" pranks there.

When they had said good night to Toothless and were walking back through the small forest in the darkness next to each other, with only Hiccup's wand and the white snow all around them to illuminate their surroundings, he felt content. He was happy to have shared this with Jack and that everything had gone so well. Jack and Toothless obviously liked each other and Jack had been so excited and happy to have gone flying. He would definitely bring him out here again sometime.

"Thanks, Hic…" Jack suddenly said softly from next to him.

"For what?" he asked in confusion and turned his head to look at the Gryffindor.

"For just…being you." Jack replied and his voice was warm with obvious fondness. Hiccup could feel his heart beat speed up in response.

Jack _really _shouldn't say things like that to him…it made him feel all…tingling and bubbly inside.

"I have no idea how to be anyone else." he replied and grinned at Jack, who gave him an amused smile in response.

"I know. That's one of the best things about you." the white-haired teen said and then nudged his shoulder playfully.

Hiccup could feel his heart beat even faster in his chest and he couldn't stop the bright, warm smile that spread across his face, as the guy he had feelings for said those heartwarming things to him.

Gods, he was crushing so hard on that snow-loving idiot…

**Author's note:**

Ragnarok: A series of different events that leads to the end of the known world. These events include natural disasters and a large battle between the gods and the giants (and several other creatures like the wolf Fenrir and the giant serpent Jormungandr) where most of the gods will die (including several of the most well-known ones like Odin, Thor and Freyr). At the end of the battle the whole world is burning, the stars have vanished and the sun and moon have been swallowed by two wolves. Then the world will sink and be submerged in water and then emerge as a new, fertile world, where the few surviving gods and humans will live.

Freyja: The most important goddess in Norse mythology. She is the goddess of love and fertility, but she was also associated with death, wealth, and magic. She is a powerful wielder of seiðr – a powerful magic that gives the wielder certain powers like shapeshifting, gendershifting, healing powers, control over nature and divination. This magic however was only acceptable for women to use. It was taboo for men to dabble in such things, except Odin who ended up becoming the most powerful sorcerer of all once Freyja taught him seiðr. In general it was considered feminine to use magic to achieve one's goals, particularly because of the nature of the powers given to the wielder such as the shapeshifting and the gendershifting, which meant that the sorcerer could transcend boundaries that Viking societies wanted to uphold (like gender roles).

Jötunheimr: In Norse mythology, this is the place where the Jötnar live. Some of them are big as towers, some are ugly or beautiful, and some are even born in the shape of an animal or with wings. Jötunheimr consists mostly of forests and rocky terrain and the Jötnar were considered beings who were very close to nature and its forces. They are often portrayed in the sagas and myths as being in opposition to the Norse gods, causing trouble for them in different ways, and the relationship between the gods and the Jötnar is a tense one.

Burlufotr: Means clumsy foot in Old Norse. Fishlegs' nickname for Hiccup.

Snær Flekkr: Means snow speck / snowflake in Old Norse. Hiccup's nickname for Jack.

**Replies to some guest reviewers:**

(who I unfortunately can't PM but I really wanted to quickly thank them for leaving such awesome reviews)

Guest (who said I had strapped you into an emotional rollercoaster): Thank you for the awesome and lengthy review. It was so detailed and I really appreciated reading your thoughts about the chapter and I'm happy to read that you've become so emotionally invested in my story, that's one of the biggest compliments a writer can ever get :)

guest: Thank you for calling my story a master piece, that makes me feel so happy :) And I'm glad to know you appreciate my use of Norse mythology in this story.

ILoveThisStory / Lyss: Your review really made me feel incredibly touched and I was overwhelmed by all the amazing compliments that you showered me with. I can't believe someone thinks that highly of my writing skills. THANK YOU :) I really hope you'll continue to enjoy the story so much. I haven't created any original works yet but it is definitely my plan to do just that and I have plenty of ideas for it.

Pooka-Spirit: Thank you for reviewing on a chapter-basis now, that is just amazing and I really appreciate it :) Your kind words once again made me very happy, and I really like that you're so excited about my story that you checked the site daily :)


	13. Jealousy rides with me

**Author's note:**

Hello everyone. I'm back again :)

It took a little while longer than usual to get this chapter done, because...well there are several reasons. First of all, real life got in the way, second of all there are things in this chapter that takes longer to write (at least for me) than when the characters are in classes or just hanging out (such as fighting practice and a Quidditch match), and third of all, this is a long chapter...actually, it's the longest chapter yet in this story (not by much, but still). I have serious trouble containing myself when it comes to writing, but a lot of you have told me you like the long chapters, so you probably won't mind :)

In this chapter, Jack and Hiccup struggles even more with their feelings towards each other and their major attraction (because I just love torturing those poor boys, mwahahaha), and they both feel the unpleasant sting of jealousy.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: A FEW DAYS.

Crowds were one of the most unpleasant places on earth.

They weren't supposed to be though.

To most people they were places of laughter, eager conversation, traveling towards a destination, witnessing events, meeting new people.

It made sense. Humans are social creatures and being in packs is something that's deeply ingrained in human nature. Safety in numbers and all that rubbish.

Hiccup did not like crowds.

That incessant inferno of noise that came from so many students being cramped into the passageways on their way to classes surrounded him. He had just been outside in the greenhouses for his Herbology lesson with Rapunzel and Fishlegs and right now he wished he could be back there again, enjoying the cold, fresh winter air and quietness instead of being in here…where it was hot and noisy and suffocating.

The air felt thick and warm, like the oxygen had been sucked out by all the students breathing in and out and had been heated up from the warmth emanating from every body in the corridor. He was beginning to sense that vague, dull throbbing that indicated an upcoming headache. His brain wasn't getting enough fresh air and his mind was currently shooting into overdrive to try and take in the massive amount of sounds and sights all around him.

The feeling of being trapped was approaching. Everything around him seemed to be growing in intensity. Some kind of pressure was building inside him. He knew this feeling all too well. It was the beginning of his busy mind getting overwhelmed.

He had always had difficulty just shutting off his thoughts and whenever he was among so many people, his mind became strained by all the impressions rushing into his brain. Usually he was grateful for his ability to be a sharp observer, but in situations like this it was exhausting. It was an invasion of his mind by all the hundreds of little details he was observing all around him that his brain had to process and yet was unable to keep up with. He didn't do it on purpose. It was instinctual.

The sound of shoes scraping across ancient stone floors. Excited chatter spilling from fast moving mouths. Serious discussions spoken in hushed voices. Smiles appearing on pink lips. Laughter floating through the air. Ruffling of bags. The longer he walked through the crowd, the more the noise seemed to be building in volume, until it felt like all the voices and sounds were screaming and shrieking in his head.

His green eyes drifted across his surroundings, observing every impression whether it was impossible to miss or barely visible.

An endless sea of similar black and white school uniforms, only differing in the discreet splashes of color that indicates ones House. Countless heads of hair, all in slightly different nuances, different styles and lengths, some of it swaying gently from movement. The faces of the students heading the opposite direction of him. Round childish-looking faces, sharp angled faces, wide mouths, small mouths, slender noses, small button noses, large noses, freckles, scars, dimples, beauty marks.

A young Slytherin boy dropped a book and the sound of the heavy tome landing on the unyielding floor was like an explosion of noise to him. He snapped his head towards the sound but kept walking, as he looked at the child picking up the book.

He trained his eyes ahead again and accidentally locked gazes with a blonde Hufflepuff girl with curiosity gleaming in large brown eyes. He quickly looked away again.

The eyes were the worst when he was feeling like this. All the hundreds of varied, complex expressions that could be reflected in the colored orbs of another human being. Joy. Anxiety. Anger. Envy. Adoration. Disgust. Shyness. Endless of others. Emotions shining in blue eyes, green eyes, brown eyes, grey eyes and everything in between. Eyes on him, making his skin crawl. Eyes wide with adoration. Eyes narrowed in annoyance. Eyes brimming with curiosity. Sometimes it was too much to take in.

He focused on that old stone floor with plenty of discreet yet visible small cracks and scrapes from so many years of use. Thousands of people had walked across this particular floor. Thousands of footsteps had graced it, some belonging to people who ended up going down in history and others who lived more quiet lives and were eventually forgotten as time went on.

He kept just putting one foot in front of the other, trying his best to begin to block out all the impressions that were invading his mind. Right now he wished he could be in the forest or in the air with Toothless or some other peaceful, fairly secluded place instead but that wasn't possible so he just had to pull himself together. Luckily he didn't always feel like this when being in crowds. Sure, he was always uncomfortable with it but it was only sometimes his senses were being _this _overwhelmed by it.

He'd often had the thought that his reluctance towards being among many people probably had something to do with his past. He'd been used to being alone for many years, used to solitude and quietness and suddenly he found out he was a wizard and he was thrown into a new world, where he had to be among so many people every single day. He had never truly adjusted to that.

He sighed a little and placed the strap on his black satchel more comfortably on his shoulder, as it was starting to dig into his skin from the weight of his books. He was on his way to the workshop and at least that was a class with few students, so he could have a break from all the people then.

As he kept walking through the sea of students, he suddenly spotted Astrid with her friends Megan and Katie. She shot him a genuine smile and waved at him as they passed each other by and he did the same. They were still not spending time together, but it seemed like things got better every day, so hopefully their friendship could remain intact.

He turned a corner and headed down another of the large, stone corridors, this one a little less crowded. Some students waved at him, greeted him or smiled once in a while as usual and as always, he played along and tried his best to seem friendly even though he'd rather not get this kind of attention and especially not right now when he was feeling tired and a little stressed. He passed two Gryffindor girls that seemed to only be in their second or third year and they stared at him with wide eyes, which he didn't really know what to make of, so he just continued on his way and tried to pretend he hadn't noticed.

It was the beginning of December now, so almost every room and hallway in the magical castle had been decorated with lights, wreaths, Christmas trees, pine branches or baubles. In the passageway he was currently walking through, pine branches were hanging along the stone walls, decorated with ornaments and small, white lights. Despite being a Viking and therefore never having actually celebrated Christmas, he kind of liked the holiday, or at least what he experienced of it here at the castle. All the decorations, lights and nice, rich foods were very pleasant and the other students in the castle always seemed to be in an extra good mood during this month. It was sort of like this holiday had some kind of magic all of its own, causing everyone to be filled with excitement and happiness. Of course the prospect of going home and also the presents probably had something to do with that too.

Vikings didn't have many occasions where giving gifts were involved, so he couldn't fully relate, but on the other hand, he, Rapunzel and Fishlegs exchanged presents every year. As his feet kept carrying him across the stone floor towards the workshop, he managed to finally block out all the impressions by thinking about what he should get his two friends this year…and if he should get Jack something too. He wasn't sure if that would seem odd, but on the other hand they were such close friends now that it would also seem kind of strange not to give him something.

"Hic!" he suddenly heard a familiar voice yell from behind him. He stopped in his tracks and instantly smiled before turning around to face that white-haired teen he knew the voice belonged to. Speak of the snow-loving idiot…

"Hey Snowcone." he greeted his friend happily, as he watched Jack walking towards him with a bright smile on his face. He could immediately feel his heartbeat quicken and those tiny Terrible Terrors stirring in his stomach. Crap…they'd been asleep for a little while but now that Jack was here, they were moving again.

When Jack was by his side, the pale teen threw his arm around him as usual and then they began walking together through the corridor among the other students without a word. It was such a familiar ritual to them that they never really needed words for it. It just sort of happened every day.

The noise and warmth and close proximity of all the other students weren't quite as annoying and exhausting now that he had Jack to keep him company for a while. It seemed like that unnerving feeling of stress slowly faded away. It was something he _had_ thought about before…how Jack made him a little nervous because he didn't want him to know about his crush but at the same time...Jack managed to calm his mind, when it was being overwhelmed by something. His presence was somehow soothing.

"How was Herbology?" Jack asked him and turned his head to fix those blue eyes on him.

"It was fine. I actually got out of it today_ without_ being mauled by some demonic hell-plant." he told his friend and grinned a little.

"Wow, that's quite an achievement." Jack replied with an amused, crooked smile.

"I know, right?" he said enthusiastically.

"Although it's not so strange you keep getting mauled, when you're always volunteering yourself."

"Yeah, well…I'd rather have it be me than Rapunzel or Fishlegs." he explained and Jack's blue eyes softened at that. By Odin and Thor and Freyr and Freyja and _all_ the other gods…why…_why_ did that look affect him so much and practically make him feel like he was melting into a puddle?

"You're a good friend, Hic." the white-haired Gryffindor told him softly and Hiccup appreciated the kind words that were filled with fondness. He knew Jack valued their friendship as much as he did and it made him happy just knowing that Jack appreciated having him around.

"Thanks." he replied and a warm smile made his lips curve. "So anyway, where are you off to now?" he asked Jack, partly because he was curious and couldn't remember what class he had now and partly because he wanted to take his mind off that bubbly sensation growing inside him whenever Jack was around.

"Care of Magical Creatures."

"Oh right." He _had_ actually known that since Rapunzel and Fishlegs shared that class with Jack and Flynn, but he'd temporarily forgotten that it was now.

"What about you?"

"I'm going to the workshop."

"Well, we're heading the same way for a little while then." Jack replied with a happy smile that made him feel a tug of affection inside.

"Yeah…Rapunzel and Fishlegs told me at breakfast that you're having your lesson in the Forbidden Forest today?" he asked Jack. His two friends had seemed quite excited about that, since it was an indication that they were going to be dealing with something a bit more unusual.

"Yeah, we are…not sure what to expect from that. Usually when that happens, it's something big and dangerous that we have to deal with." Jack told him and laughed a little.

"Yeah, that's true…just hope it won't be something with a bad temper."

Jack hummed in agreement, while a little smile tugged at his lips. "That wouldn't be good. I still remember the time we had to handle Fire Crabs and I got this seriously temperamental one. I think it had PMS or something and it gave me some nasty burns on one of my arms." Jack chuckled.

"Pssh. It was probably a completely normal one and you just pissed it off by being your usual, infuriating self." Hiccup said and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh please." Jack replied dismissively. "I can charm any creature, Firecrab or Hippogrif, unless it's_ obviously _emotionally disturbed."

"Well, it was emotionally disturbed after meeting _you_, that's for sure." he joked.

"Yeah, it was emotionally disturbed alright…with _awe_!" Jack grinned brightly and Hiccup couldn't hold back a chuckle, while he shook his head a little.

They continued to walk together in comfortable, amiable silence for a little while down the corridor, Jack still having his arm around him. Hiccup enjoyed the familiar weight resting on his shoulder, the warmth emanating from both their bodies and the sense of bonding that this little ritual of theirs always brought. It was almost unbelievable how such a small gesture could make him feel so…happy. Just being close to Jack, just having this simple contact between them was making him feel this soft, warm contentment spreading through his entire being.

Suddenly Jack stopped in his tracks and withdrew his arm, so naturally Hiccup stopped as well, a few steps ahead. He turned around and saw two girls, a blonde Hufflepuff with large, blue eyes and full lips and a brunette Slytherin with long curls. The blonde had a warm smile tugging at her lips and there was a certain quiet confidence about her. Her brunet friend on the other hand, was blushing and smiling shyly.

It only took Hiccup a second to assess the situation.

"I'll give you some privacy." he instantly told Jack in a neutral tone before the girls even managed to say anything. Then he turned around without looking at his white-haired friend and walked a little distance ahead, enough for him to not be able to hear what they were saying. He knew what this was about and he _really_ didn't want to listen to it. It was bad enough to see it unfold before his eyes. He didn't need to know the details.

He tried to keep himself occupied by just observing all the students walking through the corridor, taking in their different appearances, different expressions and listening to pieces of the conversations floating through the air, as people passed him by. Now that he was in a less crowded place and being around Jack had soothed his mind, it didn't stress him to just watch and take in the impressions around him for a few moments. He spotted a small, young Hufflepuff girl who was walking next to another young Hufflepuff and showing him a long list, several pages long in fact, of what was apparently her wishes for Christmas.

After a few minutes he glanced at Jack, who was still talking to the two girls. They were both clearly flirting with him. The brunette Slytherin was giggling and smiling shyly, while the blonde Hufflepuff was currently squeezing his shoulder briefly. As usual, Jack was comfortable in his own skin in these situations. He seemed to be polite about it as always, listening to what they were saying with a little smile on his face and not appearing affected by their touches and smiles.

He sighed to himself. An unfamiliar emotion emerged inside him. He had never felt it before, but he instantly knew what it was.

It was so incredibly unreasonable and ridiculous, but it was the sharp bite of jealousy. He_ really_ wished it wasn't…but it was. Watching other people touch and flirt with the person he had feelings for was just…painful. It made him a little bitter even though he had _no _right to be and even know he _knew_ it was stupid and unfair. Jack was free to do whatever he wanted and he couldn't blame those girls either. They didn't know he had feelings for Jack, and even if they did, they still had every right to approach him. It's not like he and Jack were ever going to be together anyway.

He had never even considered himself capable of jealousy, but he couldn't deny the feelings that were currently twisting and turning inside him, grabbing hold of him, infecting his mind and body with its sickening, pathetic presence. It was…unpleasant and confusing. He'd never felt like this before…even with his other crushes, like the one he'd had on Astrid, he wouldn't feel jealous when other guys gave her attention. He would be sad, sometimes even depressed but not jealous.

This was different.

He sighed once again and decided to just get on his way to the workshop. At least that way he wouldn't have to keep looking at this and feeling horrible inside…and working on a project would help calm his mind and keep him distracted for a while.

He kept an eye on Jack and when his pale friend turned his head and met his eyes, Hiccup gave him a small smile and a little wave as a "bye, see you later, mate." gesture. Jack immediately frowned and looked disappointed. He probably felt bad for being occupied right now and letting him stand here alone. Knowing Jack, he would much rather walk to class with friends and laugh and joke around than be approached by girls, even if he usually_ did_ find that a little amusing too.

Hiccup turned around and started walking through the corridor towards the workshop. He wasn't going to stick around to watch this, when he and Jack didn't even share their next class. Several students passed him by as he continued to make his way down the passageway, but the noise was now only a slight buzzing, easy to push out of his mind. Unlike other things.

He knew it was only a matter of time before Jack found someone. It was inevitable. He was just really hoping it wouldn't happen until they were no longer at school together. He wasn't sure if he could see Jack with someone else without falling into a deep, dark depression.

He wrapped his arms around himself in a subconscious way of shielding himself from other people right now. Why couldn't he have feelings for someone who was less popular? Jack was so likeable that a lot of the other students wanted his attention and now that he knew about his feelings for his white-haired friend, it made him sad to watch because it reminded him of what he could never have. It was almost like being taunted.

He picked up the pace and began walking more briskly towards his destination, as the hallways became less and less crowded and he was nearing that usually deserted part of the castle where the workshop was. He was eager to just get his hands on a project and forget his emotional issues for a while. Building or repairing things depended on logic and rationality…something that emotions certainly didn't and right now, he needed something that made _sense._

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

There was only_ one_ person who could affect him this much by the simple act of walking away. That person was Hiccup.

Jack sighed as he watched the brunet turn around and leave, soon disappearing into the sea of other students on their way to classes. _Why_ did he have to go? He would _much_ rather be with him than these two girls. He instantly felt a wave of sadness crash over him and he had to restrain himself, so he wouldn't just go running after Hiccup, which was what he actually wanted to do. Of course he was going to see Hiccup later but…he was enjoying their time together and wanted to be around him all the time, and now these girls had occupied him for long enough to make Hiccup leave.

"So Jack, what do you say?" a girl's voice suddenly said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Uh, sorry, what did you say?" he asked and turned his attention back to the pretty, blonde Hufflepuff girl in front of him. It was too late now anyway, since Hiccup was nowhere to be seen anymore, so he might as well just get this interaction over with.

"I was asking you if you'd want to go out with me?" the blonde girl said with a slightly amused smile, not seeming bothered at all that he hadn't paid attention to what she was saying. She reminded him somewhat of a little girl with her heartshaped face, big blue eyes and the way her lips seemed to do a subconscious pout once in a while. Her Slytherin friend with the long, brown curls giggled a little and somehow the sound annoyed him right now. It reminded him of the sound little first year girls with pigtails made when they were gossiping in the hallways.

"Oh...uh, sorry. You seem like a nice person, but I'm not dating right now." he told her honestly with a small, polite smile that wasn't genuine in any sense of the word. It had sort of become an automatic reply of his lately.

"Oh…can't say I'm not disappointed to hear that." she replied, as her smile slowly vanished. "Any particular reason?" she asked, tilting that head of long, straight blonde hair.

Yes.

There is a _very_ particular reason and his name is Hiccup Haddock. I'm sure you know who he is, like everyone else in this castle does these days? Awesome dragon trainer, master of sarcasm, tough Viking with fighting skills yet still shy, dorky and adorably awkward? Has beautiful green eyes, untamed, brown hair with two braids and a prosthetic limb that he made himself?

Oh yeah, and I have feelings for him. I've sort of been going through a sexuality crisis, because I thought I was straight but now there's no doubt in my mind that I want to be with him…and I'm annoyed that you just chased him away, because I'd rather spend a few minutes with him than hours with you.

"No, no particular reason." he said casually and shrugged, keeping up that confident, friendly demeanor. In situations like this he was especially grateful for his natural ability to talk to pretty much anyone and appear confident, even in those rare situations when he wasn't. If he was awkward and shy like Hiccup, this would be a lot harder. It was thought-provoking though…how a lot of interactions with people you didn't know well were sort of like a play. You had to pretend that you were okay, that everything was normal, even when it wasn't. You protected yourself by obscuring the truth, because everyone has truths that they don't want other people knowing about for one reason or another. He, for example, did _not_ want other people knowing that he wasn't interested in dating anyone because of his crush on that Viking boy, so he had to just lie and pretend.

"Okay. Well, let me know if you have a change of heart." she told him, a warm smile appearing on her lips, as she adjusted her bag to hang more comfortably on her shoulder.

"Sure." he replied and gave her a small smile in response.

He _definitely_ wouldn't have a change of heart. He would just…wallow in his hopeless crush instead.

"Great. Bye Jack." the blonde said with a smile and her brunette Slytherin friend gave him a small wave. Then they began to walk down the passageway, presumably to get to their classes.

He sighed a little once more and then started to put one foot in front of the other to get to his own class. He had Care of Magical Creatures, so he would need to head outside and meet up with Flynn, Rapunzel and Fishlegs. His black shoes scraped across the hard stone floor and when he spotted a small, crumbled paper ball lying around, he kicked it in frustration and watched it fly through the air and then roll a little before stopping by a large pillar. God, it was so frustrating having feelings for one of your closest friends and not even being able to tell them about it. It was exhausting and painful and sometimes he just felt like screaming and smashing something.

But then the next time Hiccup smiled at him, touched him, laughed or was adorable awkward…all those frustrations melted away and a fluttering, delicate, warm sensation took its place.

He sighed to himself, as he kept moving towards one of the exits. He still had a slight headache from sitting through Arithmancy. That horribly boring, slow class in combination with the unpleasant warmth that always emerged in the small, cramped classroom filled with students usually always gave him a headache. Mavis had ended up abandoning writing notes and helped him survive the class by whispering really bad jokes in his ear, making him chuckle because of all of the horribly bad puns.

As he exited the castle and walked through one of the courtyards, his steps were brisk. He adjusted his striped Gryffindor scarf around his neck and then pulled out his black, knitted gloves from the pocket in his black school cloak. Luckily the thick, black Hogwarts cloak was very warm, so even though it was winter and the air was chilly, it was enough to keep him warm, in combination with his scarf, gloves and thick, grey Gryffindor cardigan. He enjoyed the sensation of the chilly winter air on his skin. Some fresh air, not to mention the beautiful, snow-covered surroundings were both guaranteed to lessen his headache.

The snow was flattened under his feet as he walked across the soft white blanket covering the earth. Noises of complaint from the white powder erupted under the pressure of his footsteps, and usually he found that sound very calming but right now the thoughts were whirling in his head. It was unbelievable how Hiccup could change his mood so much with only the smallest actions. If he was in a bad mood, Hiccup could smile at him or say a few kind words and it would soothe him and replace his worries with warmth. If he was happy and Hiccup had to handle flirty people or if the Viking was in a quiet, pensive mood and didn't want to share his thoughts, it would make the uncertainty and sadness swirl inside him and…as it had happened a few moments ago…when he was somehow cheated out of more time with Hiccup, no matter if it was minutes or hours, his mood turned somewhat sour. That dragon rider_ really_ had a hold of him. He had to admit that.

His thoughts continued to be occupied by Hiccup and how he just wanted to be near him some more, as his feet took him towards the Forbidden Forest, where today's lesson would be. The fresh, cold air nipped at his nose and cheeks but as usual he didn't mind. In fact, he enjoyed it. Because of all the happy memories he had of winter and playing in the snow, the cold air tingling his skin was kind of like being greeted by an old friend.

He decided to slow down a little and just watch the snow-covered surroundings, as he continued towards the forest. The way the white powder gently laid on every inch of ground, every bush, every tree and branch, shimmering in the sunlight like millions of tiny diamonds was a little calming for his mind as always.

He wasn't quite sure what it was about winter that had always appealed so much to him. Maybe it was the way everything around him transformed from the greyness of late autumn to the beautiful, glittering white wonderland of winter. Maybe it was because winter was fragile and yet unyielding all at once. Strong yet delicate. Its fierce, harsh cold had the potential to easily snuff out life but at the same time its brittle snowflakes and clear blue ice could be banished by the warm rays of the sun, surrendering to the superior strength of that flaming ball of light.

When he reached the edge of the forest, his eyes took in snowflakes that drifted from the branches of the trees towards the ground, gently pushed by the chilly breeze. Three familiar people soon came into view, standing a little distance away from some other students, who were also waiting for class to begin. As he walked past the other students on his way to the others, he saw Liam talking with Samuel, one of his Ravenclaw friends, and gently nudged the lanky, black-haired guy on the shoulder and gave him a "hey mate", as he passed him by. Liam threw him a quick "hey" and a toothy grin in response.

Flynn, Rapunzel and Fishlegs were in the middle of some conversation, when they spotted him and then waved at him with bright smiles on their faces. He managed a small but genuine smile in response. It did make him feel a little better already to see his friends…and it wouldn't hurt occupying his mind with something else.

"Hey guys." he told them, when he was by their sides.

"Hi Jackie." Flynn said happily and ruffled his hair, quickly followed by warm greetings from Rapunzel and Fishlegs as well.

"I see you're still alive after Arithmancy?" Rapunzel teased him with a grin, flashing her straight, white teeth.

"Yeah, but it was seriously a close call…there's only so much boredom the human body and mind can take." he replied, making the others chuckle.

"Do you guys know what we'll be learning today? Professor Lucero didn't mention anything the last time?" Fishlegs asked eagerly, clutching their heavy Care of Magical Creatures textbook in his arms.

"I have no idea." Jack said to the chubby Viking and gave him a smile. He really liked Fishlegs' enthusiasm towards animals. The large, blonde Ravenclaw was practically obsessed with learning all knowledge about magical creatures by heart and he wouldn't be surprised if Fishlegs could recite their entire textbook.

Flynn and Rapunzel quickly told the Viking that they didn't know what they would be learning today either.

"It has to be something quite big though, since it's in the forest instead of down by the hut as usual." Flynn said and shrugged.

"Something…big?" Rapunzel asked and now she seemed slightly nervous.

"Come on, it'll be fine." Jack told the blonde girl reassuringly. Rapunzel liked this subject at lot, since she loved animals almost as much as Fishlegs, so it was strange to see her be nervous about it.

"I hope so." she said uncertainly, furrowing her brow.

"Of course it'll be fine, Goldie." Flynn told the blonde and did a little dismissive motion with one hand.

"Yeah." Fishlegs agreed. "Nothing dangerous has ever happened to us in this class, so don't worry Rapunzel."

"That doesn't mean that nothing dangerous could _ever_ happen." Rapunzel objected.

"That's true but…why worry? You'll just waste time and energy…and besides, we'll all be there to help you if you need it." Jack told the blonde, who instantly smiled warmly at him.

"Thanks Jack." she replied with genuine appreciation in her green eyes.

Their conversation was interrupted as Professor Lucero appeared and the tall, dark-haired professor quickly asked all the students to follow him, as he began to walk into the snow-covered forest. They all complied and instantly started to walk through the bare trees, whose absence of leaves made them resemble skeletal figures except for the pine trees whose needles were all sprinkled with a soft, white layer. The light buzz of conversations and the cracking of the snow underneath all the students' footsteps reached Jack's ears as they all made their way towards their destination. Despite the calm surroundings though, there was still a certain sense of awareness among all the students that something could go wrong. This was the Forbidden Forest after all. It might seem quite calm and peaceful sometimes but it was still filled with a lot of different creatures, not all of them harmless and friendly.

Jack walked next to Flynn, with Rapunzel and Fishlegs behind them, and as he exhaled he could see his breath in front of him in the form of a pale mist. He remained quiet as he kept putting one foot in front of the other on the soft blanket of snow covering the ground and listened to his two Ravenclaw friends behind him, who were having an eager conversation about Hippogrifs all of the sudden. He kept his eyes trained ahead, as thoughts of Hiccup once again invaded his mind. He had no choice in the matter, it happened all the time and it was beyond his control.

In his peripheral vision he could see Flynn leaning in. His friend started whispering to him and Jack turned his head to look at him.

"Are you okay, mate?" the brunet asked with a look of concern in his brown eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he replied without much emotion.

"Something happened with Hiccup, huh?" Flynn whispered to him sympathetically.

"How do you_ do_ that?" he asked his friend in slight disbelief, raising his eyebrows. He shouldn't have been surprised though. Flynn was really good at reading him and he always had been.

"I'm one of your best friends, Jackie. It's my job to know these things…and the only one who can make you look like_ that_...all pensive and insecure and slightly frustrated…is Hiccup." Flynn explained and of course Jack knew that this was true.

"We were just walking together but then I got held up by some girls, so Hiccup left for his class." he explained to his friend, still making sure to whisper so the two Ravenclaws behind them wouldn't hear it.

"Well…you'll see him later." Flynn said with a smile, obviously trying to cheer him up.

"Yeah, I know..." he sighed and Flynn gave him a knowing look that he didn't like at all. It was like he could see right through him right now…like he knew every single thought and feeling he was experiencing towards that brunet Viking.

Flynn suddenly let out a massive yawn and covered his mouth with a hand, as they kept walking next to each other. Jack looked at him sympathetically. He knew that Flynn hadn't slept very well today, so his brunet friend was already pretty tired.

Jack observed the ground for a while, seeing logs, large rocks and bushes all covered in sparkling frost, reminding him of a thin layer of crunchy sugar. As the silence between him and Flynn stretched on, he listened to the sounds all around him from the forest. It was like nature's own little symphony.

He suddenly heard gasps and hushed conversation among the students walking in front of them, and as their classmates spread out and Jack and the others actually managed to see what they were looking at, he smiled at the odd looking creatures a little distance ahead in the snowy forest.

Six, black, skeletal horse-resembling creatures were scraping their hooves in the snow, walking around or interacting with each other. They had white eyes without any pupils and their sharp, long faces instantly reminded Jack of dragons…which didn't really help his attempt of pushing Hiccup out of his mind. He noticed that one of the creatures was clearly a foal…much smaller than the others. It was standing next to a larger one, presumably its mother and nuzzled against it. Despite their fairly horror-movie-like appearance they actually seemed kind of cute.

"What are those?" Flynn asked in disbelief from next to him, as they all kept observing the animals.

"They're…Thestrals." Fishlegs said in awe and his eyes were a little wide with excitement.

"Thestrals?" Jack asked him with a furrowed forehead.

"Yeah. They're not visible to everyone though." Fishlegs explained, which made sense since several of their classmates seemed quite confused about what they were currently looking at.

"Really?" Flynn asked.

Fishlegs nodded in reply. As Jack glanced at Rapunzel, he noticed that the blonde girl was watching the Thestrals with a lot of uncertainty in her big, green eyes. She seemed fairly on edge right now.

Professor Lucero stopped a little distance away from the black, skeletal animals and turned around to face the class.

"How many of you can see them?" he asked.

Jack and his three friends all raised their hands, as well as some of the other students. All in all though, the majority couldn't see them.

"Does anyone know why they're not visible to everyone?" their professor asked and let his friendly and yet authoritative eyes drift across the students.

Fishlegs instantly raised his hand. Jack smiled. He really wasn't surprised. Fishlegs was the most active student in this particular class.

"Yes, Mr. Ingerman?" Professor Lucero said, motioning to Fishlegs with one hand.

"Thestrals can only be seen by people who have seen death." the large Viking explained eagerly.

Jack shared a look with Flynn. So_ that_ was why the four of them could all see them. He knew that Hiccup and Fishlegs had both seen death, since they were Vikings and had been subjected to fights with trappers and hostile tribes (and dragon attacks before that) so it was inevitable that someone would die along the way. Flynn had lost his mother a few years ago from illness, and obviously Jack himself had seen both his parents die. He didn't know why Rapunzel could see the Thestrals though.

"Correct, Mr. Ingerman. Well done." Professor Lucero told the Viking with a small smile. "Are Thestrals dangerous?"

"Not unless they feel threatened. They are fairly gentle creatures. They can even be trained." Fishlegs replied with an underlying excitement. Jack once again smiled at the large blonde Ravenclaw. Maybe this situation sort of reminded Fishlegs of the dragons…creatures that were generally misunderstood but could actually form a bond with humans.

"Correct." Professor Lucero said with a nod of approval. "A trained Thestral is a rare occurrence but it can be done. Now, I will be giving a short lecture on Thestrals in general, how to care for them and how to approach them and afterwards you will all practice interacting with them in a safe way."

As their professor finished that sentence, Fishlegs did a small jump of anticipation, while Rapunzel looked quite concerned about all of this.

Professor Lucero began informing them about Thestrals and everyone started pulling out their quills and parchment or notebooks. It was fairly difficult to write properly while standing up, but Jack did his best to scribble down the most important information he was given about these interesting animals.

When their professor finished his lecture, he told them to form five short lines, one towards each adult Thestral, and begin approaching the animals. Jack and his three friends all went together towards one of the large, black creatures and formed a little line. Fishlegs was eager to go first and they all agreed to that without an objections.

The three of them watched the Viking in silence, as he walked towards the Thestral in front of them, his footsteps making the snow crack. The animal lifted its head when Fishlegs was near it and watched him without really reacting.

Fishlegs avoided eye contact to not make it feel threatened and then let the animal smell his outstretched hand. Then the Viking slowly began to gently let his hand glide along the animal's neck. Fishlegs glanced over his shoulder and shot them all a huge, beaming smile before he turned his attention back to the black animal. Jack couldn't help grinning in response.

After a little while of the blonde Viking interacting with the Thestral, talking to it, petting it and feeding it with some of the food Professor Lucero had brought for them to use, it was Jack's turn.

When Fishlegs was once again beside them, Jack began walking towards the skeletal creature carefully. He was never really nervous about interacting with animals of any kind, but it was still better to be safe than sorry and he didn't want to make the Thestral nervous.

A brief moment after he was standing in front of the quite large, horse-like animal. He slowly reached out his hand and let the animal sniff at it, before he let his hand move across the side of its, long black head. Its black skin and very thin coat felt like old, wrinkled leather underneath his touch. He let his pale fingertips trace over the bones that stuck out under the skin on the Thestrals cheeks and muzzle. When he let his blue eyes meet the creature's white ones, it was like staring into a slightly unnerving nothingness. There were no pupils, no iris, nothing that indicated expression of any kind and yet…he had the feeling of being observed and he sensed the creature's intelligence.

When he too had spent some time with the animal, fed it and interacted with it, he headed back towards his friends. Flynn was eager to get his turn, so he immediately approached the Thestral and started talking to it and gave it some more food. As his brunet friend began petting the animal eagerly, Jack smiled a little to himself. It was quite interesting that Flynn seemed so interested in the Thestrals, since he wasn't that fond of horses in general and these black skeletal animals were very horse-like. Well, to be honest it wasn't that Flynn was scared of horses, he just didn't like them that much after having been attacked by a police horse a few years ago. His brunet friend had been home for the summer about three years ago and had caused a bit of mischief in his neighborhood with some spray cans. Apparently the police horse had ended up throwing its rider off and then tracked Flynn down on its own. Whenever Flynn talked about that horse, he described it as "bloody mental" and "the evil lovechild of Chuck Norris and a gladiator"…which only made it more fitting that the horse's name turned out to be Maximus.

When Flynn walked towards them and it was Rapunzel's turn, the blonde hesitated and remained where she was, watching the Thestral with nervous anticipation in her green eyes.

"Come on, Blondie. You can do this." Flynn said reassuringly.

"Uhh….I don't know…" Rapunzel replied and wrung her hands anxiously, eyes darting back and forth between him, Flynn and Fishlegs.

"What are you afraid of?" Flynn asked her gently and observed her with those warm brown eyes of his.

"I just…they just look quite frightening and I don't want them to bite me." Rapunzel explained.

"They won't bite you, Goldie. You saw the rest of us approach them and nothing bad happened."

"Yeah, I know…it's just easier said than done."

"Yeah, it is." Flynn agreed. "But come on, I'll go with you, okay? We can do it together?" the brunet asked the blonde girl and Jack couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. Flynn was such a supportive friend.

Rapunzel observed him for a few moments in silence, seemingly unsure of whether she should accept this offer.

The blonde sighed a little. "Okay." she said with a small, grateful smile.

"Great. Come on then, Blondie." Flynn said with a reassuring smile and began to approach the Thestral again. Rapunzel slowly walked behind him, eyeing the large, black creature intently.

Jack watched his two friends with a smile, as Flynn confidently walked up to the black animal, Rapunzel following him with less confidence. It was a nice gesture that Flynn wanted to help her.

"Okay." Flynn said and turned his head to look at Rapunzel. "Just reach out your hand very slowly, so it knows you're not a threat and let it smell it."

Rapunzel slowly extended her arm towards the large black creature. Jack couldn't see her face as she and Flynn were standing with their backs to him and Fishlegs now, but her body language conveyed the tenseness she was probably feeling within.

When Rapunzel's hand was near the Thestral's muzzle, it watched her for a brief moment before gently sniffing the offered hand and then bumping its nostrils against her palm.

"Well done, Goldie. Now try to stroke it." Flynn told her encouragingly.

"What?"

"Come on, I'll start." Flynn said and slowly reached out and began to pet the Thestral on the side of its skeletal head.

Rapunzel observed this for a few moments, before she also reached out her hand and then let it gently brush across the Thestral's black coat.

Jack grinned, when he heard the blonde girl let out a little happy squeal, as she began to pet the Thestral more eagerly, apparently having gained some confidence now.

Flynn took a few steps back and just let Rapunzel interact with the Thestral all by herself.

"Aww, you're just a big sweetheart aren't you?" the blonde cooed at the large black animal, while letting her slim hands stroke its head and neck.

"I'm sorry I couldn't see that before. I was just a bit scared of you." Rapunzel told the Thestral honestly. "But…there's a lot more to you than meets the eye isn't there?"

Jack shared a bright smile with Fishlegs, who seemed really pleased that Rapunzel had gotten over her fear of the Thestrals. They both just watched the blonde and the Thestral for a while in silence. When Jack glanced at Flynn, his brunet friend was also observing Rapunzel with a warm smile on his face.

A few minutes later Professor Lucero dismissed the class and told them to follow him out of the forest again. Rapunzel retracted her hand from the Thestral and told it goodbye, before she joined Jack, Fishlegs and Flynn and they all began following the other students and their Professor. All the way back through the forest and towards the castle, Rapunzel, Flynn Fishlegs were eagerly discussing her encounter with the Thestral, while Jack was content to just listen to their excited, happy conversation.

When the four of them walked through one of the courtyards heading for an entrance to the castle, Rapunzel and Fishlegs briefly waved and said "hi" to a familiar, blonde girl who was sitting with her nose in a book on one of the benches. The girl lifted her head and waved back, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Elsa. A seventh year Ravenclaw. He'd seen Rapunzel, Hiccup and Fishlegs usually wave at her when they passed her by, but they didn't really have anything to do with her.

People had often told him during the years that he and Elsa would be perfect for each other, but he just couldn't see that at all. Yes, they both had pale skin, blue eyes, white hair (well, technically hers was platinum blonde but still) and they both had a love for winter and the cold, but _that _wasn't enough to conclude that they would be great together. It seemed pretty shallow for people to assume that based on those few things. In fact, Jack was pretty sure that he and Elsa would rip each other's heads off if they were in a relationship. It wasn't that he disliked her, she had been perfectly nice the few times he had actually talked with her but…she could be a bit uptight sometimes. He'd never really seen her just have some completely unrestrained fun, it seemed like she was constantly holding back and keeping herself in control…as if it wasn't proper or right to just be childish once in a while. She clearly had some kind of issue and didn't know how to just let it go. There was a big contrast between her and her sister…a cheerful, bubbly fourth year Hufflepuff who always seemed to be able to have fun and make friends.

When they were inside the castle, they said goodbye to Fishlegs and then the three of them headed towards their Transfiguration class. Jack was already eager to see Hiccup again, so he was relieved that he shared the next class with him. Not to mention that they were going to start actually practicing human transfiguration today and that was bound to be hilarious and exciting.

As soon as they entered the Transfiguration classroom with the dark mahogany tables and the several cages with animals in them, he spotted that familiar, brown hair, and a warm smile spread across his face and his heart already beat faster in his chest.

As they approached their brunet friend, he felt eyes on him, so he turned his head and saw Flynn smile in amusement at him. Oh bloody hell…why did he have to read him like an open book?

Hiccup apparently heard them approach and turned his head and gave them one of those looks where the fondness was gleaming in his green eyes…one of those looks that made Jack feel like his legs were suddenly made of water, threatening to give in underneath him. God…that Viking boy affected him so much and he wasn't even aware of it.

"Hey guys." the brunet said to the three of them.

"Hi Hic." Jack replied happily, followed by Rapunzel and Flynn also greeting their mutual friend.

He slumped down next to Hiccup as usual, while Rapunzel sat down on the other side of the Viking, and Flynn placed himself next to Jack. That was pretty much how they always sat in Transfiguration. It had become somewhat of a habit. Well actually now that Jack thought about it…he and Hiccup always sat next to each other in_ all_ the classes they shared…which he didn't mind one bit.

Rapunzel pulled out her textbook, quill and parchment from her brown bag and Jack decided to do the same.

"So…what was it that you had to deal with in the forest?" Hiccup asked them, his eyes shining with curiosity.

"Thestrals." Rapunzel quickly replied, bubbly happiness evident on her face.

"Really?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"You know what they are?" Jack said in surprise. He hadn't known what they were until this class, so how did Hiccup know?

"Of course I know. By now Fishlegs has basically recited the whole Care of Magical Creatures textbook to me." he grinned.

"You know…that doesn't surprise me one bit." Jack chuckled.

While Rapunzel began eagerly telling Hiccup about her encounter with the Thestral, Flynn suddenly let out a massive yawn next to him and covered his mouth with one hand.

"Knackered, Rider?" Jack asked him with an amused smile.

"You know very well I am, Jackie." Flynn replied.

"Well, you better still be able to pay attention…I don't want you to get me stuck with some animal part for days, so don't be distracted."

"Is that so? I could say the same thing to you, Jackie. Don't be…_distracted_." Flynn replied with an amused smile and then waggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

Shit. He had him there. Since he realized that he had feelings for a certain Viking boy, he _did_ have trouble concentrating sometimes, because it was too tempting to just sit and observe Hiccup in class or think about him in the classes where they were separated.

"I won't be. I'll be brilliant as usual." he said confidently with that usual air of mock arrogance.

"Sure you will, mate." Flynn deadpanned and then let out another yawn, this time not bothering to cover his mouth with a hand. Then the brunet leaned over the table, placed his arms in front of him and then rested his head on them.

Jack decided to let Flynn rest for a few minutes. After all he hadn't slept well. He turned his attention to Hiccup instead. Apparently Rapunzel had finished telling him about the Thestral and now the Viking had started to write something in runes.

"What are you doing?" he asked the brunet. It clearly wasn't notes, because his textbook wasn't open.

"Oh...I was just writing down some ideas I have for some new kinds of shields and then I thought of a way to improve some of the metal rods connected to Toothless' saddle." Hiccup explained excitedly, putting down his quill.

"Is that brain of yours ever on 'off'?" Jack replied with an amused smile. He could never actually tell his friend, but he found his inventiveness positively adorable. Not to mention impressive.

"No." Rapunzel said and then grinned at the Viking.

"Oh, come on…it's off _sometimes_." Hiccup told them with mirth in his eyes.

"Yeah, when you're sleeping or unconscious." Rapunzel shot back with a raised eyebrow.

"Doesn't that count as 'sometimes'?" Hiccup asked innocently, pretending to not understand the issue, and Jack couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"You think waaay too much." Jack told the Viking boy with a teasing smile.

"And you _never_ think." Hiccup joked.

"Oh please, that's just not true. I'm a genius."

"Really?" Hiccup asked in mock curiosity and then looked him over. "You're hiding it awfully well." the Ravenclaw then said and grinned teasingly.

Before Jack got to know Hiccup, he had always loved witty banter, but he had never known just how attractive sarcasm and sass could be.

Jack opened his mouth and was about to throw a retort back in the brunet's face, when suddenly he heard a little snore from next to him. He instantly turned his head to the other side and saw Flynn still leaned over the table with his head resting on his arms, but now his brunet friend was snoring slightly and his face was in peaceful folds.

"Is he…sleeping?" Rapunzel asked in slight disbelief.

"It looks like it." Jack replied, unable to keep an amused smile away from his lips.

"Well, class will begin soon, so we should probably wake him." Hiccup said.

"True…" Jack agreed and turned his head to look at the two Ravenclaws. "Hey, can I borrow Pascal for a moment?" he then asked Rapunzel with a mischievous smile.

"Uhh, sure." the blonde replied and put her hand into her bag. When she pulled it out again, Pascal was resting in her palm. She put the green lizard down on the desk.

"Heey Pascal. Could you help me wake up Flynn?" he asked the reptile and lifted him from the desk and placed him right next to Flynn.

Pascal eyed Flynn for a few moments and then began to jab at his face with one of his tiny feet. When that didn't cause any reaction from the brunet, the small lizard began to crawl onto his face. However, Flynn kept lying completely still, not affected by this in the slightest. Jack, Rapunzel and Hiccup all kept their eyes on the reptile, as he then crawled onto the side of Flynn's face. He seemed to be thinking for a little while, before he suddenly shot out his tongue into Flynn's ear, like if he was catching a fly.

"ARGH!" Flynn instantly yelled and sat up right away with wide eyes. Pascal had jumped down from him and was sitting on the table with a smirk on his face…if lizards could actually smirk? It sure looked like Pascal could.

Jack immediately burst into a laughter fit, quickly followed by Hiccup and Rapunzel, and all of them soon had trouble breathing.

Flynn scowled at him. "What the bloody hell was that!?"

"Just a little wake up call…chameleon style." Jack replied with a bright grin and waggled his eyebrows.

"Don't _ever _do that again." Flynn told him and narrowed his eyes a little.

"Well, don't worry, Rider…chameleon waking is just _one_ of the many wake up services I provide." he told his friend with a crooked smile.

"Be careful, Jackie. Remember who's in charge of waking _you_ up every single morning."

"Like I couldn't get up just fine by myself." he said and did a dismissive hand movement.

"You really couldn't and you know it." Flynn replied. Of course he was right, but Jack wasn't about to admit that.

Their conversation had to be put on hold, when Professor Hyde entered the old classroom and made his way towards the desk. Most of the chatter in the room subsided instantly, except for a few girls sitting by the table behind Jack and the others. The tall, slim, blonde professor put his books down on the desk and then eyed the girls impatiently before clearing his throat. The girls took the hint and ceased their conversation and paid attention.

"Good afternoon class. Today we will be practicing human transfiguration, so I hope you have all re-read the chapters for today as well as your notes from the previous lesson. You will need that knowledge now. For this lesson you will be attempting to transfigure each other into cats using the spell on page 85. Pair up in groups of four and begin practicing, taking turns. Do not hesitate to ask for assistance if you need it. Human transfiguration is one of the most advanced fields in transfiguration. This also means that it's very likely _none_ of you will succeed in performing a complete transfiguration today. You will need to concentrate completely and if I see anyone practicing any other spells or trying to fool around in other ways, you will receive detention. Now…get to work." their professor told them.

The sound of chairs scraping across the stone floor and the low buzzing of chatter quickly filled the air, as the eager students began forming groups. Jack and the others left their seats and walked to a corner of the classroom with some distance to the other students. Jack was feeling quite excited about this. He had been looking forward to practicing human transfiguration and he was sure it was going to be a lot of fun.

"Let's get started." Rapunzel said impatiently with a happy smile on her lips.

"Okay, I'll go first at trying to transfigure one of you. Who is volunteering as the first victim?" Jack asked with an amused smile and looked at his three friends.

"Don't look at me, Jackie. I'm way too handsome to be subjected to something like that." Flynn told him jokingly.

Rapunzel looked at Hiccup and raised her eyebrows in a questioning manner.

Hiccup sighed. "Seriously, guys? Seriously?...Fine, I volunteer." the Viking said with a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Great." Jack told him happily and instantly took out his pale wand from the pocket in his school robes.

Okay, it might not be the_ best_ plan that his crush had volunteered, since he would need to concentrate and his feelings and his attraction to Hiccup was something that easily made him distracted. However, he would do his best to focus like Professor Hyde had told them and if he happened to produce some funny results, it would be very entertaining to tease Hiccup about it.

He took a few steps back. "Ready, Hic?" he asked the brunet.

"Sure. I can't wait to be turned into some kind of mutant cross-breed." the Viking said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"As if that would ever happen. My amazing abilities know no bounds."

"Jack, we've had this class together for a while. I've seen some of the results you've produced." Hiccup told him with a small, amused smile.

"Whatever, Viking boy. Be nice to me or I'll screw it up on purpose and you'll be stuck with cat paws for days."

Hiccup rolled his eyes in response with a flicker of a smile on his lips. "Let's just get it over with."

Jack extended his arm and pointed his wand at Hiccup. Then he clearly said the incantation. A few sparks instantly flew from the tip of the wand towards the brunet.

A few seconds after, Jack, Rapunzel and Flynn were all laughing hard at the sight before them.

Hiccup looked so amazingly _adorable_. He was still in human form, except for two, furry brown cat ears sticking out of his messy, brown hair.

"Awwww." Jack cooed at the Viking. "A cat-Viking!"

Even though he was teasing Hiccup right now, the brunet _was _positively adorable. He was _never_ going to admit it to _anyone_, but he felt the sudden urge to cuddle him right now.

Hiccup rolled his eyes and then reached out his hands and touched the ears that twitched in response.

"You're so cute!" Rapunzel squealed and smiled brightly at her friend. Flynn chuckled at the blonde's reaction.

Hiccup shook his head with a tiny smile appearing on his lips. "At least it's not as bad as it _could_ be." the Ravenclaw said and then shrugged.

"Well…I'm ready to give it another try, if you are, dragon boy…or should I say, cat boy?" Jack said.

"Do your worst, Snowflake. I'm ready."

Jack held out his wand once more and said the required words.

Another laughter fit erupted between him, Flynn and Rapunzel when they saw what the spell had done to their brunet friend.

This time, Hiccup not only had the cat ears but his arms had been replaced with two brown, furry cat legs and paws.

"Oh for Thor's sake." the dragon rider said as he observed his new limbs and moved them around a little, watching them with a mix of curiosity and slight repulsion.

"Now, _that's_ a weird, mutant cross-breed." Flynn said in amusement and Rapunzel giggled at that.

"Yeah yeah laugh it up, Flynn. You know, you're going to have to be experimented on at some point too." Hiccup said, lips twitching in amusement.

"Well in that case, I choose_ you_ to practice on me. That way I probably won't be turned into _too _many weird things before you succeed."

Hiccup smiled a little in response to the compliment.

"Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, Rider." Jack said sarcastically and raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, Jackie. Hiccup is the best of us at Transfiguration…and several other things, you know that."

"Pssh, I know no such thing…anyway, one last try?" he asked Hiccup.

"Sure." the Viking replied, resigned to his fate.

He extended his arm, gripping his pale wand and once again the incantation left his mouth. The sparks left the tip of the wand.

This time he was temporarily confused as he looked at Hiccup. Not only had the cat ears and paws vanished, but nothing had seemed to appear in its place.

"Huh. That's weird…you've just gone back to normal." he said to Hiccup, furrowing his forehead a little.

"Err, not exactly." Hiccup said uncertainly.

"What?" he asked in confusion, looking Hiccup over. He couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary.

The Viking reached into the back of his trousers and pulled out a long, brown, fluffy tail.

"Oh, _that's_ a great look, Hic. You should just keep that." Jack chuckled and Rapunzel and Flynn quickly joined in.

"I'd rather have _Ragnarok_* unleashed _right now_ than to keep this." Hiccup told him with a mock threatening glare.

"Wow, that's pretty serious." he grinned in response.

Hiccup nodded. "I don't intend to be half cat, half Viking any longer than I have to." he replied with amusement in his eyes.

"Hey, can I go next?" Rapunzel asked eagerly, as she did a little excited jump.

"Sure Punzie. Go ahead." Jack told the blonde with a happy smile. He liked when Rapunzel got all bubbly and excited about something. The two of them shared that slightly childish side.

"Whoa whoa whoa." Hiccup instantly said, gesturing with his hands. "First of all…get rid of _this_." he told him and motioned towards the long, fluffy tail. "And second of all…_Punzie_?" the Viking asked skeptically with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, we need more nicknames for you and Rapunzel and Fishlegs. You guys almost don't have any, and we can't have that." Jack replied.

"I agree with Jackie." Flynn said and nodded.

"I'm fine with nicknames but…_Punzie_?" Hiccup asked again.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that…_Hiccy_?" Jack smiled in amusement.

"No, Jack. Just no."

Jack chuckled a little. Hiccup's reluctance towards that particular nickname was seriously amusing.

"Fine. Because I'm so incredibly nice I'm going to let it go. Punzie doesn't get off the hook so easily though."

"I'm fine with the name." Rapunzel told him with an amused smile.

"Good. You're probably going to get more names in time, so you should get used to it." Jack grinned.

"Again…can you just get rid of this?" Hiccup asked him and pointed to his tail.

"Sure, dragon boy." he said and then waved his wand and broke the spell. The furry tail vanished instantly.

Hiccup sighed a little in relief and then smiled at him. "Good. I'd rather not be a Cat-Viking."

"But you were so cute." Jack blurted out before he was able to stop himself.

Okay, _why_ did that sentence just leave his mouth? He instantly felt nervous but covered it up with a grin and then glanced at his friends to see if any of them had noticed anything.

Flynn instantly started laughing and Rapunzel giggled a little.

"Ugh. Don't say things like that." Hiccup groaned and Rapunzel and Flynn both chuckled at the uncomfortable dragon rider's reaction and Jack quickly joined them.

Okay, thank whatever god might exist that Hiccup had just taken it as a joke, even though he was actually being serious. He wasn't sure if Flynn had laughed to save him from that incredibly stupid thing he had blurted out or if he actually just found it really funny, but no matter what, he was grateful for it.

"Okay, who should be the victim of Punzie?" he then asked the others, eager to get past that awkwardness he had just felt.

"You can be my victim, Jack." the blonde said, raising an eyebrow in a challenge.

"Okay…Turn me into the most beautiful feline _on earth_!" Jack told the blonde dramatically and threw his hands in the air.

"I'll do my best." Rapunzel replied with a grin and then put her hand into one of her pockets and pulled out her wand.

Jack glanced at Flynn and Hiccup, who were both watching him with curiosity, obviously eager to see what kind of cat parts would appear.

Rapunzel reached out her hand, gripping the wand tightly and narrowed her eyes a little in concentration. Her gentle voice said the incantation in determined way and the familiar light flew out from the tip of the wand towards him.

He blinked. Then he heard Flynn and Hiccup laugh and Rapunzel giggle.

He looked down himself and didn't really see anything different. Then he started to feel around his face and hair with his hands.

Okay…there it was. He had a cat nose and whiskers.

"Whoops." Rapunzel said.

"You look great, Jackie." Flynn told him as he got his laughter under control. Hiccup just watched him with an amused grin.

"I always look great no matter what, Flynn. I thought you knew that by now."

"Always the humble one, Snowball." Hiccup told him and shook his head a little.

"Of course, Hic. You know me."

"Yeah…unfortunately I do." Hiccup deadpanned.

"You're a sarcastic shit, you know that?" he told the Viking with an amused smile and Hiccup laughed a little in response.

"I'm well aware." the Ravenclaw replied.

"Are you ready for another try, Jack?" Rapunzel then asked him.

"Sure. Go ahead."

The blonde Ravenclaw once again extended her arm towards him, wand in hand, and then spoke the needed words for the incantation. The sparks left the wand and came towards him and he briefly wondered what would happen this time.

The next thing he knew, his legs gave in underneath him and he landed on his back on the stone floor.

What the…?

"Jack, are you okay?" he heard Hiccup ask although the brunet was clearly trying to suppress some laughter.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he replied, still confused about what was going on right now.

"Okay, then you won't mind us laughing now." Flynn said and instantly broke into a laughter fit, quickly followed by Hiccup and Rapunzel.

Jack sat up and took a look at the lower part of his body. His eyes widened for a second before he also began laughing at the ridiculous sight before him. His black trousers were flat against the floor, like there weren't any legs inside them and he instantly knew what had happened. He had cat legs and of course those two small legs couldn't support the weight of his human upper body, which was why he had instantly fallen over. He began rolling up his trousers a little to reveal two, white furry cat legs, which only made his friends laugh even harder.

"Wow…this looks _really_ odd." he then said to his friends. He moved his little cat legs from side to side while still sitting down and then laughed a little once again. This was just…like something you'd see in a weird dream.

"Yeah it does." Flynn agreed with a huge grin.

"I should probably get rid of those." Rapunzel said with an amused smile and then waved her wand to break the spell.

Jack watched as his own legs came back and was actually a little relieved about that. It wasn't that he thought they wouldn't, but it was _very_ surreal to see yourself with animal limbs.

He rolled down his trousers again and got to his feet quickly. He grinned at his three friends, who were all still looking quite amused by this whole cat legs thing.

For the remainder of the class, they continued taking turns trying to transfigure each other into cats. Jack, Hiccup and Flynn all almost choked on their own laughter when Flynn turned Rapunzel's head into a cat head but with the rest of her human body intact. The blonde tried to speak but could only meow in discontent and look extremely dissatisfied, which made him and Hiccup get tears in their eyes from laughing so much. As Flynn had insisted, Hiccup was the one who attempted to turn him into a feline, but even the brunet Viking didn't manage a full transfiguration in this lesson. Jack had a another laughing fit, when Hiccup had cast the incantation and Flynn lifted up his shirt to reveal his entire stomach and chest covered in brown fur. At the dragon rider's second attempt, Flynn got cat ears, cat eyes and whiskers and those green cat eyes made him look so creepy and weird that Jack couldn't even laugh for a few moments but just stare. A few moments after however, he broke down and had trouble breathing.

By the end of the class, they all had a stomach ache from laughing so much at all their failed attempts. However, Professor Hyde had told them that it would be very unlikely that anyone would succeed today, so they hadn't really been expecting to be able to do it anyway. None of their classmates were able to do it either, but every time Jack glanced around the classroom he saw some hilarious results. He particularly had to suppress laughing hysterically at Astrid, when he spotted the blonde Viking girl from across the room and saw her getting transfigured by one of her friends. Astrid was completely covered in thick, cream-colored fur but still in human shape and that sight was just amazingly entertaining. He really wished he had a camera in that moment.

After they were dismissed by their professor, they once again had to split up and head to different classes. Hiccup had no more classes for today, but wanted to head to the workshop to finish working on the bow he was making for himself.

As he and Flynn walked next to each other through the corridors, having just said goodbye to Hiccup and Rapunzel, Flynn turned his head and looked at him.

_"__But you were so cute?"_ Seriously? _Not _very subtle, Jackie." Flynn said with a raised eyebrow.

Okay. So Flynn_ had_ laughed to help him, after he had blurted out those embarrassing words.

"I know, I know." he sighed. "It just sort of slipped out before I could stop myself. Thanks for having my back." he told his friend with a small, sheepish smile.

"Anytime, mate." Flynn replied and nudged his shoulder in a playful gesture.

Jack felt seriously lucky to have such great friends, who always looked out for him. He had needed their help on several occasions to keep his crush a secret, and he would probably need them even more in the future if these feelings didn't go away. Sometimes it was really difficult to keep his emotions in check and avoid saying or doing something that would make Hiccup suspicious.

He sighed a little to himself as he and Flynn continued down the passageway among several other students. God, how he wished that he didn't _need_ to keep it a secret. That he could just tell Hiccup about it. He couldn't risk losing him though, so he had to just…pretend that he didn't have feelings for him, no matter how incredibly difficult that was.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

Somehow being in the workshop always helped soothe his mind. The smell of wood, paint, leather and several other materials in the air not only reminded him of all the times he'd been working excitedly on something, but also all the ideas he often had in his head for future projects just waiting to be done.

He spent about an hour in the workshop, working hard and focused, managing to temporarily push thoughts of Jack out of his mind and just becoming engulfed in crafting his bow which he managed to finally finish. He was quite pleased with how it had turned out and as he observed the complete weapon in his hands, he smiled a little to himself as the usual feeling of accomplishment washed over him. The bow was very different from the one he had made for Merida, even though they were both recurve bows. Where Merida's bow was made of red oak, his was made of pale elm wood. Where hers had a dark brown leather grip, he had chosen a light brown one. He had designed a pattern of Celtic knot symbols and carved it into her bow, but for his own he had carved a pattern of Toothless' silhouette like the one he had on his shield, combined with carvings of long roots woven in between, representing Yggdrasil, the tree of life. All in all, he was happy with the result and he couldn't wait to practice with it. That would have to wait though. He and Fishlegs had to practice fighting today, so there wouldn't also be time and energy to shoot arrows with Merida.

After he'd cleaned up the workstation he'd been working at, he placed the bow and arrows in his designated cupboard and locked it. Then he exited the classroom and began walking down the old corridors. His friends would be done with classes about now, so he would go see if he could find any of them. After all, he had promised them they could come with him and Fishlegs to their fighting practice today and that the ones' who were interested could get some lessons.

As he continued on his way through the stone corridors, more and more students came into view. The workshop was located in a part of the castle that was mostly deserted, but now he was approaching the corridors that most students went through at one point or another to get to class. All around him, students were laughing and talking, creating that familiar buzzing of noise and the mild rays of the winter sun streamed through the large arch windows, filling the passageway with a soft light. He blocked out most of the sounds to avoid getting stressed again and just kept a watchful eye out for any of his friends, but he couldn't spot them so far among all the other students. When he passed one of the large windows in the corridor, he trained his green eyes on the sunbeam entering through the window and watched tiny specks of dust drift lazily through the air, only visible due to the warm rays illuminating them.

As he walked by a little group of first year Gryffindors talking excitedly about their first flying lesson, someone suddenly grabbed his arm from behind and quickly pulled him to the side of the corridor.

When he came face to face with the person who had just grabbed him, he took in the slightly long, tousled, dark hair that reached just below the ears, the clear, blue eyes, the high cheek bones and the slender nose. He recognized the tall, quite handsome Hufflepuff instantly.

Well…this was awkward.

"Hey Hiccup." the familiar Hufflepuff said to him with a warm, confident smile tugging at his lips. Hiccup noticed the black cloak, the yellow and black House scarf and the few snowflakes on the guy's shoulders. Apparently he'd just been outside…probably for some class.

Hiccup hesitated for a few moments, just looking at the guy in front of him, being a little surprised by him just appearing out of nowhere and pulling him to the side like that. What did he want?

"Hi Sam. What's up?" he asked the brunet, using the guy's first name since he'd used his and also trying to seem casual, despite already feeling a little awkward about this. He knew this guy was interested in him. He'd gotten a note from him before, so he could only imagine that this encounter was going to be about something along those lines too.

The brunet in front of him tilted his head a little and observed him for a brief moment, those piercing, blue eyes seemingly analyzing him which did _not_ help with his self-consciousness. Hiccup just stood still and maintained eye contact, waiting for the guy to tell him what this was about.

Then Sam's lips parted to reveal rows of white teeth. "Relax Hiccup. I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable."

Well…that's exactly what you're doing right now even if you don't mean to, Hiccup thought to himself.

"What?" he then asked, mostly because he was confused about how easily Sam could read him. He tugged a little on one of his braids for a brief moment and took comfort in the familiar act.

"Come on…you're a shy, private person. I know that. I can tell you're feeling awkward now." Sam told him and once again smiled at him. It was a friendly, reassuring smile, obviously meant to make him feel less uncomfortable. It didn't really work though.

"Okay…" he started hesitantly. "Uhm, so…why exactly did you grab me just now?" he then asked, really wanting some answers.

"I just wanted to talk to you." Sam told him and then casually adjusted his yellow and black striped Hufflepuff scarf a little around his neck.

Hiccup just remained silent for a couple of moments, not really knowing how to answer that. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

"Look…I'm not trying to be rude or anything but…what is it that you want from me?" he asked the Hufflepuff, deciding it would be better to just ask instead of beating around the bush. He disliked the whole social 'game' everyone in the world had to play on a regular basis when they interacted with others…the game of guessing people's true thoughts, intentions and emotions, because humans, including himself, were often so incredibly bad at just saying what they wanted and didn't want.

"Your time." Sam shrugged with a ghost of a smile appearing on his lips.

"What?" Hiccup asked in confusion, furrowing his forehead. His…time?

"I just want to spend some time with you. I like you." the brunet in front of him said in a very relaxed manner, as if he wasn't really nervous about saying something like that. Not that that really surprised Hiccup. He didn't know Sam very well, but he had always seemed like a confident person who was comfortable in his own skin. Much like Jack.

Although…Sam could never compare to Jack.

Hiccup could sense that annoying, familiar warmth begin to coat his cheeks, and he knew he was blushing now. Gods, why did he have to blush every time someone showed an interest in him?

Well, obviously that was a rhetorical question because he knew _exactly_ why…

It was because every time someone told him they liked him, he heard that voice in his head. The voice he both loved and hated, because it was his friend and his enemy all at the same time. It reminded him of all the reasons why he felt uncomfortable in such situations and why he should never let his guard down for people he didn't know.

_They only like you because you're popular now. They never cared about you before._

_They're just trying to use you to get information about the dragons._

_It's just some kind of cruel joke._

_They don't know anything about you. They just __think__ they like you because you're a dragon trainer._

_Even if they actually do like you, you can't take that chance. You can't trust their motivations._

That voice…it was his enemy because he knew he would never be able to trust people more often when it kept saying those things to him…but at the same time, it was his friend for that_ exact_ same reason. It was his own way of protecting himself from more hurt and more disappointing experiences with people, so even though his ability to trust would probably not get better, there was an even more important aspect to it…that at least it wouldn't get _worse_.

When people hit on him it brought out all those thoughts about whether they were just trying to use him. It also made all the little insecurities that gnawed at his mind rush to the surface. He had a little trouble actually believing that people were genuinely interested in him as a person.

Sam chuckled and it pulled him out of his thoughts.

The brunet shook his head a little. "Hiccup seriously…you've always needed more confidence. You blush too easily. Not that I'm complaining. It's pretty adorable." the Hufflepuff told him with a little smile and a look in his eyes that appeared almost…

Oh gods no...now he was actually_ flirting_ with him?

"How do you even know that about me?" he asked curiously while trying his best to will that blush away. He and Sam had never really spoken much, only a few times in classes during the years when they'd been paired up for something, but he seemed like he actually knew several things about him.

Sam shrugged. "I noticed you even_ before_ you had that whole growth spurt and suddenly became a dragon trainer." the Hufflepuff told him with a certain underlying warmth.

"You…did?" he found himself asking in slight disbelief, feeling quite baffled by this. He'd never even seen the slightest sign of that…not that he was looking for it but still…he was usually quite observant, but this had completely evaded him.

"Well, yeah." Sam said, as if it was obvious. "You've always been incredibly intelligent…quick-witted…funny…cute. I noticed that."

Hiccup's awkwardness increased in that moment but he forced himself to maintain eye contact and try not to seem too affected by it. At least when he was approached by girls, they rarely said those kinds of things_ to_ him…usually they just asked him out right away or gave him a note where those sorts of things were written, but those he could avoid by just handing them over to Fishlegs and Rapunzel. Now though…someone was actually _saying _these things _to _him. Of course it was flattering but at the same time he just wanted to turn around and leave because it made him uncomfortable.

"Uhm…thanks, I guess?" he said uncertainly, not knowing what else to say right now. He had never thought anyone had really noticed him in that way until his secret about the dragons was out and he had grown up as well, not being short and scrawny anymore…but apparently he was wrong.

Sam smiled in amusement and put his hands in the pockets of his school robes. "No need to thank me, I'm just stating the obvious…I don't know if you ever read the note I asked Fishlegs to give you some time ago because…well, you usually don't read the notes people give you."

"You've noticed that too?"

"I think a lot of people have noticed that by now, Hiccup. After all, it's not a rare occurrence that people give you notes, and you usually pass them on to Fishlegs or Rapunzel."

"Well, I can't deny that…but I read your note." he replied, before he adjusted his satchel hanging on his shoulder.

"Oh, you did?" Sam asked and raised an eyebrow, seeming quite pleased with that.

"Yeah…I was curious." he told the Hufflepuff honestly and then shrugged.

"Well, obviously I know that statistically there's a very slim chance that you're actually into guys but...I just felt like I should let you know I like you, since everyone seems to notice you now." Sam told him.

What could he say to _that_? Oh yeah, you know…funny story…I_ am_ actually into guys, but I sort of have this huge, unrequited crush on my amazing friend Jack 'Frost'. You know… talented Quidditch seeker, popular prankster, mind-blowingly attractive, incredibly funny, wonderfully playful and so kind and caring that it almost hurts? Has the bluest eyes you'll ever see and hair and teeth as white as freshly fallen snow? Yeah…so I don't really feel like getting involved with anyone.

Oh and by the way, I'm also the future leader of a Viking tribe, so there isn't really a place in my life for a relationship with a guy anyway.

Yeah…he was _not_ going to say that.

He remained silent for a brief moment, trying to figure out what to say, but Sam chose to speak again, chasing the quietness between them away.

"So…do you have any plans now or do you want to spend some time together?" the Hufflepuff asked him, tilting his head of brown hair a little, still watching him with those quite blue eyes.

"Uhm…" he started hesitantly, thinking about how to let him down without hurting his feelings too much and without admitting that he actually liked guys as well as girls. That was _not _something he was ready for anyone to know…and especially not someone who wasn't even his friend. It was kind of impressive though…how the Hufflepuff had just opened up to him like this…made himself completely vulnerable, when he knew there was a major risk of being turned down.

Hiccup wasn't certain if he could ever do something like that. The fear of rejection and hurt was terrifying.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

The hallways were buzzing with noise from the flow of students all around him, as his eyes scanned the surroundings, looking for any sign of his friends. He was very relieved that classes were over, as his limit of concentration had pretty much been reached for today. Now though, he was meeting up with the others to watch Hiccup and Fishlegs practice fighting and he was really looking forward to that. He loved it every time he got to see Hiccup's Viking side come out…he actually felt kind of privileged to get regular glimpses of something the brunet kept hidden from everyone else. Only the people he trusted were allowed to witness it and the fact that Jack was one of those people made him feel grateful and warm inside. He had gained Hiccup's trust and that was really something special.

As he began walking down the corridor to search for his friends, he smiled at the students who greeted him or waved at him. His eyes drifted across every student he saw, trying to find one of those familiar faces. He was excited to just round everyone up, see some Viking fighting and then get some lessons with the others. He knew a little self-defense already since North had insisted that he got a few lessons every summer, but it definitely couldn't compare to getting private lessons from two Viking boys who had actual experience with fighting.

Among the students heading in the opposite direction of him through the corridor, he suddenly spotted Jim and Harry coming towards him. As he passed them by, he ruffled Harry's slightly long, blonde hair and grinned at the both of them. Harry shot him an amused smile while Jim nudged his shoulder playfully, before they kept going in the other direction.

After walking through the old stone hallways for a little while longer, he saw something that instantly caught his eye. Even though the passageways were full of students heading in all directions, he would recognize that mess of familiar brown hair anywhere. He smiled fondly to himself until he also spotted the slightly familiar bloke who was currently talking to the Viking and clearly trying to flirt with him. His smile vanished and he stopped dead in his tracks and then took a few steps to the side to lean casually against a wall, while he observed the interaction. He would wait for it to be over and then get Hiccup so they could find the rest of their friends. Not to mention that…he sort of wanted to keep an eye on where this was going.

Hiccup and the brunet guy kept talking for a little while and Jack just observed them. What was that bloke's name, again? Zack? Sam? Something like that…Jack had only talked to him a few times over the years and he had seemed like a good guy, but right now he really disliked him for obvious reasons.

As he kept watching Hiccup and the Hufflepuff, it was clear that Hiccup was feeling awkward about the situation. Not that that was surprising. He _always_ felt awkward with these kinds of things. Jack knew all of the small signs that indicated the Viking's mood by now, like the way he briefly tugged at one of his braids when he was nervous or somehow uncomfortable. Jack sighed a little to himself in a combination of sadness and frustration. He _really _wanted to interfere, but he knew that he didn't have any right to do that. He'd interrupted before when Hiccup was approached by someone, but that was _before_ he realized that he had feelings for the guy. Back then it had just been a way to save his awkward friend from being in an uncomfortable situation but now…it was more than that.

When the brunet Hufflepuff suddenly said something followed by a flirty smile and Hiccup blushed in response, Jack immediately felt that unpleasant sting of jealousy inside him, turning his stomach to horrible, twisted knots. He didn't like the way the brunet was looking at Hiccup. It was…soft and affectionate and Jack suspected that it was probably the same way _he _looked at Hiccup sometimes. But this guy was practically a stranger to the Ravenclaw. He didn't actually_ know_ Hiccup…he didn't know all those wonderful traits and skills and shocking surprises that Jack had uncovered in his friendship with the Viking. All those things that made Hiccup…well, Hiccup.

Jack was confused for a brief moment about why he was jealous, when he knew that the Hufflepuff didn't have a chance, since Hiccup wasn't even into guys. It quickly became clear to him though. It was because he didn't want to risk _anything_ happening between Hiccup and someone else, regardless of how minuscule the odds were. In the incredibly _impossible_ case that Hiccup actually got together with a guy, Jack knew he would crumble because he had missed his chance.

He made up his mind to interrupt the interaction anyway, even though he knew he couldn't really trust his own motivations when it came to Hiccup. He immediately started to cover the distance between him and his brunet friend. He didn't want to just stand there and watch any longer and at the same time he knew Hiccup wouldn't mind being pulled out of an awkward situation. In fact, he would probably be relieved about it.

As he came closer to Hiccup and the brunet, he was able to hear their voices.

"So…do you have any plans now or do you want to spend some time together?" he heard the Hufflepuff ask Hiccup.

He has plans, Jack thought to himself and he couldn't help feeling a little smug.

"Uhm…" Hiccup began uncertainly, obviously trying to figure out how to let the guy down gently, like he did with everyone.

By then though, he was by the Viking's side and Hiccup instantly turned his head and met his eyes. He smiled brightly at the Ravenclaw, before turning his attention to the tall, brown-haired guy in front of them.

"Sorry, mate. _I'm_ occupying the time of everyone's favorite Ravenclaw for the rest of the day." Jack told the Hufflepuff with a little smile. He tried to make it seem friendly but he wasn't sure if he succeeded.

Then he put an arm around Hiccup as usual and deep down inside he knew it wasn't _just_ because he wanted to be close to the Viking boy as usual but also because it was a tiny expression of possessiveness…as pathetic as that was. As he turned his head and met Hiccup's eyes again, the Ravenclaw's lips twitched in a fond smile.

"Oh. Hey Jack." the Hufflepuff greeted him, before he once again looked at Hiccup. "Well, that's a shame. Maybe some other time then, Hiccup." the guy said, trying to hide his disappointment.

Then he once again met Jack's eyes before letting his gaze drift back to Hiccup. Something flickered in the Hufflepuff's blue eyes, but Jack couldn't decipher what it was and that bothered him. He had the sudden distinct feeling of being analyzed right now and he didn't like it.

Hiccup gave the brunet in front of them a small, polite smile and a little nod in response.

"See you around Hiccup." the guy told the Viking with a fond smile tugging at his lips.

"See you Sam." Hiccup replied and did one of those little waves he did sometimes.

So Jack had been right about the name then.

Sam nodded and then turned around and began walking away into the sea of students passing through the hallways. Jack watched him retreat for a few moments.

Then he turned his attention back to Hiccup, who seemed somewhat distracted. His green eyes were a little glazed over and his brown eyebrows were lowered, creating a little wrinkle on his forehead. Jack was very familiar with that look…it meant that Hiccup was in deep thought.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, observing the Ravenclaw intently for any hint of how Hiccup was feeling about this whole situation. He kept his arm around Hiccup's shoulder, even though they were standing still and not walking as usual.

"No, it's just…he told me something strange." Hiccup explained, still with a contemplating look on his face.

"What?" he asked curiously. He wanted to know what had happened between Hiccup and this guy, even though the Hufflepuff obviously wasn't a threat in any way.

"That…he liked me even _before_ I had my growth spurt and before everyone knew about the dragons. It's just…strange." Hiccup explained, keeping his eyes trained ahead.

"Strange?"

"Yeah, it's strange that someone liked me that way and I wasn't even aware of it."

Jack smiled a little to himself in amusement.

Oh, you mean like how I fancy you so fucking much and you're completely oblivious about it?

Hiccup was an observant guy, sometimes way too observant for his own good, but his lack of confidence and self-esteem often made him pretty blind to people's interest in him. He had quickly learned that in their friendship.

"Yeah, I guess." Jack replied and shrugged, trying to seem casual about it.

"Not to mention strange that someone liked me back _then_…I mean…I don't even fully get it _now_." Hiccup told him and then the Viking turned his head and looked at him with conflicting emotions evident in his green eyes.

"I know, Hic. You're always judging yourself too harshly." he told the brunet and he was unable to keep the hint of sadness out of his voice. He tightened his grip around the Ravenclaw's shoulder and squeezed him a little as a comforting gesture.

It really _was_ awful that Hiccup's self-esteem had been so broken down through the years that he couldn't fully understand what other people saw in him. In these situations, whenever Hiccup said something with that underlying insecurity, he just wanted to pull him close, place a soft kiss on his lips and tell him about the _many_ things he adored about him. He wanted him to know just how special and wonderful he was and he felt a slight pang of sadness in that moment, because he knew that he could never actually say those things to him.

"Yeah…it's sort of become instinctual now." the Viking said neutrally, as if he was just making an obvious statement.

"I know. I don't like it." Jack frowned.

Hiccup smiled fondly at him. "I'm aware of that. I don't like it either."

"Seriously Hic, you should really be able to see all your great qualities." he told the Ravenclaw. Sure, he couldn't tell him just how amazing he was, but at least he could let him know that he thought he was great. Not that Hiccup didn't already know that but it certainly didn't hurt to remind him once in a while.

"Thanks Snowflake." Hiccup told him with a warm smile appearing on his lips.

"No problem, dragon boy. Now…am I going to be seeing some Viking fighting today or what?" he asked, wanting to get Hiccup to think about something else.

"Sure. Let's find the others and we'll go to the room of requirement." Hiccup told him as they began walking across the stone floor, Jack's arm still slung around the Viking.

"The room of requirement? That's where you guys practice?" he asked.

"Well, it's where we practice in the autumn and the winter. In the summer and the spring we practice in the forest where Toothless is staying."

"That makes sense, I guess. Well, let's go find the others then." he said happily and tightened his grip around the Ravenclaw a little.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

It didn't take him and Jack long to locate their friends since they knew which classes they had all had and therefore where in the castle they would be. Soon all seven teens were heading towards the room of requirement together, talking and laughing along the way. Flynn, Merida and Mavis told him that they were excited to actually finally see the room of requirement, since they'd never been there before but only heard about it. Then he told them the story of how he and Fishlegs had discovered it by accident a couple of years ago, while trying to find a place that could give them the privacy they needed for practicing fighting indoors when the weather was bad.

When they reached their destination, Hiccup made sure to look around to see if there were other students nearby. Most people in this castle had no idea where the room of requirement was and it'd be nice to keep it that way. Otherwise people would probably come here all the time. As he began thinking about what they needed, the familiar, massive doors soon appeared where the wall had previously been blank. He quickly pushed the doors open and the other teens followed him inside the room.

The room of requirement looked like it always did, when he and Fishlegs came here to practice. It was almost completely empty except for a few chairs by one of the walls and a small, low bookcase that contained towels, water bottles and a box of medical supplies like bandages if one of them got badly injured and needed some help right away before they went to the hospital wing. Not that that had ever happened, but it definitely couldn't hurt to take precautions. The floor was padded to soften the impact when they threw each other down on the ground, since it could quickly become quite serious if one of them smacked their head into a stone floor. The large, lit fireplace at the end of the room, the half-pillars that hung from the ceiling and the big, arch windows that let the sun stream through remained the same as always.

"So this is the room of requirement." Flynn said and looked around to take in the whole room.

"Yep." Jack replied.

"And you told us once that it's always equipped for the user's needs?" Mavis asked.

"Yeah, but someone actually has to have need of it. Otherwise it won't appear." Hiccup explained.

They all moved towards the center of the large room and then dropped their bags on the floor.

"So…are you going to teach us something now?" Merida asked eagerly.

"We kind of need to change first. We don't practice in our school robes." Fishlegs told her.

"Okay. So…is there some place you can change?" Jack asked in strange tone that sounded almost like he was a bit uncomfortable with the idea. That had to be in Hiccup's own imagination though. Jack was almost never uncomfortable with anything.

"Not really." Fishlegs shrugged. "So just…keep looking ahead and we'll go to the other end of the room I suppose. What do you say, Hiccup?"

"All right." he replied before grabbing his bag and then walking away from their friends, Fishlegs following behind him.

When they were standing in one of the corners, a little distance away from the others, they began changing out of their school robes. Of course Hiccup felt a little awkward about this, but he knew their friends would respect their privacy and not look or anything, so he just got on with it and took off his cloak and then his white shirt and blue and white striped tie. He could hear their friends talk about some random stuff in the background. Next to him, Fishlegs began changing as well. They had done that in the same room a lot of times through the years and even though they were such close friends, they were also both quite shy people, so they had an unspoken rule to _never_ look in the other's direction.

Hiccup took out the soft, green cotton T-shirt from his bag and threw it over his head, before he removed his black trousers and put on the loose, black sweatpants he always used for practice. Then he took off his black shoes before putting on his dark green Converse shoes. He quickly wrapped the home-made straps inside the left one around his prosthetic to keep the shoe in place as usual.

He turned around and covered the distance between him and his friends, quickly followed by Fishlegs, who had apparently also finished changing into his usual practice clothing: a large, dark brown and black striped T-shirt, loose dark grey trousers and black sneakers.

Their friends all looked at them when they walked around them and then positioned themselves in front of them.

"So…how many of you want to do some practice?" Fishlegs asked.

"All of us I think." Flynn said and glanced at the others.

"Well, we're sort of an uneven number." Mavis pointed out.

"That's all right. I don't mind sitting out." Rapunzel said. Not that that really surprised Hiccup. Rapunzel wasn't interested in physical fighting of any kind, except for the basic self-defense techniques he and Fishlegs had taught her.

"Well, you're not going to miss much anyway. You've already done the things that we'll probably make them do as well" Hiccup said to his blonde friend.

"What?" Flynn asked in confusion, looking from Rapunzel to Hiccup.

"Yeah…Hiccup and Fishlegs insisted a few years back that I learned some basic self-defense techniques, so we practiced it a lot for a while and now they just…give me a lesson once in a while, so I don't forget it." the blonde explained.

"That's good. It never hurts to be prepared." Flynn told Rapunzel, who nodded in response.

"Okay. Well, pair up two and two then." Hiccup said. "We'll ask you to do some exercises and I can keep an eye on two of you and Fishlegs can do the same with the others."

"Yeah, that's fine." Fishlegs said and the others nodded.

"Who's with me?" Flynn asked his three Gryffindor friends.

"I'll be your partner, Rider…if you think you can handle me?" Merida said and raised an eyebrow in one of those challenges that were a big part of her and Flynn's sibling rivalry.

"I could ask you the same thing…I'm not sure if you can resist _this _amount of raw, sexual energy. After all…We all know how much you yearn to rip my clothes off." Flynn told her and lifted his eyebrows up and down. Hiccup couldn't hold back a grin, while the others chuckled at that comment.

"I think I just threw up in my mouth a little." Merida shot back and made a disgusted face.

"Well, since the two lovebirds over there are together, I guess you're with me, Mav." Jack told Mavis with one of those bright grins that lit up his face and revealed his perfect, white teeth. Hiccup felt a goofy smile spread across his lips, before he pulled himself together and quickly got rid of it before anyone noticed. It was_ not_ a good idea to look at Jack that way, if he wanted to keep his crush a secret.

"I'll take you down." Mavis said in a mock threatening way and put her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, right. I'll believe it when I see it. We all know that a ninja can beat a vampire any day." Jack replied, as if the notion of Mavis beating him was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.

"Pfft, as if. Vampires are clearly superior." Mavis told him and rolled her eyes.

"What? They are not!" Jack protested.

"We'll see about that." Mavis said and rubbed her hands together slowly in an I'm-so-evil gesture.

"I suppose we will…it is_ on_, you bloodsucking creature of the night!" Jack said and pointed a finger at Mavis' face. The black-haired girl just laughed in response.

"So…I know Merida really wants to do some damage, but you guys need to know some basic stuff first. Then you can get to practice hitting and kicking each other, if you're up for it." Hiccup told his friends, who all nodded or hummed in agreement.

"I just hope I don't get my handsome face ruined by Curly." Flynn said and motioned to Merida, who just rolled her eyes.

"What do you think we should start with, Fish?" Hiccup asked his blonde friend.

"Hmm…maybe something about the misconceptions about fighting and then show them the most vulnerable parts of the body? Then we can move on to show them how to move around when you're fighting and then we can do some simple hit and block exercises." his blonde Viking friend suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Hiccup agreed and then turned his attention towards the rest of his friends, who were all standing in front of him and Fishlegs, watching them.

"Okay…we'll start by killing off some myths for you guys about fighting. First of all, when you get punched or kicked, no matter _how _experienced you are, it_ hurts_ and you get distracted. In movies it often seems like someone can just get punched in the face and then carry on as if nothing happened. That is _not_ how it happens in real life. Of course the more you're used to it, the faster you can pull yourself together again but…it's not just going to leave you completely unaffected." Hiccup told his friends.

"Oh, I know. I've been punched in the face before." Jack said with a small smile.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me." Hiccup replied in amusement.

"Oh, ha ha…" Jack said sarcastically and stuck out his tongue.

"When were you hit in the face?" Fishlegs asked curiously and tilted his head.

"One time it was my sister, who thought I was the boogeyman or something…then the evil Scot over there punched me because she thought I was a murderer when I was pulling a prank on her…and once Flynn and I were in a fight with two guys, who wouldn't leave a girl alone." Jack explained to them and Flynn nodded next to him.

"Who won?" Hiccup asked.

"We did of course!" Jack said excitedly with a grin.

"Yeah well, it only lasted like 10 seconds." Flynn said. "None of us really knew what we were doing, but we were older and stronger than them."

"Okay, well it's good that you won at least." Fishlegs said and Hiccup quickly agreed.

"Second of all." Hiccup began to explain once more. "Forget all about fancy, intricate techniques. When you're in a fight, insisting on trying to do complicated moves will get you injured or killed. Most fights are quick and sloppy. There isn't time to do fancy maneuvers. What you need is to get familiar with some basic but effective moves and then learn how to target…which means knowing the weakest parts of the human body and then learning how to quickly take advantage when one of these parts becomes exposed."

"Yeah." Fishlegs agreed. "There are plenty of vulnerable parts on a human being that can easily cause a lot of pain and discomfort if you hit them and some of them you don't even have to hit that hard. If you take advantage of some of those parts you can cause a lot of uncomfortable reactions for your opponent like massive pain, trouble breathing, shock, messing with their balance and affecting their reflexes. All of these things can end the fight."

"Be afraid, Rider." Merida told Flynn with slightly narrowed eyes and then nudged his shoulder. He quickly nudged her back, starting a play fight.

"I'm not scared of you, you're just a fragile, little girl." Flynn replied with laughter in his brown eyes.

"Oh, you'll regret that those words ever left your mouth." Merida said and then shoved him playfully. Hiccup smiled brightly at his two friends and their banter. He quickly glanced at Jack who was also watching with a wide grin on his face.

Flynn took a few steps back. "I will _not._ I'll easily incapacitate you and bring you _down_."

"Yeah right." Merida huffed.

"Well...if you two are done with your sibling rivalry, Hiccup and I can show you the weakest parts of the body." Fishlegs said with a toothy grin. "Since you probably won't ever find yourselves in a serious fight, at least let's hope you won't, you're unlikely to actually use this information but it's good to know just in case."

Merida and Flynn both shut up and then focused their attention on him and Fishlegs.

"Okay, first of all" Fishlegs started to explain. "Several parts of the body are very dangerous to hit and kick, so don't use those for practice but _only_ if you're in an actual fight. For example…" Fishlegs said and then moved closer to him.

"The throat is a very vulnerable place. If you hit someone straight on the throat with a lot of force, the best case scenario for them is that they gasp for air for a while and is very uncomfortable, the worst case scenario is that you make their windpipe collapse and kill them by suffocation." Fishlegs said and pointed towards Hiccup's windpipe.

"What? You can actually kill someone just like that?" Flynn asked, clearly in slight disbelief. The others looked a little surprised as well.

"Yeah." Hiccup said, choosing to add something to this a well. "Depending on exactly where you hit it and how much force is behind it, then yes. You can kill someone like that. It's not easy but it's possible and it _can _happen by accident, and that's why you should never take the risk unless you're in an actual, serious fight."

"Wow…that's actually…kind of shocking." Mavis said with a contemplating look on her face.

"There are _a lot _of very fragile places on the human body." Fishlegs told their friends. "Like the Solar Plexus" he said and then turned towards Hiccup again. "It's a big bundle of nerves that's placed here." he pointed below Hiccup's chest in the middle where there was a slight dip, where the ribs joined on the front of the abdomen. "It's difficult to hit properly, because most opponents will protect this part of the body, but it's the most vulnerable place on the front of the torso, and if you manage to hit it hard then it hurts_ a lot _and knocks the wind out of your attacker for enough time to give you a big advantage. Some people will even be so affected by it that they fall down and have trouble breathing for quite a while and needless to say that that ends the fight."

Hiccup just stood still and listened to Fishlegs as he went on explaining several other weak parts of the body while he used him to show the others were they were located. Once in a while Hiccup explained a few things too, but mostly he let Fishlegs take the lead. Their friends all listened attentively, clearly very interested in knowing these things, regardless of the fact that they probably wouldn't ever find themselves in an actual fight.

Fishlegs quickly but efficiently went through a lot of different weak points like the hollow of the knees, the kidneys, the spleen, the temples, under the nose, the lower back of the head, the neck, the spine, the spot right above the ears, the adam's apple and a lot of others. He also told them about the bones in the body that were the easiest to break, like the floating ribs, the fingers, the collarbone and the sternum. He explained why they were weak and how you could potentially attack them and made sure to stress the parts of the body that they should never _ever_ try to hit in practice, because it had the potential to cause serious injury.

"Not many people know this except for people who already have fighting experience" Fishlegs began, as he moved on to telling their friends about hits to the liver. "But a punch to the liver can be excruciating and very dangerous." his large friend said and pointed out on Hiccup, where exactly the liver was placed. "If you hit it hard, your opponent's legs gives in under him and he's unable to stand and breathe properly. Not to mention that it's very painful and with enough force, a liver punch can actually kill someone if the liver ruptures and causes internal bleeding."

"Yeah." Hiccup agreed. "Gobber was once in a fight where he got hit really hard in the liver. He was in_ a lot_ of pain. He was lucky it didn't kill him."

"Yeah, I remember that." Fishlegs agreed. "I've never actually heard Gobber complain about pain except that time."

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, and he's missing a hand _and_ a foot, so when he says something hurts…it _hurts_." he chuckled and his friends all grinned in response.

"Well…should we get started with some exercises?" Hiccup then asked the others and their eyes lit up and they quickly got to their feet.

He looked at Fishlegs. "Uhm…I'll take…Flynn and Merida, and you take Jack and Mavis, does that sound okay?" he asked and his blonde friend nodded.

Hiccup had made it sound like he'd just randomly chosen Flynn and Merida, but in all honesty it was because he knew they were going to help their friends once in a while to get the exercises right and that involved touching…and he did _not _want to have to touch Jack…well actually, the real problem was that he wanted to touch Jack _a lot_ because that brush of skin was addictive, but that would definitely distract him and make him all flustered.

He really didn't need that. He was trying to hide his feelings and getting all embarrassed by touching him would definitely make him suspicious.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

He sighed a little in relief, when Hiccup chose to help Flynn and Merida, and he and Mavis got Fishlegs. He wasn't sure at all if he could handle Hiccup touching him. Sure, they touched each other when Jack slung his arm around him when they walked together or when they nudged each other playfully on the shoulder or the rare occasions when they hugged…but they usually didn't touch each other's bare skin.

Hiccup and Fishlegs started to explain that it was important to always keep moving in a fight, because you needed to be ready to sidestep, duck or jump forwards or backwards at all times. You should never let your feet stand still but just keep jumping a little on the spot or from side to side, while always keeping your fists up, so you were constantly prepared to block, grab or punch. Then they moved on to show them different ways of punching and blocking and had them practice it on each other in slow motion to get them familiar with doing the movements.

Jack and Mavis both caught on fairly quickly and managed to do the different kinds of punches the correct way, according to Fishlegs. As they kept going, the movements became easier and easier to do, and Fishlegs told them that if they wanted more lessons, they would be repeating these movements_ a lot _to get even more used to them. Once in a while, the chubby Viking boy adjusted their arms or fists or fingers depending on the punch. In those moments Jack found himself being grateful that it wasn't Hiccup touching his skin, because that would probably drive him mad.

Jack had a blast with Mavis, as they had a little competition going on who could manage the different punches and blocks most effectively. When they had become used to doing the movements slowly, they started to up the pace a little, though still fairly calmly. Once in a while, Jack did a quick glance at Hiccup, Merida and Flynn. His two Gryffindor friends seemed to have a lot of fun as well, taunting each other with insults and sexual comments, as they kept trying to punch and block. Just like Fishlegs did with him and Mavis, Hiccup gave Flynn and Merida advice and adjusted their hands and arms once in a while. When he saw Hiccup practically hold Merida's hand as he showed her how her hand should be when she did a palm strike, he was once again relieved that Hiccup was not doing that with _him_. That would definitely make him all nervous and the butterflies would probably end up exploding in his stomach.

After continuing practicing punches and blocks for a while longer, Merida asked if Hiccup and Fishlegs could show them some ways of getting out of an opponent's grip. The two Viking boys quickly agreed to that. Fishlegs made Jack grip Mavis' wrists and Hiccup made Flynn do the same with Merida. Then they showed them how to get out of those tight grips as effectively as possible and made them repeat those movements several times and then switch around, so they would all try both gripping and escaping. Afterwards they showed them other kinds of grips and how to get out of them and once again the Gryffindors all began to practice it, under the guidance of the two Viking boys.

Hiccup and Fishlegs made it clear to them that if they wanted more lessons, they should know that a lot of repetition was going to occur, since learning to fight properly took a long time. Training it over and over was the only way to achieve it and even though Jack wasn't really a big fan of repetition, he understood the necessity. He wasn't sure if Flynn and Mavis would keep wanting to get lessons from their Viking friends, but Jack definitely wanted to stick with it if possible.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

When they all agreed that the Gryffindors had practiced enough for today, Jack and the others sat down on the floor by Rapunzel and Pascal and rested. They all appeared a little tired but happy nonetheless. Hiccup was glad that they'd all seemed to actually have fun while practicing. That definitely made the whole thing a lot easier.

"Why do you guys even have to know fighting when you have dragons and magic?" Merida then asked Hiccup and Fishlegs. "Not that I'm complaining, I think it's wicked."

"Well…we've tried getting separated from our dragons before and wands can be lost or broken or taken away from you somehow, so we should never be completely defenseless if these things should happen." Hiccup answered her question and the red-head nodded in understanding.

"Do you guys carry weapons with you everywhere at home?" Flynn asked, as he reached out and stroked Pascal a few times. The small, green lizard was sitting on one of Rapunzel's legs and closed his eyes in response to the touch.

"Yes, we bring weapons everywhere." Hiccup replied and nodded.

"_Never walk away from home ahead of your axe and sword.__You can't feel a battle in your bones or foresee a fight_." Fishlegs said and to Hiccup it was very familiar words.

All of their friends looked at them with perplexed expressions, so an explanation was in order.

"It's from the Hávámal." Hiccup told them. "It's this old, very very long poem that sort of puts up these guidelines for how Vikings should ideally live. It's written as if it's Odin explaining it."

Fishlegs hummed in agreement. "Anyway…are you ready to get your ass kicked, Hiccup?" the large blonde asked him with a grin.

"Like that would ever happen…three rounds?" he asked Fishlegs.

"Yeah, that's fine. The usual rules?" the chubby Viking replied.

"Yeah." he nodded.

"Okay. Are you ready, _Bacraut _[Asshole]?"

"Bring it, you stinky heap of Gronckle crap!" he shot back with a bright grin.

Then he instantly started moving his feet, doing faint jumps from side to side.. He needed to be ready to dodge the upcoming attack and standing still was never a good idea in a fight.

Fishlegs came charging towards him. A fist flew through the air.

He quickly ducked. He thrust his arm forward and landed a low blow in Fishlegs' gut.

The air was knocked out of his friend. Fishlegs grabbed his shirt in a tight grip and threw him down on the ground. He landed on his back. He saw Fishlegs lift his leg to land a kick.

Roll over. Get up quickly.

As he stood up straight, Fishlegs had closed the distance. A palm strike shot towards him. He sidestepped and whirled around. He kicked out his leg towards Fishlegs but the larger Viking grabbed it and held on with one arm.

Fishlegs landed a hard blow on his cheek with his other hand.

Seeing spots. Pain rushing through the skin and flesh. Blurry vision.

Another fist came towards him. His arm shot up to block it.

His mind pulled itself together.

His other arm flew through the air and struck Fishlegs on the nose. Knuckles against hard cartilage. Pain spreading through his hand. A cracking noise. Fishlegs groaning in pain.

The grip on his leg loosened. He ripped it out of his friend's grasp in one quick movement.

They both took a few steps away from each other, keeping their fists up and remaining in short, sharp movements from side to side or back and forth to avoid standing still.

They moved closer to each other.

Hiccup's arm shot through the air towards Fishlegs' jaw, but Fishlegs grabbed it and twisted it to the side, turning slightly.

More pain.

His side is exposed. Hit it.

Fishlegs groaned a little, as he used his other arm and landed several strikes in a row on the large boy's unprotected side. Fishlegs let go of his arm. His friend kicked straight ahead, his foot colliding with Hiccup's chest.

Air being forced out of his lungs.

Fishlegs' arm shot back and forth at massive speed, trying to jab him. His arms instinctually guarded his body from the punches.

Hiccup grabbed the sides of Fishlegs' head and forced the blonde to lean forward. He kneed him in the gut repeatedly.

The feel of his kneecap impacting with flesh.

Fishlegs flailed his arms and hands at him, not being able to see properly.

He managed to jab Hiccup hard in the side. A sharp stab of pain. Hiccup loosened his grip. Fishlegs wrenched himself backwards, away from him.

They both kept moving their feet. Fishlegs started to close the little distance between them in short, sharp movements.

Hiccup kept his fists up.

Fishlegs came closer. His arm was about to start an upwards trajectory.

Don't let him punch first.

The blonde blocked his punch with his arms and then quickly grabbed his hand. Fishlegs flung him to the side, Hiccup's hand leaving his grasp. Hiccup wobbled but stayed on his feet. He steadied himself.

A fist launched towards him.

Move forward first. Close the distance. Block the punch.

Fishlegs' hit was stopped as his fist landed on the side of one of Hiccup's raised arms.

His other arm instantly shot forwards. He hit Fishlegs straight under the nose with the heel of his flat palm.

Sounds of groaning. Blue eyes watering.

He's distracted. End it now.

Hiccup grabbed fists of Fishlegs' shirt and tipped him backwards. He stuck his leg out and tripped him. The large Viking crashed to the floor.

Hiccup bent down and rolled him over. He quickly put the blonde in an armlock.

"Miskunn? [Mercy?]" he asked his friend, holding him in a tight grip.

"Aldri! [Never!]" Fishlegs shouted defiantly and his whole body began to writhe in an attempt to get away. It wasn't working though. Fishlegs may be a lot stronger than him, but right now he was unable to get away.

Hiccup smiled a little in amusement.

"Miskunn? [Mercy?]" he asked again.

Fishlegs sighed in resignation. "Já. [Yes]"

Hiccup instantly let go of him and got to his feet. Fishlegs rolled over and then sat up before standing up straight again too. He briefly looked at their friends who were smiling brightly and cheering for the both of them.

He turned his head and locked eyes with Fishlegs. They both grinned at each other, while breathing a little erratically from all the activity.

"I'll get my revenge, _Burlufotr_*" Fishlegs said and narrowed his eyes in a mock threatening way.

"I'm not afraid of you. Do your worst!" he said challengingly to Fishlegs but with a little amused smile.

"Don't get cocky, Hiccup. I won the last time we practiced." Fishlegs grinned at him.

"_That_ you did." he agreed. "But I won _this _round."

Fishlegs nodded. "Yes…unfortunately I'll have to destroy you now." his blonde friend said with a fake air of superiority, and Hiccup heard their friends chuckle in the background.

They both agreed to take a few minutes to catch their breath before the next round.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

Watching two Viking boys fight was _fun_. He was completely fascinated by just observing Hiccup and Fishlegs punching, kicking, blocking, ducking, as if it was second nature to them. Of course he knew that they had years of experience but it was still surprising to actually see for himself just how familiar they were with this. They moved swiftly and without hesitation, as if they acted on instinct and could sense what they needed to do.

As he observed Hiccup and Fishlegs catch their breath a little before they began fighting again, he took in the damage on their faces. Of course he didn't like his friends getting hurt, but he knew they could both handle it and that it was necessary for them to practice this way. After all…they were sometimes involved in conflicts with hostile tribes back home, so they needed to be as prepared as they could possibly be. He still didn't like thinking about it though…that Hiccup and Fishlegs were actually in real fights sometimes in the archipelago and could potentially get seriously hurt or even killed.

He pushed the thought away. It was no use thinking of 'what if' scenarios. He glanced at his friends, who were all still watching Hiccup and Fishlegs getting ready for more fighting. Pascal had crawled up on Rapunzel's shoulder and the blonde petted him a little.

"Okay…ready for another round?" Fishlegs asked Hiccup, having steadied his breathing now.

"Sure. Let's go." Hiccup smiled a little.

The two Viking boys began moving their feet in brief, swift movements again and raised their fists to be able to guard themselves from punches and kicks.

They began to move towards each other.

Hiccup swung out his leg and landed a kick on the side of Fishlegs' leg. The blonde winced but moved closer, keeping his fists raised. Hiccup thrust his fist towards the blonde. Fishlegs sidestepped. He grabbed Hiccup's shoulders tightly and spun him around, so he held him from behind.

Fishlegs forced Hiccup forwards and pushed his face into the wall.

Jack winced. _That _looked like it hurt.

The pained sound leaving Hiccup's mouth a second after confirmed that thought. Jack frowned. Of course he knew they would get hurt from this, but he didn't like hearing Hiccup sound like that.

Hiccup shoved his elbow backwards into Fishlegs' chest. The large Viking instantly let go of his hold on Hiccup's shoulders.

Hiccup whirled around. Fishlegs' hand sped towards his face.

Hiccup ducked and punched the blonde in the stomach. Fishlegs backed away.

They moved around each other a little.

Fishlegs closed the distance and the Viking boys both shot a fist through the air. Fishlegs' landed a blow on Hiccup's cheek, while Hiccup's own fist had struck the side of Fishleg's head. They were both distracted for a few seconds.

Fishlegs' hand shot towards the brunet once more. Hiccup's right arm flew up and blocked the punch. The brunet shoved him away.

Hiccup rushed forwards and swung his leg out and landed a kick in Fishlegs' stomach. The blonde staggered back a little. Hiccup jumped at him and landed a kick on his shin. Then another in his gut. Hiccup stepped back, when Fishlegs tried to launch a fist at him.

The two Vikings approached each other again and Hiccup attempted to strike the blonde, but Fishlegs blocked the hit and then landed a blow on Hiccup's nose. The brunet recoiled on unsteady legs.

Blood began to flow from Hiccup's nose down to his chin in uneven, red lines.

Fishlegs quickly moved in to land another blow. Hiccup swiftly ducked and then sidestepped.

Fishlegs kicked out his leg and landed his foot on Hiccup's kneecap. Hiccup groaned and was distracted for a brief moment. Fishlegs grabbed his shoulders, kneed him in the gut and then threw him down on the floor with a lot of force.

Hiccup landed on his stomach.

The large Viking instantly sat down on top of Hiccup's back and then held an arm around his throat in a tight grip.

"Miskunn, Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked with a triumphant grin.

"Já." Hiccup agreed reluctantly.

Even though Jack didn't understand the words (except for the "yes" part. Hiccup_ had_ told him a few easy words in old norse), it was easy to figure out that they were asking if the other gave up.

His friends began to clap a little and he quickly joined in. Fishlegs let go of Hiccup and then helped the brunet get to his feet.

"Nice going, Fishlegs!" Flynn cheered.

"Yeah, that was great!" Merida agreed with a bright smile.

"Hey Hic, are you okay?" Jack asked the brunet, looking him over. Of course he _knew _that Hiccup wasn't seriously hurt but he really couldn't help that small knot of concern inside him…he was _very_ protective of Hiccup and if anything caused him pain or discomfort, he needed to know if Hiccup was okay, before those worries disappeared again.

"Yeah, I'm fine Snowflake." Hiccup told him breathlessly with a small smile twitching his lips. Jack gave him a smile in response. That was good. He felt better now.

The Viking boys took a few minutes to breathe once again. Merida, Mavis, Flynn and Rapunzel quickly began to chat, while they waited for Hiccup and Fishlegs to be ready again. Jack kept his eyes on the Vikings.

Fishlegs took one of the water bottles the room of requirement had provided and drank a little water from it. Jack watched Hiccup take some slow, deep breaths and then the brunet grabbed the front of his green shirt and lifted it up to use it to wipe the blood away from under his nose, exposing his stomach.

Jack instantly felt his heartbeat speed up and a blush coat his pale cheeks. His mind told him that he should look away, because Hiccup was such a private person, but he just couldn't. He kept staring at the visible skin, unable to look away. It looked smooth and incredibly soft, and Hiccup was definitely a little toned despite his slender frame...that must be from dragon riding and fighting...bloody hell, how cool was_ that_? Jack noticed that he had two long scars on one side of the stomach that stood out with their slightly paler color, and he briefly wondered where they came from. Somehow it just made him more excited about staring at Hiccup like this...maybe because it reminded him that despite Hiccup's shy, awkward personality, he was _not_ some innocent little boy.

He desperately wanted to run his hands along that stomach...let his pale fingers trail along those scars...and _why _couldn't Hiccup just take that annoying shirt _off _so he could see more of his skin?

God, that Viking was unknowingly being such a tease right now.

Hiccup let go of the shirt and it folded downwards again, covering up the skin once more. Now it had a fairly large, crimson stain on it.

Jack shook his head to himself and broke the trance he had just been completely engulfed in.

Oh crap!

He looked down and his eyes widened for a few seconds. He quickly grabbed his cloak and threw it in his lap to cover up his sudden..._problem_. God, how he hoped no one would notice that. Why did he have to be practically bursting with hormones? _Stupid_ teenage body...and why did Hiccup have to be so attractive? It was seriously _impossible_ to ignore.

"Ready to go again?" Hiccup asked Fishlegs.

"Yeah." Fishlegs replied and then put the lid back on the water bottle and threw it on the floor.

Their friends' conversations from next to Jack died down instantly, as they all focused their attention on the Vikings again. Jack tried his best to just focus on watching them fight, so his little problem would go away quicker.

Hiccup and Fishlegs raised their arms again and began moving their feet around.

They closed in on each other.

Fishlegs landed a sideways kick in Hiccup's gut. Hiccup simultaneously moved and landed a strike on Fishlegs' chest. Both of them instantly recoiled a few feet to avoid more attacks from the other.

Then Fishlegs rushed forwards and lifted his arm to hit. Hiccup blocked the punch with his elbow. Fishlegs' other fist shot towards Hiccup. He punched the brunet in the side repeatedly.

Hiccup lifted his other arm as if he was about to throw a punch and Fishlegs managed to sidestep. Hiccup dropped his arm to his side in less than a second and then kicked Fishlegs on the kneecap instead. Apparently it was a bluff. Jack smiled to himself.

Fishlegs groaned and was distracted.

Hiccup swept a foot behind Fishlegs' leg and tripped him.

Fishlegs crashed down on the floor but reached out and grabbed Hiccup's shirt, taking the brunet down with him. The blonde rolled backwards and then flung Hiccup over his head, so he landed on the floor behind him.

Hiccup groaned but rolled around and then quickly got to his feet. He wobbled a little for a few seconds. Fishlegs stood up while Hiccup was temporarily distracted.

The two Vikings closed in on each other again.

Hiccup's fist shot through the air. Fishlegs blocked. He grabbed Hiccup's shoulders and forced him backwards. He slammed him against the stone wall. Fishlegs held his forearm tight against the brunet's throat, putting pressure on his windpipe. He held Hiccup in place for a few moments. The brunet gasped for air.

Hiccup stepped hard on one of the blonde's feet and punched him in the gut. The large Viking instantly lessened the pressure on his throat. Hiccup shoved him away forcefully. Fishlegs staggered back on unsteady legs. Hiccup was breathing heavily.

The brunet jumped forwards and instantly kicked Fishlegs' on the shin. The blonde Viking let out a very pained sound. Hiccup kicked him again. Fishlegs' was obviously in a lot of pain but his arms shot forwards and grabbed Hiccup by the shoulders. He pulled the brunet closer.

Hiccup head butted Fishlegs, smashing their skulls together. It looked incredibly painful.

The large blonde quickly stepped back and seemed very disoriented.

Blood started to flow from one of Hiccup's eyebrows.

Hiccup jumped at Fishlegs, stuck one of his feet behind one of Fishlegs' legs and then shoved him on the chest. The large blonde landed on the back on the floor and grunted in pain.

Hiccup instantly dropped down, flipped Fishlegs over, twisted the blonde's arm behind his back in a tight grip and then pressed his knee into his back.

"Miskunn?" Hiccup asked Fishlegs.

"Já." the large blonde agreed without hesitation this time.

"Sigr*!" Hiccup said joyfully with a bright grin on his face. Jack couldn't stop the huge smile that spread across his face. He _loved_ seeing Hiccup happy.

Hiccup immediately let go of Fishlegs and got to his feet. Fishlegs rolled on to his back and then Hiccup reached out a hand to help him get up. The chubby Ravenclaw grabbed the extended hand and Hiccup helped the Viking to his feet. Both boys were breathing heavily from all the activity.

Then the two Vikings gave each other a hug and Jack found that there was something quite ritualistic about that.

"Goðr víg." Hiccup said to Fishlegs with a smile on his lips.

"Goðr víg." Fishlegs agreed happily.

Jack turned his head and looked at Rapunzel for an explanation.

"Good fight." she translated. "They say that to each other every time they're finished practicing. It's a habit they have from home." the blonde explained and Jack nodded with a small smile gracing his lips. That made sense.

"Yay, Hiccup!" Merida shouted and Jack and the others instantly gave the two Vikings a little applause and some cheers. Jack grinned brightly at his two friends.

Hiccup turned his head and smiled at Merida, revealing his straight teeth that were less white right now than usual because he had blood in his mouth. Then the brunet looked at him and the others too and Jack began to look him over for injuries.

Hiccup had blood running from his nose down his face and into his mouth. He had several red, angry scratches and small cuts on his cheeks and forehead, some skin scrapes on his chin and a split eyebrow that left a small trail of blood down his face. All in all, he looked pretty damaged but that wasn't exactly surprising after the fight Jack had just witnessed.

As he looked at Fishlegs, the chubby Viking didn't look any better than Hiccup. The large blonde had a swollen eyelid, a broken nose, blood from his nose to his chin, several red skin scrapes on his face and also some small, narrow cuts like Hiccup had.

Not to mention that they were both_ definitely _going to get plenty of bruises all over, once a little time had passed.

Hiccup and Fishlegs both grabbed a towel each as well as a water bottle. The Viking boys eagerly drank some water, both seeming quite thirsty after the fighting. Hiccup then poured a little water onto the white towel, before he began to wipe the blood off his face carefully. Then he wiped both his hands in the white piece of cloth as well. Fishlegs quickly followed his example.

Rapunzel approached the two Viking boys and took out her wand from one of the pockets in her robes.

"Come here." she told her two friends gently and they both covered the few feet between them and her, each of them still holding a bloody towel in their hands.

The blonde girl pointed her wand at Fishlegs first and said some words and a cracking sound was heard. Fishlegs winced but then grabbed his nose and smiled at Rapunzel, who had apparently healed it. Then Rapunzel turned to Hiccup and lifted her wand once more, this time towards the brunet and his split eyebrow and a few seconds after, the small wound had closed. Jack knew that Rapunzel and Hiccup sometimes practiced basic healing spells, which came in useful in situations like this.

"Thanks." Hiccup told his blonde friend breathlessly.

Rapunzel smiled in response and then put her wand back in her pocket.

Hiccup threw the towel he was holding in his hands on to a chair by the wall and then approached Jack and the others. When the brunet Viking sat down next to him on the padded floor, Jack noticed how damaged Hiccup's hands were. The skin on his knuckles was red and scraped and several places on his hands had little narrow, red wounds. It made sense though…obviously you couldn't come out of a fight with your hands unscathed.

He raised his head and observed Hiccup, who seemed to be trying to just sit still and calm down from all the adrenaline. The Viking was panting after all the physical activity he had just endured and a little sweat was clinging to his skin, making his slightly long, brown hair stick a little to his forehead and his neck. The brunet quickly ran a hand through his hair to get it away from his forehead and then he gave Jack a tired but happy smile.

Oh this was so_ not_ fair…the universe must really hate him today. First Hiccup had to actually change in the same room as him, and it had taken_ all_ of his self-control and respect for Hiccup's privacy not to sneak a peek, then he had to flash his stomach and now Jack was supposed to handle this too? Hiccup had just been fighting and been all awesome and now he was breathing heavily and sweating a little and being so bloody attractive…_right_ next to him. He tried his best to stop those thoughts from entering his mind but it was no use. The panting and the slight sweating were already making him think of several things he really should _not_ be thinking about.

"That was wicked!" Merida exclaimed happily, thankfully breaking Jack's train of thought. He was quite relieved by that. He needed a distraction right now.

Hiccup gave her a tired smile and then began taking slow, deep breaths, obviously to steady his breathing again.

Fishlegs had slumped down next to Rapunzel and was breathing even more heavily than Hiccup and sweating as well.

"Yeah, it was great!" Flynn agreed and Mavis hummed to show that she also thought this.

"Thanks." Hiccup said breathlessly and Fishlegs nodded with a small smile on his lips.

"Yeah, it was pretty impressive to actually see you guys fight. You have skills." Jack told his two Viking friends with a crooked smile.

"Thanks. We've practiced…_a lot_ through the years." Fishlegs said, having steadied his breathing enough to talk properly now.

"Who wins the most?" Mavis asked curiously.

"I think it's pretty equal actually." Hiccup said.

"Yeah…I'm stronger and bigger than Hiccup but he's faster than me and has better reflexes so it sort of evens things out." Fishlegs said. "Not to mention that even though it's covered with a shoe, it fucking _hurts _to be kicked by his prosthetic." the blonde Viking chuckled and Hiccup quickly joined in.

"Yeah…at least that's one advantage of having a metal, artificial limb in a fight." Hiccup said with a grin spreading across his face.

"I hope you guys will give us more lessons some time." Merida said hopefully.

"Sure, no problem. You can have all the lessons you want. It's a good idea to be able to defend yourself." Hiccup replied, lips twitching a little.

Merida instantly smiled brightly in response.

"Do all Vikings practice like this?" Flynn asked, tilting his head of brown hair.

"Yeah…and sometimes with weapons too of course." Fishlegs replied.

"Don't you ever get really hurt?" Mavis asked.

The two Vikings grinned.

"Yes, we do. Everyone does. That's kind of unavoidable but…it also helps you learn and become familiar with dealing with pain." Hiccup said.

Fishlegs nodded. "Yeah. The more you get used to it, the better. That way you won't be shocked or scared in a real fight."

"Who do you practice with back home?" Merida then asked.

"Usually the other teens on Berk, but sometimes we practice with some of the adults as well." Hiccup told them. "That's really good for us, because they're much more experienced so it's a bigger challenge."

Then the brunet laid down on his back suddenly. Jack resisted the sudden urge to lie down with him.

"Tired, Hic?" Jack asked with an amused smile gracing his lips.

"You have no idea." the brunet told him.

Jack chuckled a little at that.

"Are there any…rules for Viking fighting? I mean…if you fight someone for real, do you have an honor code or something like that?" Flynn asked curiously.

Hiccup sat up once again. "No. There are plenty of honor codes between Vikings but between a Viking and an enemy? No. It's about survival, so you do what you need to do to win. It would be stupid to get yourself killed based on some vague concept of what is "honorable" to do to an enemy in a fight and what isn't." Hiccup explained and Fishlegs nodded in agreement.

"So basically anything goes?" Flynn replied.

"Yes, anything goes in a real fight or a real battle. We don't hold back or follow any rules." Hiccup confirmed.

"No wonder those guys wanted you to teach them self-defense after that fight you had with McGowan and Levin." Flynn said and then grinned at the brunet.

"Yeah, well…they need to find someone else to teach them that." Hiccup told him, unable to fully keep the hint of annoyance out of his tone. Jack knew it was because he didn't like getting attention from people who just wanted to use him for their own purpose and didn't really care about him at all. Jack definitely shared the brunet's irritation about that. He was sick of seeing people approach Hiccup just because they wanted something from him…whether it was a date or information about dragons or self-defense lessons or something else didn't matter. Almost everyone tried to use him and Jack didn't like that one bit.

"Oh? What about your fangirls? They would probably _really_ like you to teach them." Flynn waggled his eyebrows teasingly and the others chuckled.

"I'd rather stick my hand in Fenrir's mouth." Hiccup deadpanned.

"Wow." Fishlegs said in amusement and he and Rapunzel instantly laughed.

"Pfft. Fenrir…so overrated." Jack interjected, rolling his eyes. He saw an opening to tease the Viking boys and he was going to take it.

"What?" Hiccup asked, furrowing his forehead in confusion.

"Fenrir is just some bloody overgrown puppy." Jack said and smiled mischievously at them, trying to rile them up for fun.

"What? No!" Fishlegs said, his eyes a little wide in disbelief.

"Overgrown puppy? What are you talking about? He's massive!" Hiccup told him, gesturing with his hands to illustrate his point.

"Nah…he was just some wolf pup that scared the gods." Jack replied and did a dismissive hand motion, before he shot Hiccup a mischievous smile.

"Are we _actually_ hearing this?" Hiccup asked Fishlegs. "Fenrir is not a puppy, Jack."

"Sure, he is. Don't you know that Fenrir means "overgrown puppy?" he replied and raised an eyebrow in a challenging way. It was fun to bash on Norse mythology to pick on his two Viking friends.

"Actually his name in old norse…Fenris…means "fen-dweller." Hiccup told him and Fishlegs nodded in confirmation.

"Pssh, like you speak every language on earth. It means "overgrown puppy." Jack grinned.

"Who's Fenrir?" Merida asked in confusion.

"Fenrir is one of Loki's children." Hiccup started to explain. "He's a huge, dangerous wolf. At first the gods brought him to Asgard* to live with them to raise him themselves and to keep an eye on him, because it was prophesized that he would bring destruction wherever he went in the world. However, he quickly grew so much that the gods began to become worried about his strength, so they decided to trick him into being bound. They tried all kinds of chains on him, convincing him that they just wanted to test his strength. Every time Fenrir broke free of a chain they clapped and praised him, so he wouldn't be suspicious. Then the gods had an enchanted chain made by the dwarves. At first Fenrir didn't want them to put the chain on him, but they convinced him it was just another test of his strength. Fenrir agreed on the condition that one of the gods would put their hand in his mouth, so they had something to risk as well. Tyr* was the only god who had a bond with Fenrir and he volunteered to put his hand in the wolf's mouth, even though he knew they were all trying to trick Fenrir. When Fenrir found out that he couldn't break the enchanted chain, he bit Tyr's hand off. Since then it's said that Fenrir remains chained in a desolate place where he can't harm anyone, howling in rage and waiting for Ragnarok when he'll finally be able to break free and get his revenge on the gods." Hiccup told them.

"Yeah…and Odin, supposedly the strongest of the gods, gets killed by the overgrown puppy in the battle of Ragnarok." Jack said and raised his eyebrows.

"Jack, are you drunk or something?" Hiccup asked him with a grin and their friends all chuckled or giggled. "Fenrir is _not_ a puppy."

"Pfft…Odin got scared by the pup and went to the dwarves for help, so he wouldn't be killed….which actually just made it _possible_ for him to be killed, because the puppy got so angry about being chained. So if Odin hadn't been such a coward, he might have actually lived." Jack retorted with an amused smile twitching his lips.

"Wow…it's a good thing me and Fishlegs aren't religious as such because that kind of talk could land you in a serious fight with certain Vikings." Hiccup chuckled.

"Why? They don't want to acknowledge that Fenrir was just a pup?"

"It's more than just that. You called Odin a coward."

Jack shrugged but couldn't stop the amused smile tugging the corners of his lips upwards. If he ever _did_ go to the archipelago and met the other Vikings, he would definitely not be bashing on Norse mythology…but since this was his two friends, he had no trouble at all in teasing them relentlessly.

"How did Loki even father a wolf in the first place? Did he like…shag one?" he asked them and then grinned teasingly.

Fishlegs immediately had a coughing fit. "No!" the large Viking said.

"No." Hiccup said, a lot more calmly. "Loki had three children with the _Jotunn*_ named Angrboda. One was Jormungandr, a giant serpent that grew so big that it could encircle all of Midgard* where the humans live, another was Hel, a girl in human-like form who was later made the keeper of the underworld and the last one was Fenrir."

"So she obviously cheated on Loki then." Jack concluded, furrowing his brow to pretend to be contemplating something.

"She did _not_." Hiccup rolled his eyes but with one of those ghosts of a smile on his lips that revealed his amusement.

"Of course she did. How else would you explain it?" Jack protested.

"Well…first of all there are other examples in Norse mythology where a human or a god or a _Jotunn_ gives birth to a creature of a different kind. Second of all, Loki was a shapeshifter so that could have influenced it." Hiccup told him, gesturing with his hands in that familiar way of his.

"She _so_ cheated on him…I can't believe the prankster god fell for that." Jack replied, making sure to flash the brunet a teasing smile. He heard Flynn and Merida chuckle from next to him.

"She didn't cheat on him. They weren't even together, Loki had a wife already…and he isn't really a god, Jack." Hiccup replied.

"What?" he asked in confusion. He wasn't expecting that one.

"He isn't a god in the same way as the others…and he has never really been worshipped as one."

"What is he then?"

"He's one of the_ Jötnar. _In English, they're often just called giants. Anyway…Odin met Loki when Loki was a young boy and adopted him either as a son or a brother, that last part isn't quite clear. It's said that Odin and Loki mixed blood in a ritual and that might be how Loki gained his magical powers and was turned in a sort of half-god. Then Odin brought him to Asgard and let him live among the gods. In the sagas he sort of…alternates between helping the gods as well as stopping them from getting what they want and even helping their enemies to harm them, which is why he's considered a trickster. He's unpredictable and you never really know for sure what side he's on. When _Ragnarok* _unfold_s _he actually turns against them and helps lead the armies of the _Jotunn _against the gods in the final battle when the world is ending." Hiccup explained.

"Huh…I always thought Loki was just another one of the gods." he replied.

"Yeah, me too." Flynn agreed with a few nods.

"Most people do. It's a pretty common misunderstanding." Fishlegs said and shrugged.

"What's the _most _common misunderstanding about Vikings?" Mavis then asked curiously and Jack already knew what the Viking boys were going to answer.

"Horned helmets." Hiccup and Fishlegs instantly said in unison and Jack felt a smile spread across his face. He was right.

"What about them?" Flynn asked, furrowing his brow.

"They don't wear them." Jack interjected. He knew quite a lot about Vikings by now, including some of the most common misconceptions. He'd talked about it with Hiccup a lot throughout their friendship.

"True." Hiccup said and gave him one of those fond smiles that just…resurrected the butterflies within him every time he thought they'd temporarily gone into hibernation. "It's just a myth. Vikings have never worn horned helmets. Wearing helmets with horns on them would be seriously impractical and dangerous in a battle."

"How?" Merida asked, looking quite perplexed.

"Well, first of all, the horns could easily get stuck or entangled in something and make you distracted and distractions can mean the difference between life and death. Second of all, your enemy could grab the horns and use it to their advantage and third of all, Vikings often fight in close quarters so a horned helmet could end up stabbing one of your own." Hiccup told her.

"It's strange how some things just become accepted truths even if they don't have an ounce of truth in them." Mavis said, her blue eyes a little glazed over as if she was contemplating something.

"That often happens with Vikings." Fishlegs said with a small smile appearing on his lips.

"It happens with many things." Hiccup said. "Like the way we used to think dragons were mindless beasts who killed everything they came across."

"Yeah…it's so strange to think that a few years ago, someone might have killed Meatlug…it could even have been me." Fishlegs said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Yeah...but let's not dwell on that too much." Hiccup smiled at his Viking friend.

"I know…things _did_ change after all." Fishlegs replied and looked at Hiccup with warmth in his eyes.

It was obvious to Jack that Fishlegs felt grateful that Hiccup had managed to bring peace between the Vikings and the dragons. If he hadn't…the blonde would have never had Meatlug as his dragon and Jack knew that Fishlegs loved Meatlug to pieces.

As he once again looked at Hiccup and just took in the damaged, slightly sweating Viking boy and his heart began to beat faster in response, he suddenly felt a pang of sadness in his chest.

Hiccup was so bloody amazing…and sometimes it really _hurt_ knowing that he could never have him.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: A FEW DAYS LATER.

He had_ never_ thought he would ever find himself in a situation, where he would actually be _grateful_ for his shy, awkward nature. Since he realized his feelings for Jack though, that was_ exactly_ what he was. The fact that Jack was used to him getting all awkward and blushing on a regular basis made it a lot easier to hide his feelings for him, because Jack wouldn't find it strange if he suddenly became shy. Even before he knew he had feelings for his pale friend, it wasn't always that he told Jack why he was blushing over something or why he suddenly felt awkward and_ that_ came in handy now, considering his current situation of trying to conceal his crush.

This morning was particularly bad.

As he was walking next to Fishlegs and Rapunzel on their way to meet up with their Gryffindor friends by the Quidditch pitch before the match began, he remained quiet and just listened to his two friends discussing the Gryffindor team's chances against the Slytherins. He was carrying the rolled up banner he and Rapunzel had painted in their last art class, much to the approval of their art Professor, who not only supported the Gryffindor team but was also impressed with the effort they put into it.

He filled his lungs with the crisp, chilly air and heard his feet leave imprints in the snow. It was windy today and his brown hair was ruffled by the quite strong gusts of air. It wasn't exactly the ideal weather for Quidditch, but a Quidditch match was very rarely cancelled because of the weather.

While he kept moving towards the Quidditch pitch next to his two friends, he was feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement churn inside him at the prospect of seeing Jack, making him slightly nauseous. Of course he wanted to see him (as always) and he wanted to wish him luck before the match began but gods…it would be _very_ difficult not to feel all embarrassed after those…dreams.

He'd awoken abruptly early this morning after a dream that left him feeling _very _unsettled. When he finally managed to go back to sleep, it happened all over again.

The heat rushed to his cheeks just by thinking about it and he was grateful that he was outside in the cold air, because that way no one would find it strange that the skin on his face was coated in pink.

Oh gods...how was he going to look Jack in the eye today? It was one thing to have a crush on him, but a whole other thing to have wet dreams about the guy. By _Freyja_*, he really needed to push that out of his mind...the thought of their hands caressing each other's naked skin...of their mouths moving together in harmony, tongues twirling around each other in a combination of playfulness and need, the wet, warm passion driving them both crazy...their bodies rubbing against each other, the friction creating the most wonderful pleasure...

He shook his head to himself.

Okay...

He needed to pull himself together now, unless he wanted to be sprouting a boner...and he did NOT want that. He briefly wondered if it was actually physically possible to die from shame and embarrassment, because if it _was_...he was_ dangerously_ close to the end.

Why did he have to be so attracted to his friend like this? It was like some cruel curse.

He was used to self-control…he was actually_ really_ good at it…but_ this_ was difficult. Sometimes he had to really hold himself back so he wouldn't do something_ insanely_ stupid and ruin his friendship with Jack. The fact that he was actually close to losing control once in a while scared the Hel* out of him. He almost_ never_ lost control.

Delicate wet touches suddenly tingled his skin. He lifted his green eyes from the ground and took in the surroundings. Thousands of fragile snowflakes drifted from the grey winter skies and whirled through the air, pushed forcefully by the brisk wind.

"Well this isn't very good…" Fishleg said from next to him.

"Yeah, I know. The visibility is going to be terrible for them." Rapunzel agreed, referring to their friends and the upcoming Quidditch match.

Hiccup hummed in agreement but then remained silent, as Fishlegs and Rapunzel began discussing the sudden change in weather. Snow and harsh winds were definitely not a good thing while playing Quidditch. Sudden gusts of wind affected the players' abilities to fly properly and the snow made it difficult to see where you were going. He hoped his friends would be okay. Sure, the professors were always there to observe the matches, but Quidditch still came with certain risks.

He remained lost in his own thoughts, as he and his two friends kept moving towards the Quidditch pitch. His thoughts drifted to Jack.…like they did almost constantly these days. Sometimes it was so hard to keep it together, whenever Jack looked at him with that soft, caring expression in his piercing blue eyes…those perfect eyes that reminded Hiccup of a blue, icy lake shimmering in the winter sun…or when he gave him one of those joyful, bright smiles that showed off his perfect, white teeth and lit up his entire face.

As they neared the Quidditch pitch, they headed towards the place under the stands where the Gryffindor players stayed until the match began. Luckily, it was an enclosed space, boarded off with large wooden planks, so they would be dry and warm in there. The two teams were kept in separate places not just to avoid conflicts but also because the players often needed to discuss some last minute strategy.

Rapunzel pushed open the doors and the wood creaked in protest. The three of them entered and Hiccup's eyes drifted across the surroundings. He'd never been in here before. It was a bit like a very large shed, which was adequate since the players only needed to be there for a short while before the game but also needed to be kept shielded from the weather. There were several benches and chairs inside and large cloth banners from all four Houses hung decoratively on the wooden walls. The light shone through the exit of the room, where only some see-through cloth hung in front, since it was facing away from the wind.

He quickly located their Gryffindor friends, who were in the middle of some kind of conversation. The three of them immediately approached them and Hiccup's heartbeat sped up.

"Hi guys!" Jack said to them with happiness in his blue eyes.

"Hey _Snær Flekkr_*. Hey guys." he replied first to Jack and then his other Gryffindor friends, covering up his awkwardness quite well. Rapunzel and Fishlegs greeted them all as well and instantly became occupied in a conversation with them about the upcoming game and whether Jack and Merida were nervous.

After a little while, Hiccup turned his head and saw Astrid at the other side of the room, talking with Thomas, who was one of the other Chasers. He decided to take a chance today and actually talk to her to just wish her luck.

He walked away from his other friends and headed towards Astrid, who soon spotted him and then said something to Thomas, who nodded and then left.

When he was by her side, she smiled a little at him.

"Hey Astrid." he said with a fond smile tugging at his lips. He was hoping he wasn't pushing his luck by talking to her.

"Hi Hiccup." she greeted him and her blue eyes held no pain or avoidance, just joy, which made him feel relieved.

"I know we're not really talking right now but…I just wanted to say good luck." he told her honestly.

"Thanks." Astrid said and then flashed her white teeth in a genuine smile.

He nodded and his own lips twitched in a smile as well.

When he turned around to approach his friends again, Astrid grabbed his arm. He spun around to face her.

"Look, Hiccup…I need a little more time but…I want us to be friends again." the blonde told him and her blue eyes softened. She let go of his arm.

"I really want that too." he replied and he felt almost bubbly inside at Astrid's words.

"Then that's what will happen…I'll let you know when I'm ready." she told him.

"Thanks Astrid." he said with a fond smile on his lips.

She smiled in response and then turned and walked towards her friends Katie and Megan.

Hiccup stood still for a little while, just taking in the relief he felt that Astrid still wanted to be his friend. It would have hit him incredibly hard if he had lost her but that wasn't the case. Thank the gods.

He turned his head and watched his friends eagerly talk and laugh. Fishlegs made a joke that sent all of them into a laughter fit and Jack patted their large, blonde friend on the back.

He observed Jack for a moment with a small smile appearing on his lips. There should _definitely_ be some kind of rule on how great a player was allowed to look in their Quidditch uniform, because Jack was just…gorgeous right now. Well, Jack was _always_ attractive but this was just unfair. He instantly felt his cheeks flush. He tore his eyes away and just watched one of the walls for a minute, trying to banish those thoughts and the reminders it gave him of those dreams he'd had.

"Hey Hic…is something wrong?" he suddenly heard that incredibly familiar voice say from behind him.

He turned around to face Jack and when his eyes met those blue orbs, he gave him a small smile, trying to disguise his nervousness as much as he could.

But how could he possibly answer that question?

Oh yeah, you know...I just sort of had some wet dreams last night about us having sex and now I can't stop thinking about it. No big deal? Right?

Hel no. It was a huge deal.

"I just…had some weird dreams last night that I haven't been able to push out of my mind." he replied and shrugged, trying to seem casual about it.

It wasn't the whole truth but at least it wasn't a lie either.

"Sorry." Jack said sympathetically and then reached out and squeezed his shoulder, before letting his arm drop to his side again.

Even such a brief, light touch from Jack made his heart skip a beat and once again he found himself thinking that his amazing, white-haired friend had_ no idea_ what he was doing to him. In moments like this it felt like he was a lump of putty in Jack's hands and that the pale teen could mold him into anything he fucking wanted, without Hiccup resisting it.

"It's okay. I'm just a bit absent-minded." he explained.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jack asked with a little, encouraging smile.

No. Hel no. Not_ ever_.

"No…but thanks." he said, forcing himself to maintain eye contact, even though he was still feeling quite embarrassed about those dreams.

"Anytime, Hic." Jack smiled. "Oh, by the way…" he then said and began to take off his Gryffindor scarf.

"You need this." his pale friend said and wrapped the striped scarf around his neck.

"This is becoming somewhat of a ritual, huh?" he told Jack and raised his eyebrows. Not that he minded at all.

"Definitely." Jack just agreed with a tiny, amused smile curving his lips.

"Hiccup! We need to go now, the match is about to begin!" Rapunzel shouted at him. He turned his head and looked at his blonde friend, who was standing by the wooden doors with Fishlegs, Flynn and Mavis.

"Well…good luck _Snær Flekkr*_." he told Jack fondly.

"Thanks Hic." Jack replied softly with a flicker of a smile gracing his lips, warmth shining in those deep blue eyes.

Gods, why did he have to be so incredible _and _unbelievably attractive? With his flawless pale skin without any impurities or scars, his amazingly ice blue eyes, his white hair that reminded Hiccup of delicate, beautiful snowflakes falling from a winter sky, and his straight, perfectly white teeth. Of course Hiccup had noticed that Jack was a good-looking guy before he realized how he felt about him, but now it was like he couldn't_ stop_ focusing on it…and it made it difficult to actually walk away from him.

Hiccup took one last look at Jack, before he turned and began to cover the distance to the door and his four friends. He passed Merida on the way and wished her good luck as well.

The five of them quickly headed for the stands and found a good spot among some other Gryffindor supporters. It was still snowing, those cold, icy flakes whirling eagerly around in the air, pushed by the brisk winter wind that howled in his ears and ruffled his brown hair. He zipped his brown jacket all the way to the top and wrapped Jack's scarf a little tighter around his neck. Next to him, Rapunzel put on her purple, wooly hat and Mavis, Flynn and Fishlegs all pulled out some gloves from their pockets. They had all made sure to put on very warm clothes, since they were going to be standing here for a while. Everywhere he looked Hiccup saw students with Gryffindor scarves, red and yellow flags, face paint or banners ready to show their support for their team. Excited talking and laughing was buzzing everywhere, anticipation of the upcoming match evident in the atmosphere. Hiccup and the others spent the remaining time before the game talking about how freezing cold it was and how the weather would affect their friends in this match.

The crowds suddenly erupted in cheers and clapping and the noise was deafening, when the two Quidditch teams flew into the air and took their positions, waiting for the match to begin. All the Quidditch players wore their winter uniforms, which consisted of warm, insulated longsleeved shirts and pants, as well as vests with long capes in their House colors and protective gear like kneepads and armpads. They also wore goggles to protect their eyes from the wind and snow. Hiccup kept his eyes on Jack, who he could see in the distance, despite the poor visibility right now.

As the whistle sounded and the match officially began, all the players whirled in different directions, as the crowds in the stands once more created a massive wall of noise. He and his four friends all shouted supportive words, whistled or clapped eagerly.

He, Fishlegs and Rapunzel held up the large banner he and Rapunzel had made. Instead of a Gryffindor lion, this time they had painted Jack, Merida and Astrid flying on their brooms as well as written their names. It had taken a long time to make it, but they were both really satisfied with the result and if Hiccup had to say so himself, it resembled their three friends _a lot_.

The first 10 minutes of the game went by fairly uneventfully. They all watched their friends and cheered for them and waved when one of them flew past them in the stands.

He kept his eyes on Jack for as long as he could actually see him. The snow and the somewhat aggressive wind made the visibility quite poor and even though they could spot their three friends most of the time, sometimes they vanished from sight, disguised by the wind and snow. Currently his white-haired friend was whooshing through the air on his broom a little distance away from them, his red and yellow Quidditch uniform flapping in the wind. The Slytherin's seeker was following him, obviously suspecting that Jack had already found the snitch, although Hiccup knew he hadn't. He _knew_ Jack and even from this distance he could tell that Jack was currently just searching based on the way he was flying.

When Jack disappeared from view, he turned his eyes towards Astrid, who was trying to grab the Quaffle from one of the Slytherins. She was chasing the particular Slytherin closely, waiting for her opportunity to strike. Her blonde braid was flailing in the wind and the long red cape of her uniform rippled and flapped violently, while both her hands were gripping her broomstick tightly. A few seconds later the Slytherin threw the Quaffle towards one of his teammates, but was intercepted by William Gray, one of the Gryffindors, who quickly passed it on to Astrid, as she swooshed by at massive speed. A brief moment later he was surrounded by Slytherins, but since Astrid now had the Quaffle they quickly followed her instead. She was making her way towards the goals with the Quaffle under one arm, but two Slytherins, a guy and a girl, were gaining on her.

Suddenly the guy was knocked off his broom by a bludger and fell to the ground. Luckily they weren't high up, so he wasn't in danger. The Gryffindor supporters all cheered and when Hiccup looked closer he saw Merida with her beater's bat in the distance, having successfully taken down one of Astrid's followers. Despite the poor visibility, that massive, red hair made Merida easier to spot than the rest of the players. He, Rapunzel and Fishlegs waved the banner eagerly, while Mavis and Flynn whistled and clapped loudly.

Astrid was almost at the goal posts now, still with one of the Slytherins behind her. The Slytherin goalkeeper seemed to be preparing himself for Astrid's attack, while the blonde swiftly flew towards him, gripping the Quaffle tightly under one of her arms. When she was close enough she launched the Quaffle towards the goal with an impressive speed and force that would surprise anyone who didn't know her and the ball flew straight through the goal, despite the keeper's efforts to block. Their part of the crowd instantly created a massive wave of sound from cheers and claps and whistles. The commentator announced that Gryffindor had gained 10 points from Astrid's goal.

Hiccup cheered loudly for Astrid, joined by the others and they held up their banner a little higher and then moved it slightly up and down. When Astrid looked their way he waved at her and she instantly waved back, which made him feel quite happy. Then his blonde friend quickly shot through the air again and headed towards the other end of the Quidditch pitch to once again try to obtain the Quaffle.

Hiccup adjusted Jack's scarf around his neck to avoid that very chilly and quite insistent wind touching his skin. It was a good thing that those Quidditch uniforms their friends were wearing were so warm and insulated, because this was seriously brutal weather to play Quidditch in.

"Hey, there's Jack again." Rapunzel said happily and he and the others followed the direction her green eyes were looking in and located their white-haired friend. Jack was speeding through the air, as if the snow and wind didn't really affect him much. The Slytherin seeker was nowhere to be seen anymore.

A bludger swooshed towards Jack, but he quickly evaded it and moved on searching for the snitch. Hiccup smiled a little to himself. Jack was a _very_ talented flyer and that was never more apparent than when he did those swift, creative maneuvers in the air on his broom to chase the snitch, avoid bludgers or evade opponents trying to mess with him. Hiccup suspected that he found some of the same freedom in the skies on his broom that Hiccup found when he was flying with Toothless.

Flynn and Mavis suddenly cheered Merida's name, as the red-haired girl flew past them and Hiccup and the others quickly joined in and waved the banner once more.

Unfortunately the Slytherins had taken the Quaffle now. Astrid, William and Thomas Wells (the last of the chasers) all followed the Slytherin with the Quaffle closely, attempting to steal it from him.

A bludger came shooting through the air at massive speed but suddenly Merida came flying in a blur of red and yellow, quickly placing herself next to William, swinging her beater's bat. It hit the bludger that instantly swooshed in the opposite direction. Hiccup and the others shouted words of praise and support at their red-haired friend, who was an_ incredibly_ effective Beater.

Merida flew off again, while Astrid and the other chasers kept pursuing the Slytherin, as he neared the Gryffindor goals and the keeper. The dark-haired Slytherin threw his arm back, holding the Quaffle and then hurled the red ball through the air towards the goal. The keeper shot to the side and spread his arm out, but the ball was just out of his grasp and flew through the goal. The commentator announced the goal and the 10 points it brought to the Slytherins.

Hiccup heard dissatisfied groans next to him and knew it was from Mavis and Flynn.

About an hour went by, where the Gryffindor team and the Slytherin team both scored several goals until the score was 50-60 in the Slytherins' favor. Astrid had scored three goals, while William and Thomas had each scored one. The harsh weather continued, not loosening its cold grip in the slightest.

Merida and Graham Marsh did a great job at keeping their team safe from the bludgers, managing to swiftly intercept and making them fly in another direction, almost every time one of the balls came towards someone from their team. Luckily, their team members were all able to avoid the ones that the two beaters couldn't reach in time.

Hiccup mostly kept his eyes on Jack, when he could actually see him through the wind and snow. He really liked watching him fly. He was bloody _amazing_ on that broom. Everyone had their own unique style of flying and Jack's was…graceful, fluid…even playful. He liked to do swift, elegant, sometimes quite complicated moves that were not just fast and effective but creative as well, which was what made him such an excellent Seeker.

Jack had begun shooting through the air at massive speed, turning sharply, dipping, climbing upwards, doing all sorts of changes in direction and altitude and Hiccup knew what that meant. His pale friend was chasing the snitch.

"Jack's found the snitch!" he said excitedly to his four friends, who all immediately looked around to spot Jack. When they did, their faces lit up in huge, bright smiles.

"Woooo! Go Jack!" Mavis yelled as loudly as she could, even though it was unlikely that Jack would hear her.

"Yeah, Jackie!" Flynn roared next to him.

All of their eyes followed Jack, as he kept swerving and turning through the air eagerly pursuing that tiny little golden snitch. He suddenly dived and flew towards the ground at massive speed, his uniform thrashing in protest from the wind resistance, his hands gripping his broomstick firmly. When he was getting close to the ground, he pulled up, leveled out and then turned sharply, flying in the other direction now. Hiccup found himself thinking that it was _seriously_ impressive how fast he was on that broom and just how swiftly he could turn, dive and ascend without hesitation and without losing sight of that elusive golden snitch. He was almost tempted to agree with Jack the next time he claimed he had 'ninja reflexes'. Almost.

Apparently the Slytherin Seeker soon discovered what Jack was doing and rushed through the air to begin to follow him. After a while, it was a blur of red, yellow and green in the harsh snow and wind, as both of them competed to get their hands on the snitch first. Jack was ahead of the Slytherin, but the guy was chasing him closely.

"Come on, Jackie…" he heard Flynn say next to him.

Hiccup kept his eyes glued to Jack. He was _really _hoping he would get to catch that snitch before the Slytherin.

Jack climbed upwards into the grey sky and then leveled out again. The other Seeker kept following him closely and right now it was fucking nail biting to watch.

Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Rapunzel stand on her toes and lean anxiously against the railing in front of her.

Jack swooshed through the snowy air, heading straight towards one of the spectator towers. The Slytherin had gained on him and was now flying right next to him. The green-clad opponent bumped his shoulder into Jack, but Jack kept focused and on course.

They both shot towards the tower at massive speed and the time for turning around or pulling up was getting nearer, unless they wanted to crash into the wooden structure and get injured.

Hiccup felt his heartbeat speeding up and the concern growing inside him. He wrung his hands a little. He was_ really_ hoping Jack wasn't going to be reckless with this. He needed to change direction. Soon.

"What is he doing? He needs to turn." Rapunzel said nervously.

Hiccup just kept staring at Jack flying speedily towards the tower. Jack was a talented flyer and he put his faith in that but he still couldn't help being worried right now.

"Pull up, Jack. Pull up." he heard Mavis' voice say.

Jack and the Slytherin Seeker kept shooting through the air. Now they were almost by the spectator tower. Suddenly the Slytherin turned, avoiding colliding with the structure. Jack kept going.

In the last few moments before impact, Jack made the sharpest turn Hiccup had_ ever_ seen anyone do on a broom and then put one of his arms in the air, holding something.

"He caught it!" Flynn shouted excitedly.

A few seconds later the commentator announced that Gryffindor had won the game by Jack catching the snitch. The crowd burst into a chaos of shouting, clapping, screaming and whistling.

"Yeah!" Hiccup shouted happily and threw his arms in the air.

"Woooooo!" he heard Rapunzel scream next to him while she jumped up and down, before she turned and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. Fishlegs whistled and then clapped eagerly.

"Woooo!" Mavis joined in with Rapunzel and then she and Flynn hugged each other happily too.

Flynn grabbed Hiccup's shoulders and pulled him closer, along with Rapunzel and Fishlegs and suddenly he found himself in a group hug. They were all laughing or smiling brightly at their friends' success.

"Let's go congratulate them!" Flynn said and they all quickly agreed to that.

They started walking quickly through the stands and then descended the wooden steps that led down to the Quidditch pitch, where all the Gryffindor players were currently hugging each other or shouting cries of joy.

The Gryffindor supporters in the crowd had abandoned their chaos of different sounds and just chanted Jack's name over and over again. Well, not his actual name but what they knew him as: "Frost".

As they approached their friends at a fast pace, Hiccup saw Jack and Merida hug each other and then jump around a little together still hugging. It warmed his heart to see them so happy and he couldn't hold back a huge smile. Astrid was laughing and hugging some of the other team members.

When Jack and Merida spotted them, they both beamed with pure joy and came running towards them.

Flynn threw his arms around Jack and laughed, while Mavis pulled Merida into a tight hug. They both praised their friends and congratulated them, before Hiccup, Fishlegs and Rapunzel also got the chance to hug their friends and tell them how awesome they were.

Jack's white hair was filled with snowflakes and his red and yellow Quidditch uniform was wet, weighing down on his skin. He looked tired but so _incredibly_ happy and that combination made Hiccup feel that familiar affection almost make his heart burst inside him. He_ loved_ to see Jack so happy.

"You were great, Snowflake!" he told Jack with a fond smile and nudged his shoulder playfully. He actually felt a tug of pride from having such an amazing, talented friend.

"Thanks Hic!" the pale teen responded and smiled brightly at him. Then Jack threw his arms around him and pulled him into a hug.

It wasn't very often that they hugged but when they did, Hiccup instantly sensed the Terrible Terrors spring to life inside him and he stopped breathing for a few moments.

He put his arms around Jack and just enjoyed being so close to him for a brief moment, before they had to pull apart again. The warmth, the feel of their chests being pressed against each other and that faint smell of peppermint that always clung to Jack was just so…familiar and comforting and felt right in every way. It was actually sort of worrying just how addictive it was being close to him. He never wanted to let go…but of course he _had_ to.

When they pulled away from each other, Hiccup instantly missed that amazing closeness but of course he couldn't show it in any way.

After a little while of just hugging, dancing around, jumping and talking excitedly, they all calmed down a little. Jack and Merida had been filled with adrenaline, but now they seemed to coming down from those bursts of energy. Hiccup and his six friends all continued to talk for a few moments about the match and how great Jack and Merida both were, discussing all the great maneuvers and strategies they'd used.

"So…Where are you guys off to now?" Rapunzel asked Jack and Merida after they had all finished praising their two talented friends.

"Well, first I think Jack and I really need to go back to the common room and get a shower and a change of clothes…and then there's a party in the Gryffindor common room after dinner, so we're going to go to that and celebrate our victory." Merida told them and grinned excitedly.

"I wish you guys could come." Jack told them with a small smile on his lips.

"Yeah, but it's only for Gryffindors right?" Rapunzel asked, tilting her head.

"Unfortunately, yes." Merida replied and nodded.

"Well…you guys have fun." Hiccup said, his lips twitching in a little smile.

Then he and his two Ravenclaw friends all said goodbye to Jack, Flynn, Merida and Mavis and began to walk towards the castle to get to the Ravenclaw common room.

As they left their friends behind, Hiccup felt that faint tug of sadness. He had barely spent any time with Jack today and he just wanted to be near him some more. It was so pathetically needy and he really didn't like just how attached he was to being in Jack's presence but he couldn't help it.

When they'd walked a little distance, he glanced over his shoulder to take one last look at Jack. Surprisingly, he saw his pale friend already looking at them. Jack lifted his arm and waved at him and Hiccup quickly spun around, waved and then turned again and continued walking.

He, Rapunzel and Fishlegs trudged through the snow on their way to the castle and Hiccup listened to his two friends' excited conversation about the match they had just witnessed, once in a while humming in agreement. He didn't feel particularly talkative, as he was once again in a pensive mood. Thoughts of Jack just would _not_ leave his mind, no matter how much he tried to think about something else.

Those dreams last night had made everything worse. Of course he already knew that he was incredibly attracted to Jack but those…images and feelings of him and Jack being together like _that_ being planted in his head by his traitorous subconscious…it made it _that _much harder to push that attraction down and pretend like nothing was wrong.

He_ really_ hoped that those dreams were a one time thing.

Somehow though…he knew they wouldn't be.

**Author's note:**

In the next chapter, Jack, Hiccup and their friends go on their Christmas shopping trip to Hogsmeade and then they all go home for the Christmas holidays.

Ragnarok: A series of events that lead to the end of the known world. This includes various natural disasters and a final giant battle between the norse gods, the Jotunns and several other creatures. Almost everyone in the world except a few gods and humans will die in Ragnarok. When Ragnarok begins, all bindings in the world will be absolved, and creatures like Fenris and many others will be let loose and cause chaos and death in the battle with the gods. After Ragnarok, a new world will emerge, new and fertile where life can start again.

Sigr: Means "victory" in old norse.

Asgard: The home of the gods in norse mythology. Odin and his wife Frigg are the rulers. There are various descriptions of what it looks like, some of them contradictory. In some sources it says that Asgard is one giant fortress, where others describe it as a place filled with various farms and fortresses where the gods live. Some sources claim it's placed in the middle of Midgard, where other say it is placed in the heavens (although this is in sources written by Christians, so their own view of the homes of gods can have influenced this). In Asgard, the tree of life (Yggdrasil) is placed and its roots go through to others of the nine worlds. Asgard is also the place where Valhalla is. This is Odin's home and the place where warriors who die bravely in battle go in the afterlife (Well, half of them...the other half goes to Freyja's hall Fólkvangr).

Tyr: He is one of Odin's sons and one of the gods associated with war, justice and law. He doesn't play a big role in norse mythology. In fact the only myth where he plays an active part is the story of how he helps trick Fenris (Fenrir) into being bound. In the battle of Ragnarok, Tyr dies fighting the big dog Garmr (old norse: Rag. He is the dog that stands bound by the entrance to Hel, guards it and howls when new souls arrive).

Jötnar (singular: Jotunn): Creatures that mostly live in Jotunheimr (which is a part of Útgarðr, which means the Outyards). Often referred to as giants in English. They could look very different from each other, since some of them could be as big as towers, some of them were ugly, some of them were beautiful, some were born with animal heads or wings. They're mostly the enemies of the norse gods, often getting in their way somehow or waging war with them. However, there are also examples of Jötnar and gods marrying or having children together or somehow helping each other. Jötnar are beings closely related to the forces of nature and are considered unpredictable in temperament and beings of 'chaos'. Some of them have magic powers.

Midgard: One of the nine worlds in norse mythology and the place where the humans live. Midgard was created by Odin and his two brothers Vili and Vé by killing the ancient Jotunn Ymir (the ancestor of all Jötnar) and used his body parts as material, for example using his skull to create the heavens and his flesh to create the earth and his blood to form the oceans. Midgard was created as a place of order in contrast to the places where the Jötnar lived and humans (who were also created by Odin and his brothers) were put there to tend to the fertile lands. It is separated from most of the other worlds by impassable waters, where Jormungandr (a giant serpent, one of Loki's children) encircles it. Midgard is only connected somewhat to Asgard, where the rainbow-bridge Bifröst is the entrance, but this bridge is guarded by the god Heimdallr.

Freyja: The most important goddess in norse mythology. She is the goddess of love and fertility but she is also associated with magic and death, as she is a powerful sorceress and half the warriors that die in battle comes to her place afterwards instead of Valhalla.

Hel: Hel: the underworld in Norse mythology. Ruled by Loki's daughter who is also named Hel. It's the place where many (such as the people who died of disease and old age) go when they die. Beliefs in other kinds of afterlives existed too (and could vary from place to place in Scandinavia). For example, half of the warriors who died bravely in battle go to Valhalla, because Odin wants the best warriors to assist him in the battle during Ragnarok (the end of the known world). Half of the dead warriors goes to Freyja's place Fólkvangr. There are other kinds of afterlives too but I won't get into that now. Hel is not a place of punishment and suffering for deeds committed in life like the Christian idea of hell (although the Christians took the word from Hel).

Snær Flekkr: Means a speck of snow / snowflake. Hiccup's nickname for Jack.

**Guest reviews:**

Pooka-Spirit: Thank you for your wonderful words once again, it's so great to get that kind of feedback, it practically makes my day to read such things :) I'm happy to know that you like the way the story is going, hopefully you'll keep feeling that way :) Thank you :)

Lyss: Thank you for once again reviewing! :) Your long, detailed reviews makes me very happy, I really appreciate you taking the time to leave such kind, thoughtful words. Those kinds of reviews really helps me stay motivated :) I'm very glad to read that my story has kept your attention and that you've become so invested in it, that's what every writer wants to hear :) Thanks!


	14. Someone worth missing

**Author's note:**

Hi everyone, I'm back again :) This chapter is…well, let's just say when I looked at the word-count for it, I instantly thought: "Okay…I really DO have a serious issue when it comes to writing. I have NO idea how to hold myself back". It's the longest chapter yet…by quite a lot actually. Hopefully you won't fall asleep reading it :P I just…when I write I get all of those ideas in my head that I have to put into the story, and when I flesh them out it just sparks more ideas and so on XD Also, I wanted all the holiday stuff to happen in one chapter, so the chapter would start with Hiccup and Jack being together and end with them seeing each other again after the holidays. So anyway…in this chapter, Hiccup and Jack and their friends go Christmas shopping at Hogsmeade and then they are both absolutely pathetic as they miss each other terribly during the holidays. Jack celebrates Christmas with his family, while the Vikings on Berk sacrifice to the gods and then have their Jól feast.

A few remarks on this chapter:

\- In my story, the Viking culture in the archipelago has evolved in several ways from the original Viking culture that existed over a thousand years ago in Scandinavia. Culture is not something that just stands still and remains the same forever. Even though the archipelago is basically a 'time-warp' in this fic, the culture still changes over time and becomes more modern as a result of both development internally among Vikings and externally (when they get input from the outside world, like through traders and through the people that go off to Hogwarts and becomes familiar with the modern muggle world and the wizarding world).

\- None of the adult Vikings have accents like they do in the movies. I considered letting Stoick and Gobber keep their accents but…it just doesn't make sense at all for a Scandinavian to have a Scottish accent, so I chose to get rid of it.

\- Vikings never named their children strange or horrible names to scare off trolls and gnomes, that's just an invention of the author of the HTTYD books. In reality, Vikings often named their kids after dead relatives or gods, so in this story the Vikings back on Berk (except the characters we already know from the movies) have real, old Scandinavian names. I see this as a result of the ways the culture has evolved. In my story, Vikings in the archipelago (but not anywhere else in Scandinavia) DID sometimes name their children strange or horrible names but it's a dying tradition and that's why only some of them have those kinds of names.

\- There are more teens and children than in the movies. Because…well it just makes sense.

\- The Vikings celebrated Jól in january.

\- I mentioned in an earlier chapter that Vikings saw it as shameful to be the submissive part in homosexual sex but that that view wouldn't be used in this story. I changed my mind :) Makes it more authentic this way.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

Jack absolutely adored Hogsmeade at Christmas.

Rows of old stone houses with a thick layer of gleaming snow on the rooftops, shops with old-fashioned display windows in different colors and filled with Christmas decorations and the smell of hot chocolate and sweets in the air from the shops and carts selling the delicious treats. Everywhere you looked there were strings of Christmas lights, holly wreaths, pine branches and Christmas ornaments and the trees in the village were decorated with enchanted candles. In the middle of the town square, a giant Christmas tree stood tall and proud, glowing with hundreds of white candles, baubles in red and gold, its pine needles sprinkled with a delicate layer of white, powdery snow. It was exactly like being inside one of those cheesy, American Christmas films. The ones where everything always works out perfectly in the end. The ones where Santa is real and makes someone believe, where it always snows on Christmas Eve, where broken families get reunited in a flurry of smiles, happy tears and forgotten grudges that would make even a rainbow-pooping, cotton candy eating pink unicorn barf. However, the real thing…like Hogsmeade…was _amazing._

His friends were walking next to him, shoes scraping across snow-dusted cobblestone, eager chatter spilling from their lips. A cart was selling cookies in the shapes of owls, snowmen and little Santa Clauses. Delicious smells of the freshly baked treats reached his nostrils. A sigh of contentment.

Hogsmeade always delivered the perfect Christmas atmosphere and Jack found himself thinking how much North would absolutely adore this place. There was just a special kind of joy in the air all around them. It was almost electric. People were walking through the snow, carrying bags with presents, munching on cookies or candy canes or some other treat, throwing snow at each other or talking and laughing. Everyone seemed to be so…happy.

It was snowing just a little, brittle, white flakes drifting down towards the ground from the grey heavens that appeared as if someone had sucked all the color right out of them. They had all bundled up in warm jackets, knitted gloves, scarves and boots to shield them from the cold and the wetness of the winter weather.

First they had been to Gladrags Wizardwear, where Merida had bought some shirts for her brothers with an image of a ghost that actually moved around and laughed mischievously, and Jack, Mavis and Merida had bought a new satchel for Flynn, while Rapunzel kept him distracted. Then they'd gone to Spintwitches, a shop that sold sporting goods, where Flynn had kept Merida occupied with looking at Quidditch brooms, while Jack and Mavis bought a broomstick servicing kit and new leather arm guards as part of their red-head friend's Christmas present. Jack quickly slipped it into his backpack. Then they'd had been to Madam Puddifoot's tea shop that had begun selling tea powder, where Rapunzel had bought some special kinds of tea for her mum and afterwards they'd been in the art shop on the corner, where Jack first had to keep Hiccup busy while Rapunzel and Fishlegs bought some stuff for him and then also keep Rapunzel occupied afterwards. Merida had managed to buy their gift for Mavis, a magical camera, without her noticing.

Now however, they had left the art shop and were discussing where they should go next.

"Let's go to Honeydukes!" Merida said, joy gleaming in blue eyes.

"Of course _you_ want to go somewhere you can stuff your face." Jack told her with a teasing smile.

"Oh please…don't even pretend like you don't want to go there too, Snow Queen." Merida shot back and stuck her tongue out.

"Of course I want to go there!" Jack replied and rolled his eyes. It was pretty obvious, since he loved sweets.

"Then let's go." Hiccup said, as they all kept strolling down the street filled with people in thick, warm clothes with joyful smiles on their faces and snowflakes in their hair.

"Right behind you, Freckles." Flynn told the Viking, who instantly turned his head to look at Flynn.

"Freckles?...Seriously?" Hiccup asked. An eyebrow was raised in amusement.

Jack let his eyes drift across that slight sprinkle of freckles across Hiccup's cheekbones and on the base of his nose. There weren't many but they were there. Tiny specks, like someone had taken one of the Viking's paintbrushes, dipped the bristles just a tad in brown paint and then flicked it at him from a distance.

They were cute…

…and he wished he could count them with his fingertips or kiss everyone single one of them. Lips on warm skin.

"There's plenty more nicknames where that came from, Braids." Flynn grinned.

"Oh gods…" Hiccup said, pinching the bridge of his nose, green eyes closing for a few seconds.

Jack and the others chuckled.

"What's wrong, Hic? Don't like your new nicknames?" he asked with a teasing smile and nudged the Viking boy's shoulder.

"Oh no, they're perfect." Hiccup said, every word laced with that dry sarcasm of his. "Doesn't sound like I have some kind of little girl alter ego _at all._"

Jack couldn't stop the laughter that escaped his lips then and neither could the rest of their friends.

"Well, you're _obviously_ suppressing that side of yourself, Hiccup. Just braid all of your hair, dance around in the sun to get some more freckles, put on a pink dress and get it over with." Flynn told the Ravenclaw, lips twitching to one side in a crooked smile.

Jack's grin widened. Sure, Hiccup was awkward and a sensitive person, but he was definitely _not_ a feminine guy, which just made Flynn's comment even more hilarious.

"Riiiight…" Hiccup replied with an amused smile, once again wrapping every word in a package of sarcasm. "You just see right through me…Gee, I'm so glad I don't have to hide that little girl inside me anymore. Thank you for finally freeing me from this emotional prison, Flynn."

Flynn and Jack both grinned at him while the others chuckled.

God, he loved that razor-sharp sarcasm. Hiccup had turned sarcasm into a fucking art-form.

"You're very welcome, Freckles." Flynn told him, putting his face in earnest folds, as if he was being completely serious.

Hiccup rolled his eyes and then one of those flickers of a smile appeared on his lips before it was gone again.

Jack shoved the Ravenclaw a little on the side of the head in playful gesture, savoring every time he could touch Hiccup in any way. The brunet met his eyes. Lips parted to show rows of white teeth. Green eyes gleamed with joy.

And Jack's stomach did flips. Man, how unfair was that? It was not okay that Hiccup had that kind of power over him.

He was well aware that even though he could just stare at Hiccup and his smiles all day, it would seem quite strange to the brunet, so he trained his blue eyes ahead and took in the people walking towards them down the street, while he listened to the conversation being started between his friends about what sort of candy they were craving and planning to buy, when they got to Honeydukes.

Suddenly Jack spotted a familiar Hufflepuff strolling towards them at the other side of the cobblestone street, accompanied by two friends. As soon as Sam came into Jack's line of sight, it was like flicking on a switch inside him. He clenched his jaw. It was an instant trigger of annoyance and jealousy. The irritation coiled in a ball of unpleasant warmth in his gut. A hostile, unwanted burst of energy spread through him.

Jack glanced sideways to look at Hiccup, but the Ravenclaw was too busy talking with their friends to notice Sam walking past them. He trained his eyes on Sam and his friends again but it didn't seem like the Hufflepuff had noticed them either. Sam was completely occupied by a conversation with his two friends, who Jack recognized since they were almost always at the brunet's side. Kristoff and Tiana were both Hufflepuffs as well…Kristoff was a fairly large guy with slightly long, tousled, blonde hair and a very friendly, good-guy demeanor. The only thing strange Jack had noticed about him was his love of ice cubes. Tiana was a black girl with long black hair and brown eyes and probably one of the most hardworking students Jack had seen in their year. Whenever he spotted her around the castle or in classes, she had her nose in a book or was writing notes or helping someone else with their homework. She clearly had ambitions and was not afraid in the slightest of spending huge amounts of time and energy trying to achieve those ambitions.

When Sam and his two friends had passed them and were out of sight, Jack let out a little sigh. The unwanted, aggressive energy slowly dissipated.

The Hufflepuff had not given up on trying to spend time with Hiccup. Luckily he had only tried one more time to talk to the Viking boy in the last couple of weeks and Jack had been there to cockblock him, although being discreet about it so Hiccup wouldn't suspect anything.

As he moved his focus back to his friends and began listening to the conversation currently taking place between Hiccup and Flynn, where they were teasing each other about what the other's favorite candy said about his personality, he felt the tenseness leave his body.

Jealousy was truly one of those things that brought out the most hostile, most pathetic and ugly sides of a person and Jack didn't like the feeling of it one bit. He also didn't like interfering.

But…

He_ definitely_ couldn't let that Hufflepuff try to make a move on Hiccup either.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

Light snowflakes brushing his skin with their chilly caresses. Fresh, cold winter air tingling his nose and cheeks. Delicious smells of treats being sold from carts and stores. Warm glow from strings of Christmas lights. Sounds of his friends talking and laughing. Happiness shining in their eyes.

This was one of those days where everything was simply perfect and Hiccup's chest practically swelled with love for his wonderful friends, as he remained quiet for a little while, just being utterly content in their presence.

He couldn't stop the amused smile from appearing on his lips, as he listened to the conversation between Flynn and Jack about who would get the most presents from Santa, if they were still little kids, like it was some kind of competition.

"It would obviously be me, Jackie. I mean…look at me. Then look at you. Then look back at me." Flynn told Jack, mock arrogant attitude perfectly in place.

"Oh please, Rider." Jack replied dismissively. "If I was still a little kid, Santa would shower me with gifts for simply gracing the world with my wonderful presence."

"Like_ you_ would ever get any presents from Santa." Hiccup interjected with a tiny, amused smile on his lips. There was almost nothing better than teasing Jack.

Jack turned his head. Perfect blue eyes sparkled. A single dark eyebrow was raised questioningly.

"Am I on the naughty list?" the pale teen asked, voice laced with amusement.

You're definitely on_ some_ kind of naughty list Hiccup's mind managed to think, before he found himself blushing and mentally groaning at his traitorous subconscious.

Seriously brain…_where_ are you even going with this?!

Gods how it sucked to be a teenager with a crush. Almost anything could make you think…those kinds of thoughts.

"No, not _at all_…what would_ ever_ make you think that?" he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Sarcasm was great. It was safe. It was something he did really well. Sarcasm was a shield that could cover up awkwardness and hurt feelings. It was a sharp sword that could slash at enemies and leave their ego's bleeding. It was a bow and arrow that could be brought out in friendly banter and make you win a banter-battle by timing it perfectly, like an arrow being released and hitting the target dead in the middle.

"I mean…_surely_ pranks, teasing and destruction of property is guaranteed to land you right on the top of that nice list." Hiccup said.

Jack grinned at him and then pushed him a little to the side, as they kept walking and the touch sent a shiver down Hiccup's spine. Gods…Jack always touched him so often and he didn't mind that one bit but sometimes it really left him craving even more contact.

"You're such a sarcastic tosser, Hic. No wonder we're such good friends…anyway, you're lucky you don't even celebrate Christmas, because you _definitely _wouldn't make the nice list." Jack told him.

"Well, that's good. Then I can be as much of a sarcastic tosser as I want." Hiccup told him and chuckled. "Besides…who's Santa to decide whether I've been nice, based on his own,_ completely_ subjective, non-transparent criteria? Judgmental bastard…"

Jack and Flynn both laughed loudly at that comment.

When Honeydukes came into view, they were all eager to get their hands on some delicious treats.

"I think I'm going to get some Ginger Newts." Fishlegs said happily, as he pushed open the green, wooden door and they all entered the sweets shop.

Inside the shop was green shelf after green shelf filled with glass containers with colorful sweets of all kinds that the students inside the shop eagerly examined. On the floor were barrels here and there with the most ordinary items like Every Flavor Beans as well as organized glass displays with handmade chocolates and different kinds of fudge in all colors of the rainbow and delicious as well as strange flavor combinations. One of the green walls were covered with large bookcases filled with magic kinds of sweets like the peppermint toads that jumped around in your belly or Drooble's Best Blowing Gum that would fill a room with large blue bubbles.

They all instantly began gathering the kinds of sweets they wanted to buy. Hiccup chose to get some Caramel Cobwebs and Chocolate Wands, while Jack bought a packet of Glacial Snow Flakes and Sweet Crystals, naturally…_everything_ about the guy was wintery Hiccup thought to himself in a combination of amusement and adoration. Of course Merida ended up buying _a lot _more than everyone else but in her defense, she also bought some of it as a part of her brothers' Christmas present. Those mischievous triplets loved the magic candy.

When they left the shop again, Jack was munching on some of the Glacial Snow Flakes, while Hiccup had opened his packet of Caramel Cobwebs. Their friends were all enjoying their sweets as well. As they walked further down the street filled with the old-fashioned, Christmas decorated shops, they spotted several people they knew, like Astrid and her friends and Liam and Harry. Then they all agreed that they should go to Tomes and Scrolls next for more Christmas shopping.

As he, Rapunzel and Fishlegs walked behind their Gryffindor friends, Rapunzel leaned in and whispered to him.

"How's it going with Jack's present?"

"Great. It's almost done actually…I only need a few more hours in the workshop to finish it." he replied with a happy smile. He was really looking forward to finishing it and seeing the final result of all his hard work.

"Is it turning out the way you wanted?" Fishlegs whispered with curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm really satisfied with it actually…and it's fun to make." he told his Viking friend. He'd had to do research to figure out how to build it but as always, he really enjoyed learning new skills and experimenting.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing it when it's finished." Rapunzel said, her lips curving into a smile.

"Me too. I hope Jack will like it."

"I'm sure he will. Why wouldn't he? It's just his thing." Fishlegs replied.

"It is." Hiccup agreed. "But still…it's always a bit of a gamble when you actually make something for people instead of just buying something."

"Yeah but it's also very special." Rapunzel said with warmth in her green eyes.

"True." he agreed. It was a special gift he was currently crafting for Jack. It was made just for him.

When they entered the large, old bookshop with the dark walls that were covered from ground to ceiling with massive, dark wooden bookcases stacked with all kinds of books, old and new, the smell of parchment reached Hiccup's nose. He and his friends split up in small groups to explore the bookshop as they wished and he went in search of something for Fishlegs, Jack keeping him company. As he looked through several shelves filled with interesting books, he wished he had enough money to buy every book in here. He loved attaining more knowledge and books were one of the best ways to do that. He let his fingers glide across the spines of a long row of books, until he landed on an interesting looking tome on magical creatures that he quickly decided to buy as part of Fishlegs' Christmas present. Surprisingly, Jack chose to buy a book about magical creatures too, for Emma. Apparently she was very interested in all magical animals. He made Jack keep a lookout for their large friend, while Hiccup quickly bought the book and slipped it into his satchel. Then Jack bought the book he had picked out and then the both of them waited for their friends outside the shop together.

"So…have you found out what else you're going to buy for Emma?" Hiccup asked his white-haired friend, who had just finished eating the last of the Glacial Snow Flakes and put the empty packet in one of his pockets.

"Not yet…but I was thinking of going to the toy shop and see if they have any interesting magical toys."

Hiccup nodded. "Good idea."

"Are you all set with the presents for Rapunzel and Fishlegs?" Jack asked him, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Yeah actually…I only needed to buy that book for Fish…besides that, I'm making their gifts myself."

"Really?" Jack asked, his blue eyes filled with interest.

"Yeah…they've both told me they love the presents I make for them and I'm almost done with it actually."

"Well they're right. I mean, bought presents are great as well but when someone has made something themselves and really put a lot of effort and thought into it…that's just really special. They're lucky to get those kinds of presents from you, Hic." Jack told him with a soft smile that made the Terrible Terrors stir in his stomach.

Jack should_ really_ stop doing those smiles…it made Hiccup's legs feel like they weren't working anymore and it only reminded him just how much he ached to be more than friends, although that could never happen.

If you only knew, Snowflake…

"Thanks." he replied, a little smile twitching his lips.

That was good. Push those thoughts down and appear normal.

He heard the door open behind him and a few seconds later, their friends were all standing next to them again and they agreed to move on to the next shop.

They did a quick stop at J. Pippin's Potion shop, where he and Fishlegs stocked up on potions and pastes that they'd bring back home, like painkilling potions, burn-healing paste, dragon tonics and essence of dittany. Life in the archipelago was dangerous and having such effective means of healing was very useful.

Afterwards they agreed to go to the toy shop and look for a present for Emma. As Hiccup walked next to Jack, he heard the snow cracking under his footsteps. He observed a couple that walked towards them holding hands and briefly thought about how easy it would be to reach out and grab Jack's hand right now. That was probably the worst thing…how _easy_ it would be. Easy means tempting and temptation could quickly lead to disaster.

When they entered the large toy shop, there were plenty of first and second year students all around, examining toys, talking and laughing. They walked around the bright shop with the yellow walls and endless shelves and bookcases filled with toys of different kinds. Almost all of the toys in the store were magical and small signs put up by each kind of toy specified what their functions were.

While Rapunzel cooed over some adorable stuffed animals and showed them to their friends, he and Jack walked by a shelf stocked with some strange-looking purple plushies. They almost looked like a mix between monkeys and tigers with their very long arms and legs, big hands, tiger stripes and cat-like face. Jack examined one of them and told him that you could write a message and a time, and then the toy would say that message by the time you had chosen. Right after Jack said this, a mischievous smile appeared on his lips. Gods, that mischievous smile was just begging to be wiped off Jack's lips by a deep kiss.

Jack glanced at their friends, who were standing by the shelf next to this one, talking and looking at some other toys. Hiccup knew that look on Jack's face all too well, and he instantly grinned at the pale teen, who chuckled a little. Then his friend began to write messages at a fast pace on _all_ the toys on the shelf…and there were at least 15 of them. When he had written on the last one, he quickly stepped a little further away from their friends and waited.

Suddenly the air was filled with messages leaving the magical toys' mouths all at once in an inferno of childish insults. All of their friends' heads instantly snapped towards the sounds, as their ears were attacked by phrases of which they could only pick up fragments because they all overlapped each other.

_"__I'm Merida DunBroccccchhh and I'm a stupid-head"_

_"__My name is Merida-"_

_"__\- want to be Flynn's pretty bride!"_

_"__I am Merida-"_

_"__\- I'm a poo-poo-face!"_

_"__\- more hair than human!"_

_" – __DunBROOOOOOOCCHCHHHH!"_

_"__My name is Merida-"_

_"__\- a delicate flower!"_

_"__I'm Merida-"_

_"__My name is Merida-"_

_"__\- fragile little princess who needs to be looked after by a man!"_

_"__Look at me, I'm Merida-"_

_"__\- am a frizz-ball"_

_"__\- never __want to get married, I want to stay single and let my hair flow in the wind!"_

As soon as the bombardment of insults ceased, Hiccup and the others all burst into laughter, while Merida narrowed her eyes threateningly at Jack, who was observing her with a huge, teasing grin on his face.

"I hope you've got your affairs in order, Frost…because you're going to die today." the curly-haired girl said as she hit her fist into her palm.

Then the Scot rushed towards Jack, who instantly turned around and ran away. The red-head chased the pale teen around bookcases, display cases, shelves, even people, trying to catch him and get her revenge, while Jack's happy laughter echoed through the air.

Hiccup couldn't stop the goofy smile that spread across his face, as he watched Jack speed around the toyshop, doing sharp turns and changing directions rapidly to escape the horror of a tickle attack, while he was laughing more and more. Jack might 'just' be a human, but he _was_ the bloody guardian of fun to everyone who knew him…and in this moment, Hiccup found himself thinking that there was _nothing_ he found more attractive than this guy. Or more adorable. Or more wonderful. Or…okay, stop it Hiccup. Seriously.

In the end, Merida managed to pin Jack down and give him a tickle attack until he surrendered and admitted defeat, almost not being able to breathe. The others were still laughing, while Hiccup shook his head with a fond smile gracing his lips.

When Merida and Jack had both stopped panting, they continued their search for a present for Emma. When Hiccup spotted a shelf filled with stuffed dragon toys that could actually fly around and roar, he nudged Jack and grinned. Jack followed his line of sight and instantly chuckled.

"Every single thing with you is about dragons, isn't it?" his white-haired friend asked.

"No." he replied with an amused smile, but Rapunzel had said "Yes" at the same time from behind him.

"Traitor." he told her and stuck his tongue out. "Okay…maybe a lot of things with me are about dragons." he then admitted.

"But actually…it's not a bad idea. I think Emma would like those." Jack told him and stepped closer to the shelf, picking up a purple dragon and examining it a little. Then he brought it with him, as he suddenly spotted something else from one of the other shelves nearby.

Hiccup followed Jack and stood next to him, as they both looked at some other toys. It was a line of toys called "The Guardians" which represented different kinds of childhood figures like Santa Claus, the Sandman, The Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and several others.

"Wow…" Jack said as he picked up the Santa Claus and Tooth Fairy ones. "These kind of remind me of Anna and North. I mean, look at Santa…he's huge, has the same kind of beard, hair and eyebrows as North and even his coat looks a lot like North's!" Jack said excitedly. "And look at this Tooth Fairy…her face looks like Anna's and she's all colorful too."

"You should get them for Emma." he told Jack with a smile and examined the back of some of the packages with the figures. Apparently the Santa one could fly around in his sleigh and make it snow in a room, while the Tooth Fairy one could ruffle its feathers, fly with its wings and split into five smaller Tooth Fairies and reassemble itself again.

"Yeah, I'll do that." he said and clutched the toys in his arms. Then he observed the Easter Bunny one that was quite fierce-looking and had boomerangs. Jack chuckled a little. "You know…if Professor Bunnymund was a childhood myth, he would definitely be this version of the Easter Bunny."

"I agree." Hiccup said. In a weird way, it _did_ kind of resemble their Defense against the Dark Arts teacher…and the Sandman one definitely had some similarities to Professor Mansnoozie as well.

"But where is Jack Frost? Psshh…typical toy stores…not even having the most important person of all time." Jack told him.

"Jack Frost…_the_ most important one?" Hiccup asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course!" Jack said and stuck his tongue out and Hiccup just smiled in amusement.

When Jack had bought the toys for Emma and Merida had purchased some toy broomsticks for her three brothers as well as a little thing they had agreed on for Flynn, they left the shop and once again stepped out into the snow-filled streets packed with Christmas-enthused people.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

He was in a more and more Christmassy mood by the minute. Snowflakes gently landed in his white hair. He was carrying the presents he'd bought in his backpack. A little choir was singing Christmas carols by one of the shops. Some small children had started building a snowman nearby. His friends were all bundled up in their warm clothes with smiles on their faces.

"Come on, let's go to Zonko's Joke Shop!" he told his friends excitedly. "That's my favorite shop here."

"No kidding. I would have _never_ guessed that." Hiccup said sarcastically and nudged his shoulder.

"Oh, ha ha." Jack replied sarcastically with a grin. "It's a good thing it ended up re-opening after the wizarding war. Although…it's still not as good as Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

"Of course not." Merida said. "No joke shop is as good as Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

"I actually talked a little to Ron Weasley in there once a few years ago. He helped me pick out a present for Jackie." Flynn told them with that hint of pride that he always had when he said that.

"Yeah, we _know_….and I once saw Harry Potter himself there, which is way better." Mavis replied and grinned at him.

"Why do you always have to bring that up, when I tell people about this? Do you _like_ hurting me, Vampire?" Flynn replied and clutched his chest dramatically.

"Yes." Mavis simply said and then stuck her tongue out. The others chuckled and Jack grinned at his two friends.

They quickly made it to the familiar red store-front and entered the joke shop. It was buzzing with students, as it was not just Jack's favorite shop but many others' as well. Jack and his friends pushed through the sea of other people and took in the items on the various shelves. Zonko's Joke Shop was every pranksters dream. They had all kinds of amazing things. Jack quickly picked out a few items that he wanted to buy, while his friends also examined some different objects with interest.

He and Hiccup observed some Dungbombs, and he turned around to joke around a little with his Viking friend, when someone ran past Hiccup and shoved him directly into Jack, so he was slammed back first into the bookcase and Hiccup directly into his chest.

Hiccup jerked backwards as if he'd been burned and Jack felt his cheeks flush but he covered up his embarrassment by laughing a little and nudging Hiccup's shoulder with his fist.

Of course Hiccup was blushing too. That wasn't surprising though.

Usually, Jack would _never _blush in these situations but how could he not when his crush was practically thrown into his arms like that?

"Sorry." Hiccup said and the corners of his lips tugged upwards a little into one those shy smiles that he did when he felt awkward._ Everything _inside Jack fluttered as a pathetic how-can-you-be-so-wonderful-and-make-me-feel-like-this?-response. How the_ hell_ did Hiccup manage to do those completely _heart-melting_ smiles without any effort at all? Damn it if it wasn't the most adorable thing he had_ ever_ seen and he had to use all of his self-control to hold himself back. His hands were itching to grab Hiccup and lock their lips together right now.

He blinked.

This is dangerous, Jack. Abort! Abort!

Luckily he was pulled out of this moment, when Merida suddenly grabbed his arm and dragged him towards some shelves to help her pick out something for brothers. When he and his red-haired friend had bought the items they wanted, they all went back outside in the refreshing, chilly winter air, which was a lovely contrast to the over-filled, warm joke shop filled with the noise of people.

They all agreed that they were done with their Christmas shopping now and wanted to sit down and just relax a little, so they headed towards the Three Broomsticks. Hiccup, Rapunzel and Fishlegs walked in front, eagerly talking, while Jack and his three Gryffindor friends walked behind them.

"Have you figured out what you want to get Hiccup?" Merida asked him, lowering her voice to a whisper.

"Actually…I have an idea…but it's not something I can get here." he replied, also whispering. Then he turned his head and locked eyes with Mavis. "Does one of your dad's friends still own that shop with rare, magical items?"

"Yeah?" she replied.

"Then I'm going to need your help to pull some strings, Mav." he told her with a little grin.

"No problem." she said with a warm smile.

He was pretty sure that Hiccup would like the present he had in mind, but of course he felt a little nervous about his reaction. After all…they hadn't really agreed on giving each other anything for Christmas but…somehow Jack just really_ wanted_ to give him a great gift that would make him happy. Not that that was surprising…he_ always_ wanted to make Hiccup happy.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

TIME SKIP: TWO WEEKS

He never knew trains could be so depressing. The ride to London was slow and Jack remained quiet for most of the trip, just looking out the window at the landscape gliding by. He was lost in his own thoughts, tuning out his friends' conversation floating through the air in their little compartment. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his friends all shooting worried glances at him once in a while. It was understandable and he appreciated their concern but…there wasn't really anything they could do.

He sighed, as he leaned his head of white hair against the window. The glass was cold, touched by the strong, brisk winter winds but as usual the cold didn't bother him.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

He was conflicted.

He desperately wanted to see his family again…he wanted to hold Emma close, hear her joyful laughter and play with her in the snow, he wanted to feel North's fatherly pats on his back and hear his happy, booming voice and he wanted to see that supportive, loving look in Anna's eyes and receive one of those caring, warm hugs from her.

But Hiccup…

It hadn't even been a few hours and Jack was already miserable.

When the trolley lady came by with the food trolley, he would usually buy some candy for the long trip, but today he didn't feel like eating anything. The emotions…worry…sadness…longing…were churning in his gut. His friends' foreheads instantly wrinkled in concern, when he said he didn't want anything, but it was obvious from the sympathetic looks in their eyes that they knew exactly why. He knew his friends were all concerned but they chose to give him his space right now, which he appreciated.

As endless white, snow-covered hills drifted by under a clear, blue sky, he furrowed his brow. This wonderful weather did not match his mood at all. It would be two whole weeks before he would see those amazing green eyes again. Hear that sarcastic, slightly nasal voice. See those smiles with the little gap between the front teeth. Feel his arm around that shoulder. Watch those teeth bite at the bottom lip in concentration. See a faint pink blush appear on those cheeks.

It was_ so_ pathetically needy but he already missed Hiccup and the prospect of being separated from him for fourteen days was horrible. Of course he was really looking forward to seeing his family again…actually, he was longing to see them…but missing Hiccup made all of this so incredibly bittersweet.

When the train arrived at the station, they all quickly gathered their things, went through the exit of the 9 and ¾ platform and headed towards the parking lot, where Jack knew that Emma and North would be waiting to pick them up as usual. Anna would be at home preparing a delicious meal for all of them.

As their shoes scraped across grey asphalt, bags slung over their shoulders, Jack's eyes scanned his surroundings, searching for those two familiar people. He quickly located North (after all…the man was huge. Very difficult to miss) standing by his large red Land Rover talking happily to Emma. He instantly felt a tug of fondness in his heart as he observed his adoptive father and his little sister, while they crossed the parking lot to get to them.

Suddenly Emma and North turned their heads and their faces instantly lit up, as they locked eyes with Jack.

"Jack!" Emma shouted as she ran towards him with wide, happy eyes.

She flung herself at him and he instantly wrapped his arms around her and then lifted her off the ground and swung her around before putting her down again. God he had missed her so much.

"Did you miss me, Kiddo?" he asked as he ruffled her brown hair.

"No, not really." she shrugged, pretending to not be happy to see him.

"Right. Well, I didn't miss you either then." he replied and stuck his tongue out.

"Of course you did!" she protested and punched him playfully on the arm.

"…You're right, I did. A lot actually." he admitted and then pulled her in for another tight hug.

Emma laughed happily into his chest, before he let her go again.

"Hi guys!" she then said to his friends and waved at them with a bright smile.

"Hi Emma." Mavis smiled and Flynn and Merida quickly said hello as well. His friends were all quite fond of Emma and the feeling was definitely mutual. She was always looking forward to having them over and spending time with them.

"Jack! My boy!" he heard North's loud, deep voice shout.

Jack watched the large man approach him and the others, as a grin instantly spread across his face.

"North!" he said happily.

When his adoptive father was by his side, the large Russian man grabbed him and wrapped his huge arms around him in a bone-crushing hug. North laughed joyously, before he let go again.

Then the Russian turned towards his friends. "Flynn! Merida! Mavis!" his booming voice shouted as he extended his arms to signal that they should come and get a hug. Luckily, his friends were used to North's joyful, touchy personality and they didn't mind it one bit.

One by one they all received a tight hug from his huge, white-haired adoptive father.

"It's good to see you all!" North said enthusiastically, joy gleaming in his blue eyes.

"Great to see you too, North." Flynn said with a bright smile and Merida and Mavis quickly agreed.

When they had put all of their bags in the trunk of North's car, they all quickly got in and then the drive to Jack's house began. It took about two hours and both Merida and Flynn fell asleep along the way, each of them leaving a little, charming trail of drool down their chin.

Jack's lips curved into a little smile, when the car stopped in front of that large, white house he called home. They all quickly left the car, grabbed their bags and headed inside, where various smells of delicious foods instantly reached their noses.

Jack made his way towards the kitchen, followed by his friends and Emma and North, and when he entered the fairly large, grey and white kitchen, his adoptive mother was standing in front of the stove, cooking, wearing her usual rainbow-colored apron. As she turned her head and noticed him, her pink lips parted into a bright, toothy smile.

"Jack! Sweetie!" she said as she left the stove and headed straight towards him to throw her arms around him.

"Hi Anna." he said fondly and wrapped her arms around her, squeezing her a little.

As his adoptive mother broke the hug and moved back a few feet, her almost purple-looking eyes watched him with utter motherly love that tugged at Jack's heartstrings.

"It's so good to have you home again." she told him with a soft smile and let one of her slim hands glide through Jack's hair.

"It's good to be home." he told her. It really was…even if he missed Hiccup terribly already.

After Anna had welcomed his friends too, they all went upstairs to put their bags away in Jack's room and one of the guest rooms. While Flynn, Merida and Mavis were in the guest room, Emma had snuck up behind Jack and poked him in the side.

He jumped a little at the contact and then spun around to face his little sister, whose brown eyes were gleaming mischievously. She seriously reminded him of himself sometimes.

"How's Hiccup?" Emma asked him with a tiny, amused smile that he didn't like at all. Where was she going with this?

"What do you mean? He's fine I guess. He's gone home for the holidays." he shrugged.

Emma watched him in silence for a few moments, her eyes seemingly analyzing him. Okay, she definitely knew something…that much was clear.

"You have a crush on him, don't you?" she then asked, as her smile transformed into a grin.

"What?" he asked, furrowing his forehead, pretending to not understand what she was talking about.

"Come on Jack…you write about him in almost every letter you send me. You don't write that much about _anyone_ else." she told him and put her hands on her hips in a stubborn, just-admit-I'm-right sort of way.

He sighed. She had him there.

"Fine…you figured it out, Kiddo. I have a crush on him." he admitted. There was no way he was going to fool Emma anyway. She could see right through him.

"I thought so." she replied with a self-satisfied smile and nodded a little to herself.

"Do North and Anna know?"

"I don't think so…but you should tell them." she said to him, rocking back and forth a little on the balls of her feet.

"I probably should…you know, you're too clever for your own good, sis." he replied and then ruffled her hair.

"I know." she replied with a happy grin, her hair all disheveled now. "Can I meet him sometime?"

"Yeah...if he wants to come over here someday." Jack shrugged. He wasn't sure if that would ever happen though. He once again found himself thinking it would be so much easier if he and Hiccup at least lived in the same country. That way they could visit each other without too much trouble.

And then he could see those green eyes again…

"I hope so…from all the things you've told me about him, he sounds brilliant." she told him.

Jack smiled fondly at his little sister. "He is…now, what do you say we get the others and get some dinner?"

"Yes!" his sister exclaimed happily and ran into the guestroom to get Jack's friends.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

His head was spinning, as he suddenly found himself in the dragon academy back on Berk, those grey, stone walls coming into view. His vision was a little blurry but quickly refocused and after a few deep breaths, he already felt much better. It was always a little nausea-inducing to travel by Portkey and even though Hiccup had done it several times by now, the sudden rush of his body being instantly transported from one physical place to another was still a little overwhelming. Professor Lunar had made the Portkey for him, at the same time the Headmaster agreed to let him have Toothless on Hogwarts' grounds. It was an effective way for Hiccup and Toothless to go home and then back to Hogwarts after the holidays without anyone seeing them. Headmaster Lunar had put up two conditions for granting him the Portkey though. First of all, Hiccup was never allowed to use it except for going home for the holidays and if there was some kind of life or death emergency. All other uses would result in the headmaster taking the Portkey back. The second condition was that he had to keep the item well hidden so no one would accidentally find it.

"Wow…I've never done that before. I'm a little nauseous." Rapunzel said from her place behind him on Toothless' back.

"Yeah, the first time is the worst." Fishlegs told her, sitting behind her.

Hiccup swung his leg over Toothless' back and jumped off his best friend. He landed on the stone floor at little unsurely but quickly steadied himself. Then he reached out his hand and helped Rapunzel get down too, since she was feeling a little queasy. Astrid and Fishlegs both jumped off by themselves.

As soon as they all had their feet on the ground, Hiccup heard a loud, deep voice from behind them.

"Hiccup, my son!" his dad exclaimed happily, as he and Gobber walked through the entrance to the academy and towards them.

"Hi dad." Hiccup said with a warm smile, while his friends waved and smiled at the two large Vikings.

When his father and Gobber were by their sides, his dad pulled him into a tight hug. "It's good to have you home, son." the large red-haired man said with fondness in his voice.

"Thanks dad. It's good to be home." Hiccup told his dad and meant it. Yes, he already missed Jack _way_ too much but it was still comforting to be back again.

"Hiccup!" Gobber then said with joy and also gave him a warm hug. Hiccup wrapped his hands around him.

After his dad and Gobber had welcomed Fishlegs and Astrid back home too, his dad trained his blue eyes on Rapunzel.

"And this must be Rapunzel?" he asked with a genuine smile, motioning to Rapunzel with a large, calloused hand.

"Yes…Rapunzel, this is my dad Stoick…and Gobber."

Obviously Rapunzel already knew his dad's name as well as Gobber's but he still needed to introduce them properly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Rapunzel said with a bright smile to his dad. "And you too, sir." she added and smiled at Gobber too.

"There's no need for formalities. Just call me Stoick. Any friend of Hiccup's is a friend of mine." his father replied.

"Okay. Thank you, Stoick."

"You better not call me sir, either." Gobber said with an amused grin. "Gobber will do just fine."

"I'll remember that." Rapunzel replied, her green eyes bright and happy.

Their conversation was interrupted by a little group of dragons entering the arena. Among them, two very familiar ones. Rapunzel watched the dragons with wide, happy eyes but stayed by Hiccup's side.

"Stormfly!" Astrid exclaimed happily and instantly ran towards the blue and yellow dragon and threw her arms around its head.

"Meatlug! Daddy's little princess!" Fishlegs yelled as he too speeded over to his dragon.

Hiccup just observed his two friends and their happy reunion with their dragons for a little while and it was the most touching thing he had seen in a long time. He felt a tug of fondness in his chest. He could easily imagine the pain of being separated from your dragon, so Astrid and Fishlegs must be overwhelmed with joy at being reunited with them right now.

"Hey Hiccup, Astrid, Fish!" he heard Tuffnut's voice yell, so he turned his head and watched him as well as Ruffnut and Snotlout coming towards them through the gates to the arena.

"Hey guys." Hiccup said happily and waved, and Astrid and Fishlegs quickly said hi as well.

"And who…is_ this_ beautiful creature?" Snotlout said in a sickly smooth voice, as he slowly walked towards Rapunzel, who observed him with a certain amusement in her eyes. "I'm Snotlout…the best thing that will ever happen to you."

"_No_, Snotlout. Rapunzel is _off_ _limits_." Hiccup said firmly and placed himself next to his blonde friend in a protective manner. Sure, Snotlout was his cousin and everything, but he was _not_ going to put the moves on Rapunzel.

"What, are you afraid that she'll fall for me, Hiccup?" Snotlout asked him, as he stopped in front of Hiccup and Rapunzel and waggled his eyebrows.

Rapunzel lifted an eyebrow and then looked skeptically at Hiccup, who instantly felt a smile tugging at his lips. He knew that look. Rapunzel was practically saying 'does this guy have some kind of medical condition or is he just naturally this delusional?'

"No, I don't really see that as a genuine risk." he told his cousin and suppressed a chuckle.

Snotlout met Rapunzel's eyes and gave her a flirty look that almost made Hiccup a bit nauseous. "You'll see, babe….you won't be able to resist me."

Hiccup could tell that Rapunzel was trying her best not to laugh, as she bit her lip hard. She was too polite to openly laugh in someone's face like that, even if Snotlout deserved it with that arrogant attitude of his.

"Think about it, pretty girl…I have to do some_ important_, manly Viking stuff now but…I'll see you around, babe." Snotlout said, trying his best to sound seductive, before he turned around and walked away from them again, exiting the arena. Hiccup seriously suspected that Snotlout in fact didn't have _anything _planned but just wanted to make himself seem important as usual.

"Sorry." Hiccup told his blonde friend who instantly giggled.

"Come on Hiccup. It's not your fault you have an obviously delusional cousin."

"Yeah…I think he might have been dropped on the floor as a baby." Hiccup joked and Rapunzel, Astrid and Fishlegs all laughed at that.

"Hey, babies can handle anything!" Tuffnut protested. "They're like uhh…rocks…or…Yaks. You can drop them all you want. Look at us…we were both dropped and we turned out fine!" he then proudly exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Ruffnut quickly agreed and then looked skeptically at her brother. "Well…one of us did."

"Yes, one of us did!" Tuffnut agreed before he narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute…are you talking about me or you? Because I'm definitely more like rocks and Yaks than you are."

As Ruffnut and Tuffnut got into an argument on who was 'the stupid one', Rapunzel suddenly looked down and smiled. Hiccup followed her gaze and watched Pascal crawl out of her brown bag that rested on the ground.

"Hey Pascal." he greeted the lizard who looked up at him and smiled.

Firebreather, one of the other dragons, slowly approached Pascal, clearly curious as to what this small, green creature was. The large, orange dragon lowered his head and sniffed at the little lizard, who was now looking slightly nervous. Hiccup saw Toothless move in his peripheral vision and he turned his head and watched the Night Fury approach Pascal as well.

Firebreather then stuck forward his massive clawed paw and jabbed at Pascal, who let out a whine and rolled over. Rapunzel gasped and Toothless instantly bared his teeth, narrowed his eyes and growled at Firebreather, as he protectively put a foot in front of Pascal to shield him from the other dragon. Firebreather instantly began to back away.

Hiccup bent down and scooped up Pascal from behind Toothless' paw.

"Sorry little guy. The dragons here aren't exactly used to chameleons. I think Firebreather thought you were a new playmate or something." Hiccup told Pascal and stroked him gently a few times before reaching out and placing him on Rapunzel's shoulder. The blonde instantly began to pet her lizard.

"Hiccup, we should take some time to talk." his dad's voice said from behind him. Hiccup knew that his father wanted to update him on everything that had happened lately in the archipelago. After all…as the future chief, he needed to know what was going on in the archipelago and how to handle those different situations.

"Yeah…sure, dad." he said and then turned towards Fishlegs, Astrid and Rapunzel. "I'll catch up with you guys later, okay? Show Rapunzel around the island or something? And make sure Snotlout behaves." he told them, as a small smile tugged at his lips. Both Fishlegs and Astrid nodded in response.

"Come on, son." his dad said and motioned with one of his large hands to follow him. Hiccup gave him a nod and began walking after him with Toothless by his side.

As they made their way through the village towards the Great Hall, Hiccup just took in the familiar surroundings. Since he was away from home for most of the year, the first day of being back was always a bit strange. Dragons were everywhere. Flying in the sky. Perching on houses. Playing around with each other. Being petted by Vikings. Gods, how he had missed being around all the dragons.

He let the fresh, cold air fill his lungs as he let his eyes glide across familiar sights. Berk was rows of wooden houses with carved figureheads hanging above the doors, it was ancient, stone statues of the Norse gods, it was the sound of tools being used by hard-working Vikings, it was the smell and sounds of livestock, it was dragons roaring and spreading their wings, it was cold weather and ocean waves crashing against cliffs, it was the smell of metal and wood from the workshops. It was rustic but it was home.

The snow had been cleared from the trail through the village but the white powder rested on every rooftop, every fence, every statue, every tree. Hiccup continued to walk a little behind his father, resting one hand on Toothless' head. Every Viking in sight stopped what they were doing and greeted him happily, smiled at him, shook his hand or gave him a hug. Once in a while he heard someone shout "Hiccup's back!" to some other Vikings who then approached him and welcomed him home.

He was used to receiving those kinds of eager greetings every time he came back to Berk…well, in the last couple of years that is. Now that he was actually considered a hero (as strange as that thought still was to him) as well as the authority on everything dragon-related, everyone seemed to love him and admire him. It didn't exactly lessen the attention either that he was the future tribe leader.

Of course this was all a very nice change from how things had been before but even so…sometimes the attention was quite overwhelming and he didn't always know how to deal with it.

"Hiccup! Hiccup's back!" he suddenly heard Eyja, a small girl about 7 or 8 years old with blonde hair parted in two braids exclaim happily to some other children who were playing nearby. They all instantly ran towards him and greeted him with large, wide eyes filled with excitement. "Hi Hiccup!", "Welcome back Hiccup!", "Hello Hiccup!" and several other phrases spilled from the children's mouths.

"Hi guys." he said to them and gave them a small but genuine smile, as he continued to follow his father towards the Great Hall. It was quite touching that they were so excited to see him again every time he came back home, even if he didn't really have much to do with them.

When he passed the home of Flóki and Inga, he saw their little daughter Freydís play around with a little, yellow Terrible Terror. He smiled softly at the sight. This would have been inconceivable just a few years ago and here this child was, playing with a dragon as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Which it was now. He trained his eyes ahead and continued towards his destination, scratching Toothless a little on top of the head.

"Uhmm…Hiccup?" he suddenly heard the little girl's light voice say uncertainly from behind him.

He stopped in his tracks and spun around to face her. She was standing behind him but keeping her eyes on the ground, her long fringe of brown hair falling into her eyes. Her small cheeks were tinted with pink and she had put her arms behind her back.

"Hi Freydís. Are you okay?" he asked the little girl, who still refused to look at him.

"Yeah…uhmm…I just…uhmm…" Freydís said, now blushing furiously.

Hiccup just waited patiently. Since he was now a 'hero', it wasn't unusual for some of the kids to have a crush on him. He found it quite sweet but also a little awkward.

Freydís suddenly stuck her hand out towards him and opened it. A little wooden dragon figure was lying in her small palm. "Uhmm…this is for you." she told him.

He took the dragon figure out of her hand and looked at it. He could tell that she had made it herself, because it was too crude to be done by an adult but it was really well done for a kid and resembled a Night Fury quite a lot. Not to mention that it was a really touching gesture.

"Thank you. It's beautiful. Did you make it?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

She nodded in response, still not looking at him, the color of her cheeks now almost on tomato-level. Hiccup really felt for her right now. He knew_ all_ about feeling awkward and shy.

"_ϸokk_ [Thanks] Freydís." he told her and then crouched down and pulled her into a brief hug. When he stood up again, Freydís grinned. Then she bolted, running away down the road.

Hiccup chuckled a little and then spun around to continue towards the Great Hall, while putting the dragon figure into one of the compartments in his armor. When he reached the base of the very long line of stone steps towards the hall, his dad was waiting for him with an amused smile on his face. Obviously he knew exactly what had happened.

After climbing all of those steps, he entered the large hall along with his dad and Toothless. The Great Hall was completely empty right now and only illuminated by a few lit torches on the walls.

They both placed themselves on a chair each by one of the tables and Toothless quickly laid down on the floor next to Hiccup. His dad grabbed the bottle of mead on the table and poured some of the golden liquid into the two cups also placed on the wooden surface. Hiccup took one of the cups and drank a little bit.

"So, son…tell me. Has anything interesting happened since your last letter?"

You mean except the fact that I have sort of discovered I have feelings for my friend Jack…who is a guy?

"No, not much really." he replied with a small smile.

"How are your friends? You mentioned you'd made more of them? I don't remember their names except…Jack and Flynn, right?"

"Yeah. And Merida and Mavis. They're all great. They've gone back home too for the holidays. They were very excited about that."

Although I already miss Jack as if I haven't seen him in years. Pathetic, I know.

"Good. Good. I'm glad you've made more friends, Hiccup." his dad told him and there was a certain soft shine in his father's eyes that spoke volumes of the sincerity of the words. "Friends and family…honor, love and loyality...is everything."

"Yeah." he agreed softly, instantly thinking of not just Jack but his other friends as well.

Vikings were_ fiercely_ loyal. Honor was everything to Vikings and there was no greater honor than being loyal and protective towards your friends and family, as well as your leader. Fighting bravely for those you cared for, never turning away from them or betraying them and always being generous, helpful and hospitable towards them was honorable in Viking culture and something everyone should strive for. It extended beyond friends and family too…The chief did everything to take care of his people, to always show the utmost bravery in battle, be a good example and to make sure that they were safe and happy, and the people in turn would always stay loyal to their chief, fight for him and even die to protect him.

"So…tell me everything's that happened since your last letter. Have you had any conflicts with the hostile tribes?" he asked his dad, hoping the answer was no.

"We haven't had any encounters with them in a few months now." his dad started to explain and then took a sip of his mead. "It might just be because they're focusing on getting through the winter and don't want to use resources on having conflicts with us and other tribes but…we continue to have scouts circling the archipelago keeping an eye on potential trappers and watching for any sign of trouble."

One of the big advantages Berk had over other tribes was the dragons and they made it a lot easier to scout. They had a group of selected dragon riders that took turns in scouting different areas of the archipelago, so Berk could always be one step ahead of potential enemies. They were a peaceful tribe, but everyone here knew that there were enemies who did _not_ like their bond with the dragons.

"That's good…and…even though we can't be certain why, it's a great that you haven't had any conflicts with them for a while now." he told his dad and sighed a little in relief.

"Yes, it is." his dad agreed. "We've also renewed the peace treaties with our allies recently and we have established new trading routes that will sail more often between our islands, increasing prosperity between our tribe and theirs." he told him. Hiccup had known that the renewal of the peace treaties was up, but he hadn't heard about the trading routes before now.

"That's great, dad. Are there any new additions to the peace treaties?"

"Only one. We've added a section that states that if any of us are attacked by any of the three hostile tribes, the others will come to their aid immediately."

"That's a good idea. I mean…it was sort of already agreed on, but it never hurts to have an actual, written agreement."

"Yes, that's exactly what I agreed on with the other chiefs at our meeting. Now we are all bound by a written contract to defend each other from our common enemies." his dad said to him, as one of his large hands grabbed the cup of mead and brought it to his mouth before setting it down again. "Remember, son. A true chief protects his own."

"I know dad." he replied. It was one of those things he dad would often say but there was a certain wisdom in the words. "Have any of the other tribes had conflicts with the hostiles?"

"No. At our meeting we discussed it in detail and brought in all of our scouts to hear their reports. No one has witnessed any trappers or other unusual activity from those tribes in about two months now."

"That's good. I know there's only a slight chance of it, but I hope it means they are done trying to fight us." Hiccup said softly, as he took another sip of mead.

"Me too, son. Me too. However, we need to be prepared if they aren't finished with trying to create more conflict in the archipelago."

"Yes. I understand." Hiccup nodded slowly.

He spent a few hours with his dad in the Great Hall, drinking and discussing everything that had happened on Berk as well as at Hogwarts since they'd last exchanged letters. His dad told him of some of the problems the twins and Snotlout had given him with their mischief and bad judgment, of a storm that had raged through Berk a few weeks ago, wrecking most of the ships in the dock, of how prepared they were for the rest of winter, about the new houses that had to be built because some new Vikings had moved to the island from one of the ally tribes, and about the details of the new trading routes. Hiccup told him about how things were going at Hogwarts and about some of the _many_ new things he had learned. His dad always seemed to be quite impressed when Hiccup told him of new magic skills he had developed. It was no secret to anyone that his dad was proud of him but having _three_ Vikings with magical abilities in the tribe was also a huge advantage. Magic was a rare thing in the archipelago. Everyone knew about it, but many years could pass between the births of wizards and witches.

As the time passed, Hiccup found himself appreciating how much his relationship with his dad had changed in the past couple of years for them to sit like this and discuss different matters that his dad actually wanted to hear his opinion on. However…that also instantly made his mind worry because if his dad knew about his feelings for Jack…about his sexuality…Hiccup wasn't sure at all if he would still be proud of him.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

TIME SKIP: A FEW DAYS LATER

There was something very wrong with him.

He had had plenty of fun with his family and his three Gryffindor friends for the past couple of days. They had baked cookies and made sweets, had snowball fights, watched movies, played boardgames, decorated the Christmas tree, wrapped presents and joked around. One day, North had taken them all out into his magnificent, giant workshop and let them try to build toys of different kinds. Needless to say, none of them were particularly talented at it, but they got a lot of laughs out of their attempts and when North assisted them with good cheer, Flynn managed to make a toy tower, Mavis fashioned a vampire doll, Merida created a toy bow and Jack had been able to make a little shepherd's crook with a frost pattern.

When night arrived, bringing all its darkness and silence, Jack was lying in his bed, his body comfortably sunken into the mattress. Still he couldn't sleep. A narrow, pale moonbeam shone through a crack in the curtains and he heard the faint sound of Flynn snoring slightly. He tried his best to just relax and get some rest, but his thoughts were swirling in his head. Thoughts of that Viking boy.

Oh yes. There was definitely something wrong with him.

He hadn't talked to Hiccup in a few days now and it made him feel so _weak_ that it affected him this much. He should be able to spend a few days without communicating with his crush, but apparently he couldn't do that without being all pathetic. It was like having a serious, consuming craving that he couldn't remove. He'd held himself back from writing Hiccup so far, because he really didn't want to seem oddly clingy, but he could feel that he_ really_ needed to talk to him.

He sighed to himself as he reached out and flicked the light switch on the cord to the lamp sitting on his nightstand. A yellow glow illuminated the room but it was faint enough to not wake up Flynn. He pulled out the drawer in the nightstand and took out some enchanted paper, his quill and ink. Hiccup had given him the paper as a way for them to communicate over the holidays and he was incredibly grateful to at least have that opportunity. The Viking had enchanted the paper to not only deliver messages back and forth but also to make a low sound, when you got a message. It was sort of like a magical way of texting.

He dipped the quill in the ink and started writing on the parchment.

_"__Hey Hic, are you awake?"_ he wrote on the paper and then started to wait impatiently, as the words would appear on Hiccup's piece of paper too. He really hoped that Hiccup was still up, because he just…_had_ to hear from him soon. He twirled his quill between two fingers for a few moments.

When he heard the sound that indicated Hiccup had answered, his heart practically leapt with joy. He fixed his blue eyes on the paper.

_"__Yeah, I'm still up. What's up Snowcone? Is everything okay?"_

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He moved the quill across the paper.

_"__Yeah, I just can't sleep, so I figured I'd talk to my favourite Viking. How is everything? How did Rapunzel take meeting all the Vikings and dragons?"_

He drummed some of his fingers on his pillow and once again waited for the brunet to answer.

He heard the noise again.

_"__She was so excited. You should have seen her. After I did some catching up with my dad, we showed her around the island, introduced her to everyone and all the dragons and then we went flying together with the other teens. Everything went great except that Snotlout tried to hit on her, so I'll have to keep an eye on him."_

Jack chuckled a little as he read the words. It was adorable how Hiccup was the overprotective big brother with Rapunzel. He once again scraped his quill across the parchment, forming neat letters, and thus a conversation took place between him and Hiccup, which served to lessen his longing just a tiny bit.

_"__Good idea, Hic. From what you've told me about him, he's not exactly boyfriend material. Were you happy to see your dad again?"_

_"__No, definitely not boyfriend material. Yeah, it's really nice to be around him again…and the other teens and Gobber too…and gods, I really missed being around all the dragons and the other Vikings. As you know, sometimes it's really difficult being away from home for most of the year. What's it like being home again for you?"_

Well…it's great seeing my family but I miss you like crazy…

_"__I'm really happy to be around my family again and we're all having a great time together. North has all kinds of brilliant things planned for me and the others as usual. Tomorrow, we're going sledding, baking cookies and going to a Christmas market. That'll be fun."_

And I wish you could be there.

_"__That sounds great. You know, sometimes I wish I could celebrate Christmas too. It seems like a lot of fun."_

_"__Well, Jól sounds fun too. When is it, by the way? I assume you don't celebrate it the same time as Christmas?"_

_"__No, we don't. It's in the beginning of January."_

_"__Wow, so it's actually right before we go back to Hogwarts."_

_"__Yeah, only a few days before we go back…so luckily there's a little time to get over those horrible hangovers we are going to have."_

Jack felt a smile spread across his face.

_"__I really wish I could see a Jól celebration…all those drunk Vikings partying. It sounds brilliant."_

_"__It really is. Plenty of mead and beer, tons of delicious food, games, music and everyone is in a great mood."_

Jack suddenly had a thought. He hesitated but then he chose to ask.

_"__Do things sometimes…get out of hand. You know…fights, snogging, things like that?"_

_"__Yeah, of course. That's sort of unavoidable when a bunch of drunk Vikings get together…but usually it's not so bad. It's not every Jól that a fight happens and when it does, it's resolved pretty quickly…and snogging…well, I guess that'll be awkward for a few days for some people but then they get over it. Others don't care at all and just find it fun."_

God, Jack hoped Hiccup would_ not_ be snogging anyone. Not that he expected him to but when you're drunk you let your guard down and do things you wouldn't normally do.

His curiosity got the better of him.

_"__Ever done anything embarrassing at Jól?"_

He once again drummed his fingertips on his bedspread and waited impatiently.

_"__Not anything too bad…Although I did once throw up on a yak."_

Jack couldn't stop the laughter that escaped his lips. He could clearly imagine that.

_"__I assume it was not too happy about that situation?"_

_"__It sure wasn't…before that, I didn't even know animals could have such absolute loathing in their eyes."_

Jack chuckled at that comment and began writing a reply.

He and Hiccup ended up writing back and forth for about an hour telling each other about everything they had done for the past couple of days until they both decided to go to sleep. After a little while of thinking about the conversation he had just had with his crush, Jack actually managed to fall into a deep slumber. The longing inside him had been soothed just a little bit and that was enough. For now.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: THE NEXT NIGHT

Today he was conflicted.

As he leaned his back against the headboard of his bed, continuing to move his charcoal pencil across the paper in the sketchbook, he thought about how this day had been a strange mix of happiness, sadness and worries.

He had spent most of the afternoon with his dad, getting those dreaded chiefing lessons. Luckily, Toothless was by his side all the way through for support, although he remained mostly quiet and in the background, because he knew that this was something that shouldn't be interrupted.

Hiccup had assisted his dad in resolving a conflict between Harald and Leifr who were close to fighting each other, since Harald had accused Leifr of stealing some of his weapons, while Leif insisted that Harald had staged the whole thing to put the blame on him.

Afterwards they'd gone to oversee the children who had to start training with weapons and getting in shape. Most Vikings began practicing these things when they were around six years old under the supervision of adults. It included learning how to use swords, shields, axes, bows and spears and not just with one hand but both hands. A Viking also had to be in good shape to be able to fight, run long distances if necessary, row a ship for long periods of time and so on. Therefore, children started training by swimming, running, iceskating, long jumping, wrestling, climbing and doing various balance sports. Everyone was encouraged to be the best they could be, so it was always a competition between the youngsters to the quickest or strongest or most agile. It wasn't just hard training though…most Vikings found it a lot of fun too. Gobber had taken on responsibility for overseeing the children today and it was a lot of fun watching him instruct them and then observe those kids try to do the exercises with the weapons. Hiccup found himself thinking that he was immensely grateful that he could fight and use weapons now because back when he started training at six years old, he was completely hopeless…a trend that pretty much continued until a few years ago.

When his dad was satisfied with how the training was proceeding, they'd been to Toki's and Fríða's house, where Fríða was giving birth. Luckily they didn't have to witness _that_, but just waited outside the house, listening to the screams and the ritual singing that came from the female members of the family to protect the mother and the child by calling on the help of the goddesses Frigg* and Freyja*. Hiccup had called for one of the women and given her a vial of painkilling potion, so she could give that to Fríða to ease her pain.

After the birth was finished and the baby had been cleaned, they entered, congratulated the new parents and performed a welcoming and naming ritual for the new born. It began by placing the child in the father's arms. As soon as the child was placed there, it became a full member of society with all the rights that belonged to an individual of the tribe. Then his dad continued to the next step which was pouring a little water over its head, then saying the name the parents had chosen and then doing the sign of the hammer with his hands over the child. The hammer was the symbol of Thor.

In Viking societies it was the chief who was responsible for performing all public religious and spiritual rituals but sometimes people called on them to perform private rituals as well, such as this naming and welcoming ritual. Even though Hiccup wasn't really religious, he didn't mind helping to perform rituals. It was a cultural thing and he found a kind of comfort in it, because it was a part of his heritage that he would like to keep in his life.

After naming the child and welcoming him to the tribe, they'd gone to oversee the food storage to make sure that there was still enough food to last the tribe through the winter. On Berk they had a collective system of growing and sharing food so no one would go hungry.

Then they'd gone to the docks, where several of the ships were currently being repaired after a storm had left them damaged. Of course he, Astrid and Fishlegs could have helped them mend the ships faster with their magic, but since magic was so rare in the archipelago, and the three of them could die suddenly, the Vikings never wanted to be too dependent on using magic. When his dad was satisfied that everything was proceeding just fine at the docks as well, he let Hiccup go for the rest of the day. All in all, the chiefing lessons hadn't been as bad as he had expected but it still left him with that unnerving feeling…that one day he alone would be responsible for all of these things…and a lot more.

He and Toothless had gone in search of Fishlegs and Rapunzel and ended up finding them by the small archive that he and Fishlegs had established a few years ago. All books and records were kept here to have a center of knowledge. Vikings weren't often great at writing things down, so to preserve knowledge on customs, language, past events, dragons, and so on for future generations, he and Fishlegs had begun to write such things down and keep them in this archive. Rapunzel told him how much fun she'd had today with Fishlegs, Astrid, the twins and Snotlout. Apparently they'd let her see some of their dragon training at the academy, afterwards her and Fishlegs had flown around the island on Meatlug, then they'd met up with the others again and had lunch with them and since then they'd been in the archive examining scrolls, illustrations and books. By the time he was done with chiefing lessons and had found them it was time for dinner, so they all went to the Great Hall and enjoyed a nice meal together before they spent the rest of the evening in Hiccup's room, just talking and laughing until it was time for Hiccup to take Toothless flying and Fishlegs went home. They practiced a few new maneuvers and unfortunately one of them ended quite badly, so they crash-landed and Hiccup smashed his bad leg against a tree. Rapunzel had been partly concerned and caring when they got back and partly reprimanding him for being reckless.

Now, Rapunzel was sleeping peacefully in the bed next to his, while he had abandoned trying to sleep and had begun to just lie in his bed and sketch, while trying to ignore the dull, throbbing pain in his leg and avoid thoughts of a certain white-haired guy. Of course he failed miserably.

Toothless was clearly dreaming something, as his scaly, best friend let out some low grumbles once in a while and when he lifted his head to observe the Night Fury, Toothless moved all four of his legs back and forth as if he was chasing something. Despite the depressing mood he was in, Hiccup couldn't stop himself from laughing a little.

When the black dragon ceased his movements, Hiccup turned back to his sketch. He gently moved the pencil across the paper for a little while longer. Then he leaned back against the headboard and sighed. He put down his charcoal pencil and looked at the sketch in front of him.

It was a sketch of Jack.

He slid his hands down his face.

He missed him. He missed him…_a lot_.

It would be another week before he would see him again and right now that felt like an eternity. He wanted to see those mischievous smiles…those caring blue eyes…hear that teasing voice…feel that familiar arm around him…_everything_. He just wanted to be near him again.

Oh gods…do you know what you're doing right now, Hiccup? You're _pining_. Stop it.

He sighed to himself.

What was the use? Jack was under his skin…he couldn't stop thinking about him.

He tore his eyes off the sketch and let his gaze drift over Toothless' sleeping form again. His best friend was inhaling and exhaling evenly, his face in peaceful folds. Hiccup really wished he was that peaceful too right now.

He wasn't though. He was restless and frustrated and…fucking_ longing_ for that amazing guy he cared so much for. It was like a persistent, annoying itch that crawled over his skin, bubbled in his blood, wreaked havoc in his brain.

He sighed once more and then put his sketch and his pencil away. He rolled around so he was lying on his stomach and then he grabbed the enchanted paper from his nightstand as well as his quill and ink. To Hel with this…he_ needed_ to hear from Jack to ease that longing inside him just a little.

He unfolded the paper, took the lid off the ink and dipped his quill in it. Then he moved the quill across the paper and hoped that Jack was still awake.

_"__Hey Snowcone. Are you still up or are you lying in your bed drooling all over your pillow?"_

His heart almost sang with joy, when the enchanted paper let out that familiar sound and words appeared on it.

_"__I __don't __drool when I sleep, Hiccy. How's everything in Viking-land?"_

He couldn't stop the small smile turning the corners of his lips upwards. He once again let the quill move across the parchment.

_"__It's not an amusement park, Snowball. Anyway, things are fine, I guess. How are you?"_

He twirled the quill a little between two fingers.

_"__What's wrong, Hic?"_

Hiccup stared at the paper for a few moments. Then a small smile graced his lips. How did that snow-loving idiot always manage to somehow know, when dark thoughts was affecting him?

_"__Wow…Two sentences and you already know something's wrong."_

_"__Of course. I__ know__ you. So…spill it."_

Hiccup sighed and rubbed his eyes.

Well…I'm in pain and I'm driving myself mad with thoughts of you, because I miss you so much and I just want to be near you again, because you're so amazing and I'm crushing so _unbelievably _hard on you.

Yeah…those words were going to stay confined in his mind _forever._

_"__I'm in pain and I feel kind of frustrated about that." _he ended up writing to his friend. It wasn't a lie. He was in pain…both emotionally and physically.

_"__Phantom pains?"_

_"__No."_

_"__Then what?"_

_"__I might have…accidentally injured myself."_

_"__What?! How?"_

_"__I did an…experimental drill with Toothless and hit my bad leg against a tree."_

_"__Bloody hell, Hic. You should be more careful with those drills."_

_"__I probably should but I can't help it. Toothless and I like to challenge ourselves."_

_"__Still…just be careful, okay?"_

_"__You sound like Rapunzel now. She reprimanded me a lot."_

_"__Good. Someone should, you mental Viking. I don't want you to get hurt."_

_"__Well…at least you're going easier on me than she did. You should have seen her. "Hiccup, one day you're going to be seriously injured", "Hiccup, some of the stuff you do is downright suicidal." Of course I understand that she gets worried but still."_

_"__What? Suicidal? What did she mean by that?"_

_"__Don't overreact but sometimes Toothless and I do some risky drills…like when I jump off him and fall through the sky, while he folds in his wings a little so we drop towards the ground next to each other and then I manage to get in the saddle again and pull us up, before we hit the ground."_

_"__What!?"_

Hiccup sighed but then a small, amused smile curved his lips. He had kind of already known that Jack would react like this. After all…his white-haired friend was pretty protective of him.

"_You haven't lost the ability to read, have you?"_

_"__Oh ha ha…but seriously…that sounds insanely dangerous."_

_"__There are always risks, but we know what we're doing."_

_"__That doesn't really reassure me that much, Hic…"_

_"__Oh, I know…but you worry too much."_

_"__How can I not worry, when you've just told me that you fall through the sky on a regular basis?"_

_"__Well…I'm still very much alive. That should reassure you."_

_"__Just keep it that way, okay?"_

_"__I promise, Snær Flekkr."_

_"__Good, because…I've kind of gotten used to having you around."_

_"__I like you too, Snowball." _

_"__Pfft. I tolerate you, that's all."_

Hiccup couldn't stop the laughter that escaped him then. He was already in a better mood despite the pain, the chiefing lessons and the longing. Not that that really surprised him…Jack had some kind of strange, inexplicable ability to always make him feel better no matter what was bothering him. Somehow…that incredible white-haired guy just_ knew_ how to chase the darkness inside him away.

~~~~ Flynn ~~~~

The clicking noise of his fingers hitting the letters on the keyboard, Jack flipping through pages of a comic book and the wind howling outside were the only sounds reaching his ears. Jack's room was illuminated in a warm glow from the lamps in the ceiling and on his nightstand, and Flynn was sitting on top of the guest bed he slept in that had been placed at the other side of the large, blue room.

Mavis and Merida had both gone to bed, as they were both quite tired after the long day they'd all had filled with brilliant and fun activities. The girls were sleeping in one of the guest rooms, while Flynn stayed with Jack. They had both agreed that they'd wait a little while before going to sleep and Flynn had borrowed Jack's laptop and spent some time just surfing the web. The internet was one of those things you _really_ missed when you were at Hogwarts.

As he lifted his head from the laptop and observed Jack for a few moments, he didn't need to ask what was going on with his friend. Jack was currently sitting on his bed, clutching the piece of paper Hiccup had given him in his hands. He had a warm smile on his face and one of those soft looks in his eyes that were often directed at a certain Viking boy.

Flynn could feel a small smile tugging at his own lips.

He had known for a while now that things weren't quite as Jack claimed. His white-haired friend continued to label his feelings for Hiccup as a 'crush', but Flynn could tell that it went beyond that. He wasn't sure when exactly it had changed, but he clearly recalled the first time he noticed it. It had been a few weeks ago when he and Jack had spent some time with Hiccup by the lake, waiting for the rest of their friends to join them. Hiccup was _completely_ focused on sketching some new design for a bow in his sketchbook, forgetting all about the world around him, while Flynn and Jack both did a little reading, because they were paired up for a Potions assignment. When Flynn lifted his gaze from his book and looked at Jack, he saw his pale friend observing Hiccup. That wasn't unusual in itself, he did that all the time, but there was something new in his eyes…or at least something that Flynn hadn't seen before. Jack looked…completely, _hopelessly_ love-struck. Flynn had never seen him look at _anyone_ like that before.

That was the moment when he had realized that Jack didn't have a crush on Hiccup. He was in love with him…and either Jack hadn't admitted that to himself yet or he wasn't ready to share it with him and Merida and Mavis. Either way…it was something that Jack needed to figure out for himself first.

Jack suddenly chuckled a little, while observing the paper in his hands. Then he grabbed his quill and began writing something back to Hiccup. Flynn continued to just watch his friend for a little while, although being discreet about it, so Jack wouldn't notice.

The realization that Jack was in love with Hiccup made him happy, sad and worried at the same time. He was pleased that his 'little brother' had found love. There was no denying that being around Hiccup made him incredibly happy. That didn't quell the worries inside Flynn though, because this love had a_ very_ big risk of ending horribly for Jack. He could have his heart smashed to pieces, if Hiccup didn't return his feelings...and Flynn_ dreaded_ seeing Jack suffer like that. Those few days where he was depressed after realizing his feelings for Hiccup had been horrible enough. He feared what would happen if Jack either never confessed his feelings to Hiccup but just suffered in silence, or if he _did_ confess and Hiccup turned him down and broke his heart. He just wanted Jack to be happy and he would obviously be happy with Hiccup…and to be honest, Flynn thought they would be great together. They were very different people but their differences complimented each other so well that they had instantly formed a connection and only grew closer and closer every day.

Jack had put the paper down on the bed and had returned to flipping through the pages of a comic book, while waiting for Hiccup to reply. Flynn sighed a little to himself and scratched the back of his head.

He was desperately hoping that Hiccup would feel the same way about Jack…if not now, then at some point. He had tried to keep an eye on the Ravenclaw to figure out, whether or not he might have feelings for Jack too, but he couldn't be sure at all. It was obvious that Jack was important to him and that he and Jack had a very special bond, but Hiccup was a difficult person to read, because he was so shy and guarded. The fact that he blushed and got awkward on a regular basis made it difficult to determine whether any of it had anything to do with Jack or if it was just a consequence of the brunet's personality.

He couldn't exactly ask Hiccup either. Sure, they were friends but Hiccup was very private and he was certain that if he_ did_ feel something for Jack, he wouldn't be comfortable sharing it with Flynn.

As soon as the enchanted paper made that faint sound, Jack dropped the comic book and picked it up. He laughed a little, but then his smile vanished slowly. He took his quill and wrote something in reply on the piece of parchment.

Flynn briefly wondered why Jack's cheerful demeanor had already faded away, but he figured it out when a reply came back from Hiccup and Jack didn't reach out for his quill to write an answer but simply put the enchanted paper on his nightstand.

"Is Hiccup going to sleep now?" he asked.

"Yeah." Jack just said, not meeting his eyes and trying to hide his disappointment, as he picked up the comic book again.

Flynn's lips twitched in a small, sad smile.

"You miss him, don't you?" he asked his friend gently, as he put the laptop aside on the bed.

Jack didn't react for a few moments but then he lifted his head and met Flynn's eyes.

"Yeah…" he replied softly and his blue eyes revealed the sadness within.

"Sorry, Jackie." he said sympathetically. "I wish there was something I could do."

"Thanks mate…" Jack told him with a small smile curving his lips. "I just feel…completely pathetic right now."

Flynn smiled a little. "That's the way these things work. You think of the person constantly and every time you're away from them, you just want to see them again."

"Yeah…" Jack agreed. "I just haven't _ever _felt this way about someone before. Somehow, it's…different from the other crushes I've had."

Yeah…because you_ don't_ have a crush. You're in love, Jackie.

"Yeah, I know…" he replied quietly and then sighed a little.

"You know?" Jack furrowed his forehead in confusion.

"Of course I know. You're acting differently now than when you've liked people in the past." Flynn shrugged.

Jack sighed and fiddled a little with one of his sleeves. "Yeah…I still have no idea what to do with this."

"I know. It's not exactly simple, when Hiccup is a guy and we don't even know if he likes guys that way."

"He doesn't." Jack told him and his blue eyes conveyed that depressed resignation he obviously felt inside.

"Come on Jack, you don't know that for certain." he told his pale friend.

Even though Jack was convinced that Hiccup wasn't into guys, Flynn still maintained a flicker of hope. Jack _should _be with the person he loved and the fact that Hiccup was Flynn's friend too and he thought the Viking was a great person only made matters even better.

"Of course I do. He's never shown any sign of it and everything he's_ ever_ told me about romantic experiences has been about girls." Jack replied and ran a hand through his snow-white hair in what appeared to be a frustrated movement.

"So? It's the same thing with you." Flynn argued, although he already knew that Jack wouldn't listen.

"I know but…I just can't gamble with our friendship like that, when I'm sure he doesn't even like guys."

Flynn sighed a little. He and Jack had had this discussion many times by now and it always ended the same way. Of course he completely understood Jack's worries…there was a very real risk that he and Hiccup's friendship could be destroyed if he told the Viking about his feelings, because it would make everything awkward between them, so they would start to avoid each other. Somehow though…Flynn just had a hunch. He wasn't certain by a long shot but he couldn't shake the feeling that there _was _a chance that Hiccup might like Jack too. There was just…_something_ about the way they were with each other.

"I just wish things could work out with you and Hiccup. You'd be great together." he told his 'little brother'.

"You think so, huh?" Jack asked him, lips molding into a tiny, amused smile.

"Definitely…you're always there for each other, you protect each other but you're always taking the piss out of each other too…and it would be nice to see you end up with someone who can put you in your place." he finished and then grinned at his white-haired friend.

"He_ does_ know how to win an argument with either logic or sarcasm. I've got to give him that." Jack replied and a small, warm smile curved his lips and his blue eyes were suddenly filled with fondness, as he obviously began to think about Hiccup.

Flynn smiled at his friend. It was frustrating that Jack wasn't even planning to do anything about his feelings for Hiccup. He would have to find some way to convince him to take a leap of faith.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

TIME SKIP: DECEMBER 24th

Pine trees reminded him of Hiccup.

Blue eyes gazed through the window. Knees were pulled up, arms resting on them. A pale chin weighed down on top of arms, a head of snow-white hair drooping.

Outside the window, thousands of white flakes traveled towards the ground. Pine trees stood tall, reaching for grey winter skies, needles dusted with white.

Jack could smell it. Even though he wasn't even outside, his mind conjured the fresh, familiar scent of pine.

Hiccup always had a faint smell of pine clinging to him.

He sighed.

"Jack?" a warm, concerned voice said from behind him.

"Yeah?" he asked, not taking his eyes off snowflakes and pine trees.

Footsteps across carpet. A hand gently resting on his shoulder.

"Sweetie…we know something is wrong. Would you please tell us about it?" Anna's gentle voice spoke. Her slim fingers squeezed his shoulder.

He scooted around to face her and North, still sitting down with his knees pulled up. The large Russian's bushy eyebrows were lowered, wrinkles appearing on his forehead in concern. His colorful adoptive mother's purple-looking eyes were soft and worried.

He sighed and ran a hand through his snow-white hair.

"There's something I need to tell you." he said.

"Who is it?" North asked him, rubbing his chin with two fingers.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"Who is girl you like?" North clarified.

"It's obvious you miss someone, Sweetie." Anna added with a tiny, sad smile.

"Oh…" Jack replied, thinking about how he could explain this to them.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell us. We're just worried about you." Anna told him, obviously not wanting to pressure him.

"No, it's okay. You should know…" he told them and they both gave him a small smile. "It's just…it isn't a…girl." he told them, feeling a little nervousness stir inside him.

A brief moment of silence passed. Confusion shined in blue eyes and purple-looking eyes. Then understanding appeared on the two familiar faces.

"So…you like boy, eh?" North asked him, placing his huge hands on his hips, a small smile curving his lips.

"Uhmm…yeah…" Jack admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Jack, that's okay. We don't care, we still love you all the same." Anna said and then closed the little distance between them and enveloped him in a warm hug.

When they pulled apart, Jack felt a little smile grace his lips. Of course he already knew his parents would accept him just the way he was, but even so…it was a little scary actually telling them about this.

North gave him a fatherly pat on the back. "Yes, we love you, Jack." the Russian told him. "Boy, girl…eh, doesn't matter." he shrugged.

Jack smiled fondly at his two adoptive parents. Then he hesitated for a brief moment.

"It's Hiccup." he said and wrung his hands a little.

Silence for a few moments. Questions shining in two pairs of eyes.

"Hiccup?" Anna asked. "As in…your friend Hiccup?"

"Yes…"

"Hiccup…boy with dragon?" North said, tilting his head in curiosity. "Viking boy?"

"Yes." Jack confirmed and nodded a little.

Then North laughed joyously and loudly. The sudden sound made Jack jump a little.

"WE MUST MEET THIS BOY!" North exclaimed and threw his arms in the air happily. Anna laughed a little next to him.

"W-what?" Jack blurted out, his eyes a little wide.

Then North's face turned serious.

"Do you even have plan, Jack? What are you going to do to get him?" the Russian said, leaning a little forward, anticipation in his blue eyes, as if he actually thought Jack might have a well thought-out plan.

"Uhm…I wasn't really planning to do anything." he said, feeling his cheeks heat up a little.

"What? That's no good, Jack." North said, shaking his head in protest.

"Well, things are complicated…" Jack tried to explain.

"Oh…you don't know if he likes boys that way?" Anna said, understanding gleaming in her motherly eyes.

"Yeah…I'm actually very sure he doesn't."

"Nonsense, Jack!" North exclaimed, doing a dismissive movement with one of his large hands. "If you have not actually asked boy, you cannot know for sure."

"I know, I know. I just…" he trailed off. Then he sighed.

"All you need is moment of courage, Jack. Take chance. Tell boy how you feel…then he could be yours." North told him and squeezed both of his shoulders with his big hands.

God how he wished that was true. He daydreamed so often about telling Hiccup. The brunet would always say he felt the same way and then they could_ finally_ let their lips meet.

"North is right, Sweetie. I know it's really scary to have feelings for someone, especially if you're not sure if they feel the same way but…if you don't try, you'll never know. You'll just spend time wondering what could have been." Anna argued.

Jack sighed again. Of course he knew they were right but it was _way_ easier said than done.

Then the large Russian and the slim woman with the colorful pixie haircut both wrapped their arms around him. North kissed him on the top of the head and Anna stroked his arm a little.

And in that moment Jack felt so loved that his heart might burst.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

TIME SKIP: DECEMBER 25th

He had woken to the sound of happy laughter and squealing and small fingers tickling him. Emma had jumped into his bed and was trying to get him to get up. He quickly gave in, sat up and looked at his alarm clock. It told him it was 8 in the morning. That was _way _too early for him, but when he saw the excitement in his sister's brown eyes, he felt revitalized. He rubbed his eyes a little and let out a yawn, while Emma sprinted out of his room again and downstairs.

His mind was clouded by fatigue so he half expected to see Flynn in the bed next to his but of course his brunet friend wasn't there. His three Gryffindor friends had gone home yesterday to celebrate Christmas with their families and as always, it was strange when they weren't around, since they were used to seeing each other every single day.

He suddenly heard a tapping sound on his window. It sounded like an owl and he was instantly confused, because he had other ways of communicating with his friends, so they didn't use owls to write each other.

He covered the distance to the window, pulled the dark blue curtains aside and immediately grinned when he spotted the familiar, white and brown/orange owl sitting on the window sill. It was Hiccup's owl _Villieldr_*. A second after though, he furrowed his brow in confusion. The owl was sitting on top of a large, oblong package wrapped in brown paper. He opened the window and reached out his hand to stroke the bird a few times, feeling its soft feathers against the skin on his fingers. Then Villieldr took flight and ascended into the clear, blue sky. He watched the bird go for a few moments, thinking that he wished he could go back with the owl to visit Hiccup, before he pulled the package inside his room. There was a card attached to it, so he removed it and opened it.

_"__Merry Christmas, snow-loving idiot. I hope you like your gift."_

He grinned at the message, feeling a burst of happiness inside. Hiccup had actually sent him a present. Well, he had sent Hiccup one too but…he hadn't told the Viking about that beforehand.

He grabbed the package and then sat down on his bed and put the present on his bedspread. Then he began to unwrap it, his fingers eagerly tearing through thick, brown paper. When he had gotten through the first layer, he found out that the present was wrapped in_ several_ layers. He smiled a little and then began to work through the second layer and the one after that until his entire bed was covered in brown paper. When a piece of the actual present came to view, he could see a dark blue color. He quickly tore through more of the paper and when he realized what it was, he stopped breathing for a moment. He took the entire item out of the paper and just stared at it for a while with a huge grin on his face.

It was a new Quidditch broom.

But not just _any _Quidditch broom. It was one that Hiccup had crafted himself.

And it was fucking _beautiful_.

He let his fingers glide over the long broom handle. The smooth wood had been painted dark blue and then polished so it shined and a subtle but absolutely amazing pattern of snowflakes and swirls had been carved into the wood all along the handle and stood out just a little with their slightly paler color against the dark blue. There was a slight curve in the wood near the end of the handle for sitting more comfortably, and the bristles that formed the 'tail' of the broom were long and smoothed out instead of the traditional 'twigs sticking out everywhere look', and they were all painted dark blue on the top which then faded into a lighter and lighter blue towards the end. Around the top of the bristles there was a metal ring around to keep the bristles in place and attached to this ring were two metal stirrups that were quite large and could pivot, so it was possible to sit as comfortably with your feet as possible. Jack turned the broom to look at the side of the end of the handle, where most makers wrote the name of the broom model and he couldn't stop the bright smile that spread across his face, when he read the word "Blizzard" carved into the handle. It was definitely a suitable name.

He had no idea how long he just looked at the broom…let his fingers touch the handle, the bristles, the patterns, everything. He couldn't believe that Hiccup had done this. He had mentioned to the brunet about a month ago that he was considering getting a new broom, because his current one was getting worn down from years of intense use but…it must have taken ages to make this! And he hadn't even known that Hiccup could actually make a Quidditch broom!

He put the broom down and then quickly located the enchanter paper and his quill.

_"__Merry Christmas, Hic. Thank you for the present. I LOVE IT! How do you even know how to make a Quidditch broom!?"_ he wrote on the parchment. He didn't expect a reply right away. After all, Hiccup had told him that he, Fishlegs and Rapunzel would do their own little Christmas celebration this morning, so Rapunzel wouldn't feel like she was missing Christmas by having come to Berk with them.

He folded the paper and put it in the pocket of his blue hoodie. Then he grabbed the broomstick and walked down the stairs to show his family what an amazing gift he had gotten.

When he reached the living-room, Emma and North were sitting on one of the large, dark red couches by the fireplace drinking tea. Next to the couch, their huge Christmas tree stood tall, decorated with plenty of lights, baubles and tinsel all kept in red, gold and green nuances. Anna came through the door from the kitchen with a cup in her hands and smiled at him.

"What's that you have there?" she asked him, causing North and Emma to turn their heads and look at him too.

"It's a present from Hiccup." he told her, unable to keep the goofy smile off his lips. "He made it himself."

As North's eyes saw the broom, they widened in excitement and he quickly got to his feet and approached. Jack just looked at his adoptive father, as the Russian let his large hands glide over the broom and touch various part of it to examine it carefully. Then North let his hands drop to his sides and lifted his head to look at Jack.

"Shostakovich! This is _beautiful _work." he said enthusiastically. Then he furrowed his brow a little. "I think _I _have crush on boy now."

Jack couldn't help laughing at that and Emma and Anna chuckled.

"Jack…you never said boy was good at building things?" North asked him and Jack was certain that he could hear some kind of underlying joy at that statement.

"He's very good." he told North, lips parting in a grin.

"I must meet this boy sometime, Jack." the Russian said and he had that determined look in his eyes that Jack knew so well.

"Well, maybe you will…if he wants to come over here someday." he shrugged.

"He better. I could talk with him about building things!" North said excitedly and threw his hands in the air, happiness shining in clear, blue eyes.

"Oh no, North. If Hiccup ever _does _come over here, you better not hog him all to yourself to talk about building stuff." Jack told his adoptive father with a bright grin.

North really _loved_ to build things. He spent most of his time out in his giant workshop, when he wasn't with the family or at work. He designed most of the toys that his company sold all by himself and almost all of them were thought up out in that workshop.

"What?" North said innocently. "I would not _hog _boy, just talk." he explained and shrugged casually. Jack knew that wasn't true _at all_ though. North would definitely grab Hiccup, pull him into the workshop and then begin to show him all his projects. Not that Hiccup would mind that…in fact, he would probably love it but…North could be a little overwhelming for strangers sometimes with his enthusiasm.

"Can you not call him 'boy'? He has a name, you know." Jack said with an amused smile.

"Fine fine. Hiccup."

"It's such a cute name." Anna said enthusiastically, as she also came towards him to see the broom properly. "It sounds like this short, skinny boy with freckles…am I close?"

Jack laughed. "If you had said that a few years ago, then you'd be right…but now? No. He's not short or skinny anymore."

He's all…tall and a little toned and…_hot_.

"Still has a few freckles though." he added, while trying to suppress that warmth his thoughts brought into his pale cheeks.

"Well, this Hiccup clearly has talent." his adoptive mother said as she observed the dark blue broomstick in Jack's hands.

"He does." Jack agreed fondly.

"So…are you guys ready to get some breakfast?" Anna asked and looked from him to North to Emma.

"Yes, I'm starving." Jack replied and leaned his new broomstick against the wall, before he walked into the dining-room and took a seat, followed by his family. The table was filled with all kinds of delicious foods and drinks. There were pancakes with syrup, bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, bread of different kinds and butter, jams, cheese, mushrooms, waffles, orange juice, tea, coffee and milk. The sight was mouth-watering and his stomach growled at him, ordering him to begin filling it.

Jack and his family spent about an hour eating their breakfast, while they talked and laughed along the way. Since they were so good at staying updated on each other's lives while Jack was a Hogwarts, there weren't many new things to talk about, but he and his family always found something to discuss or laugh about. As he refilled his cup with orange juice and grabbed another pancake onto his plate, while grinning at Anna and North who were teasing each other about one's love of teeth and the other's love of experimenting with building stuff, he realized just how much he had missed his family. It was so difficult to be away from them for most of the year, even if they were all good at keeping in touch.

When their plates were empty and their stomachs full, Anna clapped her hands together once.

"So…are you guys ready to get your presents?" she asked them.

"Yes!" Emma exclaimed happily, quickly left her seat and did a few excited jumps. Jack couldn't help but smile at his wonderful little sister.

"Yeah, I think it's safe to say we're ready." he told Anna with an amused grin.

"Great!" Anna replied and then began to clear the table. Jack, Emma and North all helped and they quickly got everything out in the kitchen.

A few moments after, Jack was sitting in one of the large, red armchairs in the living-room close to the Christmas tree, while North and Emma had slumped down on one of the couches. Anna appeared shortly after with two cups of hot chocolate for him and Emma. It was a sort of tradition of theirs to enjoy a cup of that hot, chocolaty goodness while opening presents.

"Thanks." he said warmly as she passed him the cup. She gave him one of those motherly smiles that always made him feel loved.

Tons of presents were lying underneath the huge Christmas tree. It was a big display of colorful bows and bright wrapping paper in many different patterns and nuances. Jack had to admit that he and Emma were two spoiled children. Luckily though, it hadn't gone to either of their heads. They didn't expect tons of presents but North just loved showering them with gifts.

As usual, he was more than happy with what he received. His two adoptive parents and his sister knew him so well that they always picked out wonderful things that he loved. He received several comic books and graphic novels that he didn't have already, videogames that he had wanted to try out, new Converse shoes (in blue of course), a lot of new clothes (most of them in blue nuances as well), a new bike, new headphones and a new laptop. From Merida, Flynn and Mavis he got "Quidditch through the ages", a new backpack and a big bag filled with stuff from Zonko's Joke Shop. There was a note attached to the last present that said _"I don't even know how the girls convinced me we should give you this, Jackie. It's going to be the death of us all."_ which made him laugh.

Emma was delighted by his gifts to her and she instantly began to play with the stuffed dragon and the two Guardians, which they all agreed did look like North and Anna.

When Anna had convinced her to leave the toys be for now, Emma picked out a present from under the tree and clutched it tightly in her hands, as she approached him with a smile on her face. It was square, medium sized and wrapped in blue paper with snowflakes on it.

"Merry Christmas, Jack." She told him as she passed him the gift and then sat on the armrest of the chair to watch him open it.

"Thanks, Kiddo." he said, before putting an arm around her and squeezing her.

Then he gently took the wrapping paper off, revealing a book.

He couldn't stop the amused grin that appeared on his face, as he shook his head a little. "Have I really been_ that_ obvious?"

"Yep." his little sister replied with a self-satisfied smile.

It was a big, thick book on Vikings and Norse mythology.

"Thanks Em." he said and then placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Oh, I have another one for you and it's the last present under the tree." she then said excitedly and ran towards the huge Christmas tree.

She pulled out a large, square present wrapped in dark blue paper with penguins on it and heaved it into her arms. She wobbled over to him, barely able to hold it in her small arms and he grinned at the sight.

"Here you go." she said as she plopped the present into his lap and then once more took her place on the armrest of the chair.

"Wow. Have you bought me an elephant or something?" he joked.

"Just open it!" she told him impatiently, clearly excited about it.

"Your wish is my command, Kiddo."

He tore the blue wrapping paper off and found a big, brown cardboard box under it. He opened it and his eyes widened a little as he pulled out the item within.

It was a wooden sled. It was fairly large and long enough so you could either sit three people on it, or you could lie down on it. It was dark blue with two handles in the front for holding on to it.

"North helped me make it." she told him, pride gleaming in brown eyes.

"But Emma designed it." North said insistently.

"Wow, thanks Em." he said. "That's really impressive. How did you know I wanted one?"

"You told me that. You said you needed a new one."

"And you remembered that? I said it when I was home during the summer."

"I know that." she told him with a crooked smile. "I remembered."

Jack put the sled down on the carpet, before he wrapped his arms around his little sister, pulling her into a tight hug. She rested her head against his chest and then put her arms around him too.

"You're the greatest little sister ever." he said to her as he lowered his head and kissed her on her hair.

"I know." she told him and he could hear the amused tone in her voice.

Then he let her go and she got to her feet and slumped down on the coach with North and Anna.

"Watch out for that ego, Em. Don't want to get arrogant now, would we?" Jack said and raised an eyebrow.

"You should talk." she shot back and gave him a toothy grin.

"I'm never arrogant. Just honest." he waggled his eyebrows.

"Right." she said sarcastically and crossed her arms.

After the several hours of opening presents, Jack and his family decided to take a little break before they would go outside in the snow to play.

Jack was lying on one of the other couches and texted Merida and Flynn asking them if they were enjoying being home and about the gifts they had received and thanking them for their present to him. Flynn was quite amused that they had not just bought a new satchel and a book about the writer of "The tales of Flynnigan Rider" for him but also a small, toy castle, because when they'd asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he'd looked at Hogwarts and said "Guys…I want a castle".

Jack took out the enchanted paper he used to communicate with Mavis and wrote her a message as well. She was a pure blood, so she didn't have muggle stuff like a mobile phone unfortunately. She told him she was very happy about her gift, a magical camera, and that she'd met a muggle boy named Jonathan who had stumbled onto their grounds on accident and who she was really into, but her dad was too suspicious of muggles to really accept it.

While Jack was in the middle of responding to one of Merida's texts, the paper in his pocket made that distinctive noise and it meant that Hiccup had answered him. He quickly pulled it out, unfolded it and took in the words.

_"__Merry Christmas to you too, Snowflake. I'm so happy you like it. I wasn't sure if you'd rather just buy one or something. Anyway…to answer your question, I didn't know how to make a broomstick before this but I did some research on it and actually building it wasn't that difficult once I'd found some designs of other brooms for inspiration. The spells on it however, were a bit more complicated. Professor Cooke once told me that he knows someone who works for the Nimbus Racing Broom Company, so I asked him if he could pick their brain a little about what improved spells they had put on their newest models, which he did and then gave that information to me. I could do some of the spells myself pretty easily, like the Cushioning charm, but there were a few advanced ones that Professor Cooke helped me with, just to make sure I didn't accidentally screw it up somehow."_

Jack's lips parted in a happy smile, without him even noticing at first. He moved his quill across the paper.

_"__Of course I love it! It's great. And no, I would never rather want to just buy one…this one is unique and made just for me…what could be better than that? And since I know how talented you are at building stuff, I'm sure it's fast and easy to maneuver as well."_

In fact…he had no doubts at all that this broom was probably going to be the best he'd ever used. The care that Hiccup had obviously put into making it was unbelievable.

_"__It should be. I did my best to design it for speed and maneuverability and like I said, the spells are the same as on the newest Nimbus brooms. Anyway…I'm glad you like it so much."_

_"__I really do…but Hic, why did you go to so much trouble to make me this?"_

_"__I guess it's just my way of showing you how much our friendship means to me…and to thank you."_

_"__For what?" _Jack wrote on the paper, feeling quite confused about that statement.

Then he went back to texting his other friends, while waiting for Hiccup to reply. It took a little while, so either he was writing a long message or he was busy with something else. That question was answered, when Hiccup's words appeared on the paper.

_"__Before you became my friend, the last time I let someone new into my life was when I met Rapunzel over five years ago. I don't trust people easily, as you know. In fact, there are pretty much just two ways of becoming my friend…either I've been confined with a person for a time and is therefore forced to talk to them…that's what happened with me and Fishlegs when we went to Hogwarts together and got sorted into the same House, where we didn't know anyone else at first. Or…you somehow claw your way in and is incredibly patient with me. You are the first person since Rapunzel who managed to do that, and to this day I still have no idea how you broke through my defenses like that…and then I got some wonderful friends in Flynn and Merida and Mavis too. It's just…even though I still don't trust people in general, you've shown me that I __can__ trust someone new and not get used and hurt somehow. So thanks Jack."_

Jack read the message three times, just taking in the incredible words written on the paper. He felt his chest swell with fondness and happiness. He was so unbelievably touched by Hiccup's words that he actually felt a few tears in his eyes. He blinked them away and grabbed his quill again.

_"__Thanks, Hic. To be honest, those words make me really happy…I'm really glad we're friends."_

_"__Me too, Snowflake. Me too. Anyway…me and Fishlegs and Rapunzel are about to open presents now, so I'll write you a little later."_

_"__Okay Hic. Say hello to Fish and Punzie from me."_

_"__I will. Talk to you later, Snowball."_

When Jack had finished talking to Flynn, Merida and Mavis as well, he went outside with his family to have fun in the snow. They built snowmen and snow-forts, they had a snowball fight (him and Anna against North and Emma. Of course he and Anna won) and they made snow angels. Jack also entertained his family by doing various snow and ice spells, like conjuring snowballs, making ice sculptures, forming snow figures and making them fly around in the air and shooting rays of frost. It was great that he was now allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts since he was 17, and even though this wasn't the first time his family had seen him do magic, they still all found it fascinating every single time.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

"Aaaand this is for you." he told Rapunzel as he handed her two gifts wrapped in red wrapping paper.

The three of them were sitting on the floor in Hiccup's room exchanging presents. He had cracked open a window to let some of the fresh morning air inside and a small Christmas tree was placed in the corner of the room. He and Fishlegs had cut it down and brought it here yesterday for Rapunzel's sake and then the blonde had decorated it with various ornaments she'd made herself at Hogwarts. Their blonde friend was away from home at Christmas for the first time ever, so they wanted to make her happy and get her into the Christmas spirit.

"Thank you." Rapunzel said as she received his presents. "And here are my gifts for you." she told him as she placed the presents on the floor and then took out three gifts wrapped in colorful green and blue paper from her bag and passed them to him.

"Thanks." he said as he placed the gifts in front of him. "Okay. Taking turns as usual?" he asked his two friends who nodded.

He smiled at them. "Okay then. Why don't you start, Rapunzel?"

"Okay." she agreed, her lips twitching in a smile. Then she grabbed one of the presents he had made for her and gently ripped off the wrapping paper, revealing a cardboard box. Her slim hands opened the box and took out the items within.

"Wow…this is beautiful Hiccup!" she exclaimed, observing her gift with genuine happiness in her eyes.

It was a chess-set he'd made himself. Rapunzel had talked for years about wanting to learn chess but she just never got around to it, so this year he had decided that now was the time. The chess-set was carved out of stone with black and white spaces and a small dark grey edge around it. He had carved the chess pieces out of stone as well and in the shape of Disney characters. She loved those movies, so he had taken great care to make each piece resemble the characters as much as possible. For example, the white queen was the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland while the black queen was the evil queen from Snow White.

"This must have taken a long time to do." she told him, as she twirled one of the chess pieces between a few fingers.

"It did…but it was fun too."

"Thank you." she told him and then scooted closer to him and pulled him into a hug.

"You're welcome." he said, slightly muffled, as he had his face in her hair.

Then they pulled away from each other but Rapunzel remained next to him. "Does this mean you'll teach me how to play?"

"Of course I will." he agreed. "But now you have to open your other present."

She nodded with a bright smile and then set to work on the other gift, tearing off the red wrapping paper. Inside it was a brush that he'd also made himself. Rapunzel had complained for the last couple of weeks that she needed a new one but that it was so difficult to find a brush that could manage to actually comb through her incredibly thick, long hair without breaking after a short while. He had tried his best to create a strong one for her that would last longer.

"Thank you, Hiccup. It looks great." she said as she lifted the brush and examined it. "It looks _much_ more durable than the other brushes I've had…and you know I've had _a lot_ of them."

"I know." he smiled.

Then they took turns exchanging the rest of the presents. Fishlegs was incredibly happy to receive the axe Hiccup had made for him, both the handle and the axe-head engraved with battle-related Viking sayings in runes as well as a pattern of various dragons intertwined with flames. He'd also bought his chubby Viking friend a book on magical creatures that he didn't already own, which made Fishlegs' eyes gleam with excitement. Rapunzel received a book on creative projects,_ a lot_ of sewing supplies and a scrapbook from Fishlegs which brought great joy, as Rapunzel had talked about how she needed some new ideas for projects. In turn Rapunzel gave Fishlegs some new pouches for his belt that she had made herself out of light brown leather (which he really needed), as well as a book on plant life and a thick sweater that she'd also made herself.

Hiccup received several pots of some quite special paint from Rapunzel made of sea shells and a very interesting, thick book on healing spells that actually seemed to be quite old and rare. From Fishlegs he got some mead that he'd brewed himself during the summer, a bunch of new sketchbooks, paintbrushes, charcoal pencils and several pots of squid ink, which made him _very_ happy. Apparently Fishlegs had gotten it from trader Johann in the summer because he knew how much Hiccup liked to use squid ink.

After Rapunzel had opened the presents from her parents, Hiccup suddenly heard a tapping on his window. He turned his head and saw Jack's white owl sit outside. That was strange.

He got to his feet and quickly opened the window. His face contorted into a look of confusion as he saw the package the owl had brought him. He grabbed the box and then used his other hand to give the bird a few strokes on the head.

"Thanks, Storm. You can take off now if you want." he told it gently. The bird hooted in response and then immediately spread its wings and took flight.

He turned around and sat back down on the floor with his two friends.

"A present from Jack?" Rapunzel asked.

"Seems like it." he said and then took off the card attached to it. He opened it and took in the words.

_"__Merry Christmas, dork. Hopefully this gift can help you soothe that busy mind of yours, so you can get some peace once in a while."_

Hiccup smiled a little and then put the card down on the floor and started to open the box. Inside it was another box wrapped in blue paper. He began to tear it off, his two friends eagerly watching with curious eyes.

When he had pulled off all the paper and was sitting with the item in his lap, he just looked at it for a few moments, as a bright smile spread across his face. This was unbelievable. He let his fingers glide across the medium-sized dish-like stone object with runes and some strange symbols carved into it.

"Is that…a pensieve?" Fishlegs asked in disbelief.

"It is." Hiccup said and was unable to wipe that smile off his face. He had _always _wanted one of these, ever since he learned of their existence in his third year at Hogwarts. The object let you take memories out of your mind and put them into it, so you could see them whenever you liked from a third person view. This was definitely a way to help an overwhelmed mind by getting those excess thoughts out of it and then see them later, making it a lot easier to analyze situations and spot potential patterns.

"Those are really expensive." Rapunzel said, as her big, green eyes stared at the magical object.

"Yeah…" he agreed. That was part of the reason why he'd never acquired one. The other reason being that they weren't exactly the most common item, so it wasn't the easiest thing to find in the first place. It wasn't something you could just go into a normal shop in Diagon Alley and buy. He hoped Jack hadn't spent too much money on it.

"Wow…I've always wanted one of those." Fishlegs said.

"Me too, Fish." Hiccup replied, still examining the round, stone object in his lap. "Oh gods, I need to write him and say thanks."

Rapunzel giggled a little at his sudden urgency.

He quickly located the enchanted paper and his quill and began scribbling down a message for Jack:

_"__Hi Snowflake. I just opened your present. Thanks! I really love it, I've always wanted a pensieve…but they're really expensive aren't they?"_

A few minutes later, Jack's reply appeared on the paper.

_"__I'm glad you like it, Hic…and don't worry…yes, they're expensive, but I got Mavis to pull some strings. One of her dad's friends owns a shop with rare magical objects and he let me get it for a __very __fair price."_

Hiccup was pretty relieved about that. As he wrote down his reply on the paper, he found himself thinking that Jack really knew him too well. He'd never mentioned to his pale friend that he'd always wanted a pensieve and yet…Jack had come up with that very idea all by himself. They'd been friends for about four months and yet it felt like they had known each other for years. It was very rare for him to connect with someone like that.

But obviously…Jack was special.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: A FEW DAYS LATER

The last few days had practically flown by. He didn't have any more chiefing lessons, so he spent his days with Toothless, Rapunzel and Fishlegs, and sometimes the other teens as well. Hiccup was truly enjoying having Toothless by his side all the time, as that was something he really missed when they were at Hogwarts and he could tell that Toothless was very happy about the situation as well. He also really enjoyed spending time with Astrid again. His blonde friend had told him that she was ready for them to be friends again and he had thrown his arms around her in relief and joy.

They spent their time flying on their dragons, practicing tricks and doing races. He and Fishlegs showed Rapunzel some of the other islands nearby that weren't inhabited by people and watched the wild dragons that lived there, and sometimes they would spend quiet time together where he and Rapunzel painted or sketched, while Fishlegs read a book or petted Meatlug. They ate all their meals together in the Great Hall, where other Vikings also wanted to talk to them and to get to know Rapunzel as well, and they would have long conversations in the evening in his room, where they laughed and discussed so many different things that he had lost count. All in all, he had so much fun that the hours ticked by quickly.

However…there _was_ something missing and even though he was enjoying himself, it was poking in the back of his mind constantly.

Jack.

He tried his best to push his white-haired friend out of his mind by keeping himself busy, but he just couldn't. Sometimes there were a few brief moments where he got some peace and could just enjoy himself, but a little while after, the thoughts were back again. Everything reminded him of Jack.

It was even worse when he was alone. He had serious trouble sleeping these days, because his mind wouldn't stop its incessant, scattered, almost obsessive thoughts about that guy that meant so much to him and how this whole situation was completely hopeless. Sometimes he just felt like screaming because he couldn't control these emotions and they were so often causing him pain.

When he was back in his room in the evening with Fishlegs and Rapunzel and Toothless was sleeping on his slab of rock, he once again felt that familiar sadness chip away at him. He and his two friends were sitting on the floor on some pillows and had just reminisced about their trip to Hogsmeade with their Gryffindor friends. They had all laughed at the fond memories. His smile slowly vanished though, as he found himself once again thinking about how much he wanted to see Jack right now. He stared into the crackling, orange flames in the small fire they had made and instantly got lost in his thoughts.

"Hiccup, are you okay?" Rapunzel's gentle voice said from in front of him, cutting through his clouded mind.

He turned his head and met her eyes that were gleaming with obvious concern. Next to her, Fishlegs was observing him with a wrinkled forehead.

"Not really…" he told her honestly and briefly considered if he should actually tell his two oldest friends about the things that were gnawing at his mind.

"What's wrong?" Fishlegs asked, tilting his head, as he kept watching him with those attentive eyes of his.

Hiccup hesitated for a few moments and wrung his hands a little. Was he really going to do this? On one hand, it would be really comforting to have someone to talk to about it…on the other hand, it was extremely difficult for him to let someone else in on this…to let them know about this side of him that he had kept hidden for so long…even if it was his oldest friends and he already knew they would accept him.

He sighed a little.

"I need to tell you guys something." he said. He was not at all comfortable with what he was about to do, but he was sick of hiding it from them.

Rapunzel and Fishlegs immediately observed him with frowns on their faces and caring eyes.

"What do you need to tell us?" Rapunzel asked gently, putting her hands in her lap.

"It's…sort of complicated. It's really hard for me to actually say the words…" Hiccup started uncertainly, tugging a little on one of his braids.

"Just take your time" Fishlegs said reassuringly and his lips curved slightly upwards in a small but genuine smile. Rapunzel hummed in agreement and began twirling a blonde lock of hair around one of her fingers, as the two friends patiently waited for Hiccup to collect his thoughts.

He nodded in response and then turned his head and observed the flames in the fireplace for a few moments. By Freyja*, how was he actually going to do this? It was so easy to make the decision in his mind, but now he was actually sitting across from his friends and was about to reveal one of his biggest secrets to them. He felt his heartbeat quicken, as he became more and more nervous the longer he waited and the silence stretched on.

He should just get it over with. Rip off the bandaid.

"It's about something really personal…" he began, as he once again met his friends' eyes.

"Hiccup…no matter what it is…you can trust us." Rapunzel reassured him and her kind words soothed him as usual. Of course he knew that he could trust them but it would still be really difficult actually explaining this situation to them.

"Yeah." Fishlegs quickly agreed. "We would never judge you or tell anyone about something you've told us in private."

"Thanks guys…" he replied softly, looking from Rapunzel to Fishlegs with a small, warm smile appearing on his lips. "I know I can always count on you. It's just difficult to actually say this."

Rapunzel and Fishlegs both remained silent but encouraged him to speak with their attentive eyes. Gods, he was so lucky to have such wonderful, supportive friends. They would never turn away from him.

He sighed a little to himself and then decided to just get it over with.

"I haven't ever told you, but I think it's time you knew, because I'm tired of hiding it and I think you deserve to know." he told his two friends, who both instantly looked even more concerned.

"I'm bisexual." he then finished, deciding to express his thoughts as simply as possible. He broke eye contact with his two friends and looked at his hands, because it made the whole thing a little easier if he wouldn't have to see the confusion and the questions that were sure to be present in their eyes right now.

There were a few moments of silence, and Hiccup could feel the anxiety stirring inside him. He was sure they wouldn't react badly in any way, but it was still unnerving to have let this secret out.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Rapunzel asked quietly, sounding a little disappointed.

"It was hard for me to accept it, so I wasn't exactly eager to share it with anyone else." Hiccup explained. Now that the silence was broken he forced himself to meet his friends' eyes again.

Rapunzel was watching him with understanding, while Fishlegs seemed to have a knowing look in his eyes that slightly unsettled Hiccup. What was that about? He knew Fishlegs so well and that look could only mean one thing…that he had some suspicions he wasn't sharing at the moment.

"We understand that, Hiccup, but I'm really glad you told us…and we don't care who you're attracted to, we still love you…right?" Rapunzel said and looked at Fishlegs for confirmation.

"Of course" the blonde boy chimed in without hesitation. "Besides…I had my suspicions." he finished with a crooked smile and twiddled his thumbs.

"What?!" Hiccup blurted out in disbelief, his voice a little high-pitched. So that was what Fishlegs had been thinking…but…how could he possibly have known?

"You knew?" Rapunzel asked the chubby Viking with a confused look scrunching her features.

"I didn't know for sure, I just suspected it." Fishlegs shrugged, as if it was no big deal. It was though.

"What? How? Why?" Hiccup babbled, completely taken by surprise.

Fishlegs chuckled a little at his confusion.

"Hiccup…can I ask you something personal?" Fishlegs then said. It was strange hearing him say something like that. They were close friends, so he could basically ask him anything. On the other hand, this was a very unusual, sensitive conversation, so maybe his fellow Viking was just trying to be considerate of his feelings.

"Yeah, of course." Hiccup said uncertainly, not sure if he should be dreading what would come next.

Fishlegs seemed to hesitate for a few moments, as his eyes stared at the floor. Hiccup knew he was considering how to ask the question. After a little while, the blonde Viking trained his eyes on him once again.

"Do you have a crush on Jack?" he asked in curiosity, tilting his head slightly to the right.

"What?" Hiccup immediately blurted out in a slightly panicked tone of voice, his green eyes widening. How did he know!?

Fishlegs chuckled, while Rapunzel squealed in obvious joy and clapped her hands together once.

"Oh my god, you do!" the bubbly blonde girl exclaimed, her green eyes wide with excitement.

Hiccup sighed deeply.

"Fine, you win…I didn't know how to tell you…but I have feelings for Jack." he admitted and broke the eye contact with his friends. He could feel the warmth seep into his cheeks and he was pretty sure that the skin there was now tinted with pink.

"That's so sweet." Rapunzel said, but it only made him groan in response. Of course she would find it sweet and endearing. It wasn't though. It was painful. It was awkward. It was exhausting.

"Are you going to tell him?" Fishlegs asked gently.

"No, of course not!" Hiccup said, widening his eyes a little, as he met his friends' eyes again.

"What do you mean "of course not?" Rapunzel asked him with a frown. "He could feel the same way about you."

"Yeah right." Hiccup said and rolled his eyes. There was no way Jack would ever feel that way about him. Jack wasn't even gay…or bisexual.

"Come on Hiccup, it's not impossible." Rapunzel argued, leaning slightly forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Actually it sort of is. Jack isn't attracted to guys. In case you've forgotten, he's snogged plenty of girls." Hiccup replied quietly. It was uncomfortable to focus on the reasons why Jack would never feel the same way about him, but his friends needed to understand his thought process.

"Well, that doesn't mean that he couldn't be attracted to a guy." Fishlegs reasoned. "It just makes it a little unlikely."

"Try _very _unlikely".

"But seriously Hiccup…you can't just keep it to yourself." Rapunzel insisted.

"Well, that's what I'm planning to do…and _no one_ can know."

"Of course not. We won't tell anyone." Fishlegs said and Rapunzel nodded seriously.

"Thanks" Hiccup replied. He knew that he could rely on Fishlegs and Rapunzel, but it was still reassuring to hear them actually confirming it.

"Is there anything we can do?" Rapunzel asked, as her face scrunched a little in concern.

"I don't think so…I'm trying my best to act normal around him, but it's pretty hard sometimes".

"Of course…" Rapunzel said, her voice lowered and soft.

"How did you even know?" he asked Fishlegs in genuine confusion. Fishlegs was so bloody observant, so he probably shouldn't have been surprised but he really was.

"You're just…a little different with Jack. You've been comfortable with his touches almost from the start, you joke around like you've known each other since childhood, when you look at him you sometimes get that soft look in your eyes. Not to mention that it's obvious you miss him. It's all very…un-like you to be that way with people that you haven't known for years, Hiccup." Fishlegs explained, gesturing with his hands.

"Why didn't I notice any of that?" Rapunzel asked.

"Well, I tried my best to hide it." Hiccup replied. "But apparently nothing gets past Sherlock over there." he finished dryly and motioned towards Fishlegs, whose lips twitched in amusement.

"You guys would be really cute together." Rapunzel said almost wistfully.

He immediately felt his blush deepen. He groaned. "Aww, come on…don't say stuff like _that_."

Rapunzel giggled in response and Fishlegs smiled warmly at Hiccup's embarrassment.

"It's true though!" the bubbly blonde insisted. "And you would be good for each other."

"Well, it's _not_ going to happen, so you might as well not think about it." Hiccup replied and then sighed to himself.

"Come on, don't give up already, Hiccup…"

"No, _seriously _Rapunzel…It's not going to happen."

"But-" the blonde started to argue eagerly.

"Look…" Hiccup said, interrupting her and she instantly closed her mouth and became silent. "Even if Jack _was_ bisexual or gay, and even if he _did_ feel something for me…even if _everything _was somehow resolved, I _still _need to go back home when we graduate…I _still _need to stay here in the archipelago. I need to take over as chief at some point. I need to protect the dragons…So yeah…even if everything worked out, nothing could ever happen."

"Hiccup…" Fishlegs said. "You can't just bottle it up inside."

"Of course I can. I'm good at that kind of thing." he shrugged like it was no big deal. Of course it_ was_ a big deal and they all knew it but…he didn't want to worry his friends even more.

"We know you are but it's not good for you…" Rapunzel said softly as she leaned forward, extended her arm and then squeezed his hand a little before leaning back again and letting go.

"I know that but…I can't ruin my friendship with him."

"Maybe it wouldn't ruin it." Rapunzel replied.

"Of course it would. It would make everything weird between us because Jack is straight…and like I said before, even if he wasn't, we would both still end up heartbroken when we'd graduate from Hogwarts and I'm going back here permanently."

"Maybe Jack could come with you?" Rapunzel asked with a certain hopefulness gleaming in her green eyes.

Oh, how he wished that was actually possible.

"Don't say things like that…" he told her, almost in a pleading sort of way. He didn't want hope of any kind. Hope was dangerous. Hope led to even more hurt. "First of all, I would never put him in a position where he would have to choose between me and his friends and family and move to a dangerous, remote part of the world that he has no connection to…and second of all…_why_ are we even having this conversation? Jack is straight, so there's no point in discussing it." he insisted.

"Have you told anyone else about it?" Rapunzel then asked.

"Just Toothless…"

"How long have you felt that way about him?" Fishlegs said, tilting his head a little.

"Since right after the fight I had with McGowan and Levin, when Jack cleaned my wounds."

"That was like…over a month and a half ago." Rapunzel said, green eyes a little wide in surprise.

"I'm well aware of that. I've been suffering ever since." Hiccup told them honestly and right now he didn't care that it sounded dramatic, which was very out of character for him.

"Hiccup…I wish you would have told us. We could have at least given you someone to talk to and lean on." Rapunzel said with a little, sad smile appearing on her pink lips.

"I know, I know…I just…needed time to process it all. I've had a lot of trouble accepting it."

"Why?"

"Because…I can't_ ever_ be with him…and…I've grown up in a place where homosexuality isn't considered normal in any sense of the word." Hiccup told his golden-haired friend, unable to keep the sadness out of his voice.

"Do people…look down on gay people here?" Rapunzel asked and frowned.

Hiccup sighed.

"A lot of Vikings _definitely_ do…others just pretend it doesn't exist. I very rarely hear anyone talk about it but once in a while it's used as an insult."

"Yeah…" Fishlegs agreed. "I can't remember having ever met a Viking who was openly gay or bisexual. It's not exactly common in a culture that worships masculinity as much as Viking culture does."

"Do you think they would…shun you, if they knew about it?" Rapunzel asked, her face contorting a little as if the mere thought brought her pain.

"I'm not sure…but I do know one thing. If they knew, I wouldn't have to worry about becoming chief anymore."

"They wouldn't want you as their chief, just because you're bisexual?" Rapunzel frowned.

"I'm fairly certain of that." he shrugged.

"I don't know, Hiccup…" Fishlegs started. "Of course it won't be easy for them to accept and if it was any other person I would say you're right but…except for your dad, you're the most admired and respected person on the whole island. Everyone looks up to you and everyone's grateful for all that you've done for our tribe. I think there might actually be hope that you could be accepted, even though it would probably take a little time for them to get used to."

"I wish I could believe that, Fish." he replied and sighed.

"So what are you going to do?" his Viking friend asked him, his eyes shining with concern.

He rubbed his eyes a little with a fist and then trained them on those crackling, dancing flames in the fireplace.

He let the silence hang in the air for a few moments before he spoke.

"I'll keep doing what I've done so far…push it down and hope my feelings for Jack go away."

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: THE BEGINNING OF JANUARY

It was the day of the Jól celebration and the entire village was busy with preparations. Vikings were cooking and baking for the evening feast, bringing out bottles of beer and mead, looking through their things or crafting new things to sacrifice to the gods and decorating the Great Hall with lights.

It was the chief who was responsible for organizing the celebration, so his dad was very occupied with making sure there was enough food and drink for everyone, that the long tables were set, as well as preparing for the blót – the sacrifice to the gods. Jól was one of the most important celebrations for Vikings and the sacrifice needed to go well, if the gods were to grant them another year of great harvests, peace and healthy children. At least that was what was believed among the Viking tribes. His dad had asked him to assist him with the blót, which he had never done before and it was a clear sign that it was not just to prepare him for his future role in the tribe but also that he was proud of him.

He had spent most of the day with Fishlegs and Rapunzel. They had walked around the island together, watching the adult Vikings do the preparations and they had explained to their golden-haired friend what was going to happen tonight, what kind of rituals would be performed, what they meant and how the feast and partying would go. Hiccup didn't want Rapunzel to feel uncomfortable with anything, so if there was something she would rather be left out of, he needed to know about it in advance. Luckily, Rapunzel didn't seem to mind any of the things he told her. The only thing she hesitated with was the animal sacrifice, but after he had assured her that the animals died instantly without any pain and they were actually eaten afterwards and so nothing went to waste, she was okay with being there.

By nightfall, the entire village had gathered by one of the hills in the forest. It was one of the _Vé _on Berk - an ancient, sacrificial place, where it was believed the connection with the gods was particularly strong. On the hill, several large rocks formed a half circle and in the middle of this half circle a large _hörgr_, a kind of altar made of a heap of stones, had been placed many years ago along with ancient human-sized crude statues of the most important gods and goddesses. Behind the altar there was an empty space for sacrificing animals or other things.

It was dark and cold, so everyone had wrapped themselves in their warmest clothes, as they were standing in a circle around the ancient sacrificial grounds. Behind the people, everyone's dragons were also placed in a circle, either standing or sitting down. A lot of the other Vikings held torches, illuminating the faces of everyone in a warm light and casting long shadows along the snow-covered ground. Hiccup was standing with Toothless and his dad in front of the _hörgr_, while Fishlegs and Rapunzel was with some of the other teens in the circle.

His dad had said a prayer over the mead, so it was blessed and then everyone was handed a horn of the honey alcohol. Drinking was an important part of most celebrations in Viking culture. It wasn't about getting drunk (although they would do that later), it was about honoring the gods by drinking to them.

Then his dad went to three corners of the ritual grounds, calling the gods they sacrificed to at Jól.

"We call on you, Freyr*, field-blesser, rider of the boar! We call on you, Njórðr*, master of the sea, wealth-giver! We call on you, Oðinn, the wanderer, the allfather of all folk!"

Then his father returned to the _hörgr_, standing next to him.

"Hail the Æsir* and all high holy gods!" his voice boomed. "The days are now becoming lighter. The weather is getting fairer. Soon it will be time to plant our crops and multiply our livestock. It will be time for trading…and it might be time for conflict as well." his dad told them.

It was true. Sure, conflicts would exist in the winter too, but most tribes were too busy with the harsh winters in the archipelago and just getting through them to spend time and resources on fighting or quarrelling with each other.

"These are the reasons we will now, as we have always done, give the gods our sacrifices and in turn receive their gifts. We will maintain our bond with them and with our lost ones and we will look forward to the banishing of the dark days and the cold."

Hiccup put his hand on Toothless' head and stroked his best friend a little. Now that Berk had three people with magical powers who had all turned 17 (and therefore were allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts), they were much better shielded against catastrophes like failed harvests, harsh winters and war, but even so…he, Fishlegs and Astrid could be killed or die some other way and in that case, he knew that the tribe wouldn't like having neglected the connection with the gods. At the same time it was also a way to bond the whole tribe together. This was a tradition, a celebration where they all came together to feast and enjoy themselves.

His dad turned towards Gobber and gave him a nod. Gobber grabbed the large axe leaning against a nearby tree. It was a sacrificial axe, which meant it was much larger than any battle axe, because it needed to be able to swiftly kill the animals being sacrificed so they wouldn't suffer. Cruelty to animals was_ not_ acceptable on Berk.

Nine villagers led two yaks, four pigs and six chickens onto the grounds and then to the empty space behind the _hörgr_. They remained there, keeping the animals calm and in place. Gobber began to approach one of the yaks with his axe.

"Ásáheill! [Æsir's* blessing!]" his father's voice said. "Freyr…Oðinn…Njórðr…we give to you these sacrifices." his dad finished and then nodded to Gobber.

Gobber's giant axe went straight through the yak's neck and severed the head. The yak's body fell to the side with a loud thud, as several Vikings quickly began to collect the blood in large ceramic bowls. The blood was for the gods, while the meat was for the Vikings to eat later at their feast.

Hiccup continued to pet Toothless but glanced at Rapunzel to see her reaction. She appeared at ease with this situation, which was great. Of course he hadn't expected her to freak out or anything…after all, she knew that this was going to happen and she wasn't a delicate flower but even so…having never seen a Viking sacrifice before, she _could _become uncomfortable. Luckily though, it didn't seem like she was.

The four Vikings continued to crouch by the side of the yak, gathering the blood. Hiccup had often thought about how these sacrifices had a lot to do with why Christians had labeled all Vikings as 'barbarians' back over a thousand years ago, when the Viking age began. The Christians thought that sacrificing to gods was a savage thing to do, even when it was objects and not animals being offered to the gods, because sacrifice was never a part of Christianity.

As he watched the crimson liquid still being collected in the bowls, he figured that it probably had something to do with a culture's relationship with death. In Viking culture, everyone is very familiar with death and it is a natural part of their everyday life. In a battle, the result is determined by the Valkyries that Odin sends out, so all that matters for a Viking warrior's honor is that he fights bravely and if he dies, that he dies with courage. Honor in battle comes from looking death in the eye and embracing it without hesitation to defend yourself, your leader, those you care about or to gain something for the tribe. The certainty that the winner and loser is already decided by the Valkyries brings a certain calm over most Vikings and might give them an mental advantage over opponents who didn't have the same view of death. And with these blood sacrifices…yes they might look a bit scary to an outsider and that was probably why Christians in the old days had been so afraid of it, but it was really no different from when they slaughtered the animals only for food. After all…they made sure the animals being sacrificed weren't in pain and afterwards they ate it.

The four Vikings had now finished gathering the blood. Hiccup watched as his dad nodded at Gobber, who continued on to the next animal to be sacrificed. In the end, two yaks, four pigs and six chickens had been sacrificed and the blood collected in a lot of bowls along the side of the ritual grounds. It was a good thing that the dragons only ate fish, because if they didn't…they would probably be very tempted by all of this.

Hiccup knew what came next, so he stopped petting Toothless and let his arm drop to his side. His dad nodded to him, so they each picked up a bundle of twigs bound together that they had brought there.

He approached one of the bowls with blood and dipped his bundle of twigs in it and his dad did the same in another bowl.

Then they both went to the statue of Odin and splashed some blood on the carved figure with the twigs.

"Heill Oðinn! [Hail Odin!]" his father's booming voice shouted and then he raised his other hand to take a drink from his horn. Hiccup quickly did the same and let the taste of mead coat his taste buds.

"Heill Oðinn!" came the loud response from all the other Vikings, as they all raised the drinking horns and drank.

He and his dad then moved on to the statue of Freyr. They both swung the bloodied twigs towards the idol and crimson droplets stained the dark grey surface.

"Heill Freyr!" [Hail Freyr!]" his dad exclaimed and once again drank. Hiccup did the same.

"Heill Freyr!" everyone else's voices sounded, as all the Vikings put the drinking horns to their mouths again.

Lastly they approached the statue of Njörðr and once more, twigs being thrust forwards caused dark red splashes on a statue.

"Heill Njörðr! [Hail Njörðr!]" his dad proclaimed and took another swig of his mead. Hiccup raised his own drinking horn and once more let the mead fill his mouth.

"Heill Njörðr!" all the Viking's voices echoed through the chilly winter air, before they all drank once more to honor the gods.

Then he and his dad returned to the bowls and dipped the twigs once more, coating the dark brown ends in crimson liquid. They moved in opposite directions of the grounds and began to walk along the circle of villagers, thrusting the bundle of twigs a little towards each person, so everyone got a few drops of blood on them. They tried to avoid the faces and just aim for the chest or the stomach. It was an ancient way of including everyone in the ritual and when someone was sprinkled with the blood, it meant that they were now symbolically joined with the gods and their dead relatives and ancestors. The sacrificial blood was a symbolic connection between Vikings, the gods and the dead.

As he reached Fishlegs and Rapunzel, he gave his golden-haired friend a hesitant look to say _'it's okay if you don't want to do this' _but she did a few encouraging nods with a small smile gracing her lips, so he swung the twigs forwards in a quick movement and a tiny splatter of blood stained Rapunzel's shirt on the stomach area. Then he smiled warmly at her to let her know that he appreciated her open mind towards their culture and moved on to Fishlegs, Astrid, the twins and Snotlout. They all gave him a small smile as he included them in the ritual and he felt a tiny smile curve his lips in response. In his past, these_ blót_ rituals had always made him feel horrible, because he was never truly a part of the tribe and it only served to remind him of that. For the last couple of years though…he had felt included and accepted in these rituals that bonded everyone together…he even felt respected by the other Vikings and that tugged at his heart strings. The fact that his dad wanted him to assist in the sacrifice this year only strengthened that feeling.

When everyone had received some drops of blood on them, he and his dad went back to the_ hörgr_. His dad nodded to Gobber who signaled to some other Vikings to assist him in moving the dead animals to the side to create some space for the material sacrifices. They quickly got the job done without much difficulty.

"Anyone who has brought something for the gods may place it now." his dad told everyone.

The word "anyone" was perhaps unnecessary, because everyone always brought something for the gods. It didn't have to be anything large or expensive, since they had all participated in the animal sacrifice, so it was up to the individual Viking to decide what they could spare.

Everyone approached the space behind the_ hörgr_ in quiet order, the snow cracking under their feet. No one spoke, but just put down whatever they had brought and then returned to their position in the circle.

Hiccup approached and watched all the various items lying on the ground for a brief moment. There were weapons, jewelry, coins, grain, mead, helmets and many other things. He turned his head and observed the child who was suddenly standing next to him. It was Gróa, a small girl about seven years old with long, blonde hair and plenty of freckles. Her gentle face was bathed in a warm glow from the torches and she was clutching a small wooden sword in her hands. She crouched down and put it on the white earth among all the other objects. Then she stood up straight, met his eyes and grinned at him and he smiled warmly at her in response. It was such a touching gesture somehow…that she was giving up one of her toys to maintain their connection to the gods and grant the gods strength…that despite her young age she was already doing her part to secure the future of the tribe…at least from most Vikings' perspective.

What most outsiders probably didn't know was that sacrificing wasn't about being granted forgiveness for perceived 'sins' in any way and it wasn't only the Vikings who were getting something out of it. The gods gained nourishment from receiving sacrifices and this made them more likely to grant the wishes of those who sacrificed to them. In Norse culture, the relationship with the gods was always based on a "something for something" mentality, where humans gave the gods sacrifices to get favors in return. The gods however, would be wise to actually grant these favors quite often, because if they didn't…they would be perceived as weak gods and Vikings would slowly begin to turn away from them. It wasn't like in Christianity and many other religions, where no matter how ignored you were by your god or gods, you stuck by them because they had some kind of power over your afterlife and you would be judged there based on how well you had lived by the god's or gods' rules. Norse gods cared very little about what humans got up to, as long as the humans remained humble and didn't insult them. There was no set of 'rules' that Vikings had to live by from the gods' perspective or else they would be punished in the afterlife. That was all up to the Vikings themselves.

Hiccup bent down and placed an axe he had made in the summer on the snow-covered ground. Weapons, armor and animals were considered some of the greatest sacrifices and even though he wasn't really religious, he still kind of liked participating in the rituals. It was familiar. It was a part of him. When he had put down the weapon, he glanced to his side and saw Fishlegs and Rapunzel both approach. They both smiled at him and he returned the gesture. Then Fishleg put down a sword on the ground, while Rapunzel took something out of one of her pockets. Hiccup couldn't help the perplexed look he knew was currently scrunching his face. He hadn't really expected Rapunzel to sacrifice anything. After all, these weren't her gods religiously _or_ culturally. However, the blonde took out a dagger and crouched down to carefully put it in the snow next to Hiccup's axe and Fishlegs' sword. Where did she get a dagger from? He'd have to ask her later. Right now they needed to finish the ritual.

Rapunzel's lips twitched in a smile before she turned around and walked back to her place in the circle with Fishlegs trailing behind her. Hiccup returned to his dad's side and watched the last ones place their sacrifices on the ground before returning to their previous positions.

"Freyr. Njorðr. Oðinn. We offer you these sacrifices and wish for you to accept them and grant us your favor in return." his father said, chasing the silence away with his loud, authoritative voice.

"Freyr…field-blesser, rider of the boar! The days are becoming lighter and spring will be here soon. We ask of you to bless our crops and grant us fair weather so we will be given bountiful harvests! Njorðr…master of the sea, wealth-giver! We ask of you to bless our catches in the sea, oversee our travels and trade on the ocean and thus grant us wealth and prosperity! Oðinn…the wanderer, the Allfather of all folk! We ask of you to bestow strength upon us in battle and grant us victory against any enemies who may wish us harm!"

Hiccup knew that later on, all of these items would be thrown in the ocean, as that was the traditional way of delivering objects to the gods.

"Now has come the time for the individual toasts. May all who wish to do so take a drink of the horn and send their own prayer to the gods." his dad said and then took a very large drinking horn and filled it with mead from a nearby bottle. After a quick prayer to bless the mead, he reached out his hand and gave the horn to Gobber, who took a swig of it and closed his eyes in prayer for a moment, before he passed it on to the next Viking in the circle.

The silence filled the air and the only sounds reaching Hiccup's ears were the crackling from the torches, and the gentle swaying of the winter wind through the trees of the forest. Most of the Vikings in the circle took turns to drink out of the horn, close their eyes and send their own prayer to the gods, while a few just passed the horn on to the next Viking, if they for one reason or another didn't feel the need for a private prayer.

When the horn reached Fishlegs, his large blonde friend's eyes shut and he clutched the horn in his hands until he opened his eyes once more and then took a drink of the mead. Then he passed it on to Rapunzel and whispered something to her. Hiccup suspected that he was telling her to just pass it on if she didn't want to participate in this part.

Rapunzel however, smiled fondly at Fishlegs and then closed her eyes for a few moments before letting her lips touch the drinking horn and the mead spill into her mouth. Afterwards, she passed the horn along to the twins.

Hiccup once more smiled at his amazing, blonde friend. Rapunzel was just so supportive and openminded regarding their culture and it was obvious that she was taking the chance now to fully participate in it. He wasn't sure if it was because of respect, curiosity or maybe a bit of both, but he truly appreciated it.

When Snotlout walked towards him with the drinking horn and then passed it to him with a small smile, he closed his fingers around it and gave his cousin a nod in response. He closed his eyes, taking in the darkness. He didn't have much to ask the gods for, but he_ did_ send a prayer to Odin to grant his friends and family the wisdom and strength to overcome any threats that might potentially harm them. Sure, he wasn't really religious, it was a cultural thing, but he also recognized that no one had the actual answers to whether or not gods existed, so it didn't hurt to send them a prayer once in a while during these rituals. He briefly thought about Jack and how he wished that his white-haired friend would always be in his life in some way or another, but _that_ wasn't something to ask these three gods for. None of them were related to friendship or romance.

He opened his eyes and lifted the horn. The golden liquid within reached his lips and he savored the taste of the mead as it coated his tongue. Then he passed the horn to his father, who gave him a warm smile and a nod, closing his big hands around the horn. His dad was the last one to drink and therefore to finish this ritual.

The silence stretched on until his dad cleared his throat and proclaimed that this was the end of the _blót _and he gave Hiccup a nod. Hiccup turned to face Toothless.

"Go on, bud." He said and Toothless let out a loud roar. The other dragons around the sacrificial grounds roared in response and then they all lifted their heads upwards and spewed massive pillars of fire into the air. The fire was like a burst of warmth and orange light and for a moment their surroundings were completely bathed in a warm glow. Then the dragons stopped and lowered their heads again. Hiccup covered the few feet between him and Toothless and scratched the dragon under the chin.

It had been Hiccup's idea to involve the dragons in their religious rituals, because even though dragons obviously were not religious, they were still a part of the tribe now. Everyone viewed them as friends or family members, so why shouldn't they be a part of their customs too?

Everyone took one last drink out of their drinking horns as a closure to the ritual and then they all began to move towards the Great Hall. Some of the Vikings lifted the dead animals and began carrying them towards the Great Hall to prepare the meat. They left the blood behind in the bowls for the gods.

Rapunzel and Fishlegs approached him and then they walked together to their destination, along with Toothless and Meatlug. Rapunzel linked her arm with his and gave him a bright smile.

"So…you've been a part of a real Viking _blót_. You're like an honorary Viking now." he told her with a grin.

"I know, I'm kind of proud of that." she told him with an amused smile.

"How was it? You seemed to be okay."

"It was fine, Hiccup. No problem. I was a bit nervous about watching the animals being killed, because…well, I know it's sort of hypocritical because I eat animals, but I didn't know how I would react to actually watching one get killed like that, but it was actually okay. I mean…like you said, they didn't suffer, they died right on the spot without any pain. So yeah…it was fine." she told him and he felt quite relieved at that. The last thing he wanted was to make Rapunzel uncomfortable with any of their Viking customs.

"I'm glad to hear that." he told her honestly and then squeezed her arm a little. "Where did you get that dagger from?"

"I bought it from Sveinn." she told him.

"Okay. I hadn't expected you to sacrifice anything."

"I know, I know, but I wanted to participate."

"I really appreciate that, Rapunzel."

Her lips twitched in a warm smile. "So now we eat and drink the night away?"

"Basically." Fishlegs said. "The food is going to be prepared now, so while we wait for that, there'll be some games and competitions that people can do if they want…and drinking of course. There's also going to be a few more prayers…and then we eat and drink like there's no tomorrow!"

"Great!" Rapunzel replied.

As they entered the Great Hall, several large fires had been prepared in the cooking area and the tables scattered throughout the Hall were set with plates, cutlery, cups and plenty of bottles of mead and beer. Some Vikings had already taken a seat along the tables and were talking eagerly and drinking together, while others had already began to play drinking games or board games. Between the large, stone pillars and the walls, ropes were hung across with lit lanterns on them.

Toothless and all the other dragons remained outside, as there wasn't really room in the Great Hall for all the Vikings_ and _all the dragons all at once, unless they wanted to be in extremely close quarters. Not that the dragons seemed to mind…they had been supplied with plenty of fish to munch on and afterwards they would probably play around with each other as usual, keeping themselves entertained.

He, Fishlegs and Rapunzel sat with Astrid, the twins and Snotlout for a few hours, drinking mead and talking and laughing. Fishlegs and Astrid told the others more about the things they'd experienced and learned at Hogwarts for the last four months and the twins regaled them with all the mischief they'd caused and all the "amazing" tricks they'd taught Barf and Belch, while Snotlout bragged about how many things he and Hookfang had _"annihilated"_ and how he'd seduced some girl from another tribe (Hiccup strongly suspected that this girl didn't actually exist). When the food had finally been prepared and was brought in and placed along some empty tables at the end of the hall, his father stood up from a table nearby and proclaimed the beginning of the _blót _feast. Everyone got to their feet.

"Let us drink Jól to honor our bond with the gods and our ancestors!" his dad exclaimed, his voice echoing through the hall. Everyone immediately lifted their cups and drank whatever alcohol was in it.

His father turned his head and looked at him.

"Til árs ok fríðar! [To a good year and peace!]" Hiccup exclaimed to the other Vikings.

"Til árs ok fríðar!" came the loud, excited response from the crowd, before they all raised their cups and took a swig of the mead or beer in it.

It was a tradition to say that particular sentence and drink to it. Harvest and peace were very closely linked in Viking culture, since abundance meant less reason to quarrel with other tribes or with each other. If everyone was content because they had enough, it was easier to have peace.

After everyone had toasted for the upcoming year to be a good one, Hiccup spoke again

"Now it's time to honor our ancestors and lost ones."

Everyone became silent and observed him and his dad. As usual, so many people watching him made him feel self-conscious, but he had learned to hide it pretty well among his fellow Vikings. He lifted his cup of mead and let his voice fill the air.

_"__Deyr fé [Cattle die]_

_deyja frændr [Kinsmen die]_

_deyr sjálfr et sama [The self dies]_

_ek veit einn [I know of one thing]_

_at aldri deyr [That never dies]_

_dómr um dauðan hvern [The judgment of a dead man's life]" _he said, quoting a verse from the Hávámal.

People who weren't Vikings might mistakenly believe that the last sentence had something to do with the judgment of the gods. It didn't though. It had to do with how you were remembered by your fellow Vikings…your family, your friends, your leaders. As such, it was an appropriate verse to use before they all took a few moments to think about whoever they had lost, however they might have passed away.

"Let us remember our lost ones." his dad said to all the other Vikings and Hiccup recognized that soft tone of voice. It was how his father always sounded whenever he thought about Hiccup's mother or mentioned her in any way.

Everyone bowed their heads and remained silent for a few minutes, remembering their dead relatives and ancestors. Hiccup thought of his mother, who was taken by a dragon in a dragon attack on Berk. He wished he could remember her…that he could have had her in his life. Then he thought about various Vikings he had known who had died either from illness or in conflicts with dragons or other tribes. Luckily, he had never lost someone he was very close to, but he still missed them nonetheless and liked to remember them at each_ blót_. That way they were never truly gone.

"Our bond with our lost ones and our gods have been strengthened today. Let the feast begin!" his dad exclaimed happily and every Viking in the room roared excitedly in return, a deafening wall of voice hitting Hiccup's ears all at once. Then everyone went towards the large tables filled with food, eagerly wanting to taste the delicious dishes.

Hiccup once again sat with Rapunzel, Fishlegs, Astrid, Snotlout and the twins. They all enjoyed the scrumptious food, the mead and beer and the company of each other. The Great Hall was filled with a warm light from the fires, lanterns and candles, and everywhere the noise of loud, eager conversation, happy laughter and drunk singing filled the air.

As the hours ticked by, they all became drunker and drunker and Hiccup got a stomach ache from laughing so much. Rapunzel seemed to have a great time as well, as she also began to laugh more and more and she eagerly asked the twins and Snotlout questions to get to know them better. Despite being drunk, Hiccup made sure to keep an eye on her and make sure she didn't drink too much, because she wasn't really used to mead. But despite how much fun he was having, he still wasn't able to push Jack out of his mind.

Snotlout and Tuffnut suddenly decided to challenge each other to a drinking match, where the loser had to run around the hall naked. Then they eagerly began pouring cup after cup of beer and mead, drinking it down quickly and watching the other do the same. Hiccup and the other's watched them in amusement, as the two Vikings quickly became a lot drunker than the rest of them. He found himself thinking that if the loser actually followed through on running around naked, he would definitely be averting his eyes. He did_ not_ need to see that.

He turned his head and observed his dad and Gobber a little. They were drinking with several of the other men of the village, all singing songs, roaring toasts and laughing when they reminisced about battles they'd fought together or other experiences they'd shared through the years. Other Vikings in the hall played board games, talked, drank, danced, played instruments or sung their own songs. In one of the corners he spotted Eydís and Heðinn, two other teens – a tall, blonde guy and a fairly short girl with brown curls, snogging each other. Wow, that was going to be awkward tomorrow. They didn't usually have anything to do with each other, but right now they were sticking their tongues down each other's throats.

Suddenly he heard a thud followed by laughter, so he trained his eyes back towards the other teens. Apparently Tuffnut had fallen off the bench due to his drunkenness, much to the others' amusement. Snotlout instantly threw his hands in the air.

"I win…I wiiin. S-serves you right, Nufftut, uhh…Nuffnut…uhm…Tuffnuuuut." he slurred, his eyes half-lidded, his head starting to droop. Then he leaned in over the table and began to take a nap, while Tuffnut stayed down on the floor and Astrid, Fishlegs and Rapunzel began a conversation about some of the boardgames the other Vikings were playing, since Rapunzel wanted to know more about it. Three times their conversation was interrupted by either Ketill, Lófi or Finnr who all wanted to ask Rapunzel to dance or go outside and talk. Hiccup politely but firmly made them back off. Sure, he knew them, but they weren't his friends and he didn't trust them in this aspect. They were teenage boys who pretty much only had one thing in mind and Rapunzel was definitely _off limits. _His blonde friend seemed to find it amusing and sweet that he protected her against drunk Viking boys.

After a while, the noise and warmth and all the people suddenly became too much for him and he decided that he needed a break. He told his friends that he'd go outside for some fresh air. Rapunzel and Fishlegs offered to keep him company, but he told them to just stay there and have fun.

He quickly left the Great Hall through the massive, wooden doors and descended some of the steps on the very long, stone staircase that led down towards the village. Then he sat down on one of the steps and just inhaled some of the cool, night air. It was pleasant to be outside in the cold and get a break from all the noise and warmth inside of the hall.

He just sat there for a while and observed the beautiful, dark blue night sky. The moon was full and glowed with a soft, gentle light and thousands of stars were scattered across the dark heavens.

The mead had made his entire body tingle and his mind was clouded by the alcohol, making his usual defense mechanisms fade a little and his thoughts fairly scattered.

As he observed the snow-covered village below, where every rooftop and tree was sprinkled with the white, shimmering powder, his mind instantly managed to focus on one single thing though.

Jack.

He sighed a little and lifted his head to watch the moon and its breathtaking light. He was having a really good time with his family and friends but…Jack was constantly lurking in the back of his mind, reminding him that there was a hole in his heart. He was aching from the hurt of being separated from him. He was_ longing_ to see him again…it was almost like a restless, impatient itch throughout his entire being.

He sighed again and watched his breath form pale mist in the chilly, night air.

He was pathetic. He was weak. He was hurting but there was nothing bleeding or bruised. Nothing you could sew shut or bandage.

There was no doubt about it...

Jack was his weakness.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there on the cold, stone steps watching the night sky and the snow that seemed to almost glow in the pale light of the moon, but even though sad thoughts were swirling in his mind, he liked this little break where he could have a few moments just to himself.

Behind him, he heard the massive doors to the hall creak as they opened and he assumed that another Viking was probably in need of fresh air…or maybe a piss.

"Hiccup?" he suddenly heard Fishlegs' voice say.

He turned his head and watched his friend approach him. The blonde slumped down next to him on the steps. He gave him a tiny smile, before turning back to watching the moon and the stars.

"You've been gone for quite a while. We were getting worried." Fishlegs told him.

A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. "Sorry but…I'm okay."

"No, you're not." his friend insisted and there was a hint of defiance in his tone.

Hiccup just remained silent.

"Hiccup…it's obvious that you're in pain and it's because of Jack." his friend told him softly.

"So? There isn't anything I can do about it." he shrugged.

"Of course there is. You can tell him."

He sighed and turned his head to meet Fishlegs' eyes.

"And then what? Ruin our friendship because everything will be so awkward between us that we can't stand to be around each other anymore?"

"You don't know if that will happen."

"And you don't know that it won't."

"Of course not but…look, there's just something about the bond you have with Jack. I wouldn't rule out that he might feel something for you too." Fishlegs told him and Hiccup could see the concern shining in his friend's eyes.

"Don't be naïve, Fish." Hiccup told him with a small sigh. He knew both Fishlegs and Rapunzel meant well, but he really didn't want them to keep trying to give him hope. Hope only made heartache worse.

"Don't be stubborn, Hiccup. Remember your own saying, will you?" Fishlegs told him and then a tiny smile appeared on the Viking's lips. "There's always more. You don't know everything about Jack."

"No, of course I don't but…why would he have feelings for me? I've never seen any sign of that and he's only been with girls in the past, so if _that_ doesn't say he's straight, what does? And even if he did have feelings for me, we can't be together anyway."

Fishlegs sighed. "Just…think about it, okay?"

"Okay." he agreed.

Fishlegs gave him a hesitant smile and then got to his feet. "Come in again soon, okay?" the blonde told him, before he squeezed his shoulder and then began to climb the stairs again towards the Great Hall.

Hiccup sat for a while longer on the stone steps, just taking in the beautiful, peaceful surroundings. The wind was gently dancing through the trees and across the rooftops, blowing away wisps of snow. Even though he wasn't wearing a jacket, he didn't feel cold because of that warm feeling inside that the alcohol had provided. He was in that stage where you were drunk enough that your inhibitions had been lowered and you were feeling relaxed and tingling, but not so drunk that you weren't aware of what you were doing or that you did things you wouldn't normally do.

He turned his head and watched some snowflakes swirl around in the winter wind.

"I miss you, Jack." he said softly to himself.

Then he made a decision and pulled out the enchanted paper from one of his pockets.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

The sound of the clock ticking and the wind rustling through the trees outside was almost driving him insane. Usually that sort of thing wouldn't bother him, but he had been tossing and turning in his bed for hours, trying desperately to just go to sleep. No matter how he placed himself, he couldn't get comfortable…no matter how much or how little of his blanket was covering his body, he couldn't reach the right temperature…no matter how many times he fluffed his pillow, it just didn't feel right.

The thoughts were whirling incessantly in his mind and he couldn't stop them even though he tried his best. He attempted to think about anything else…_anything..._but no matter what, his mind still pictured green eyes, brown hair, braids, freckles, scars…

Hiccup.

As he rolled onto his other side for the thousandth time that night, he once again wondered what Hiccup was doing. Well, obviously he knew that Hiccup was celebrating with the other Vikings and Rapunzel but…what was he doing right now? Was he drunk? Was he having fun? Was everything going the way he hoped they would?

He desperately wanted to talk to him, but he didn't want to interfere when the brunet was in the middle of a celebration…that would be really selfish of him.

He sighed to himself.

Then he suddenly heard a faint noise.

Great…now his mind was imagining things, he thought, before he realized what the sound was.

Then he instantly sat up, pulled out the drawer in his nightstand and took out the enchanted paper. His blue eyes quickly took in the written words on it and he chuckled when he saw that Hiccup's usually neat handwriting was all uneven and squiggly. He was_ clearly_ drunk.

_"__Snowcone…still up?"_

At least he actually managed to spell the words correctly.

_"__Yeah, Hic. I'm awake…and you're clearly drunk. Having fun?"_

_"__Yeah, having fun. Would be great if you were here too."_

Yeah it definitely would…

_"__Thrown up on a yak yet?" _he wrote to his Viking friend and grinned a little to himself.

_"__No. Quite proud."_

Jack chuckled at that answer. Even though Hiccup could still actually spell correctly it was clear from the messy handwriting and from the short sentences that he was affected by the (probably) large amounts of alcohol he'd had. It was very unusual for him to write like that…if Hiccup actually had a mobile phone, he would be one of those people who never abbreviated anything and always made sure that everything in their text was spelled correctly and with correct grammar before they sent it.

_"__You should be. It's a big achievement. So…any fighting or snogging happen yet?"_

Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.

_At least_ say no to the snogging.

_"__No fighting. Some snogging. But not me."_

Thank whatever god might exist. Jack wasn't sure at all that he could handle another person kissing Hiccup, like the time Astrid had done it. Even if he wouldn't actually see it this time, it would still make him hurt _so_ much.

_"__So Fishlegs scored, huh?"_ Jack wrote jokingly. Of course it was a possibility but Fishlegs was shy, so he doubted it.

_"__Hah. No. Was people you don't know. And some tried to hit on Rapunzel. Got them to back off."_

_"__Wow…how did she take it?"_

_"__Found it funny."_

_"__And you clearly didn't….overprotective big brother."_

_"__Drunk Vikings…__not__ for Rapunzel."_

Jack smiled to himself.

Oh, I know…but there's definitely_ one_ drunk Viking who's something for _me_.

_"__No kidding. So…why are you writing me right now? Not that I mind, you know I always want to talk to you, Hic. I was just wondering…you know, because you should be celebrating."_

_"__Went outside. Noise and people became too much. Been around them all day. Needed break."_

Jack smiled a little in understanding. He knew that even though Hiccup loved being around the people he cared about, he needed some quiet time in between. If he didn't, his mind got overwhelmed, which stressed him out. Classic introvert.

_"__Ah, okay. So...how drunk are you?"_

_"__Quiiite drunk."_

Jack chuckled a little and couldn't help thinking that he _really _wanted to be with Hiccup right now and see him be drunk. He imagined that he was incredibly adorable, when alcohol melted away his defenses.

_"__Well, be careful you don't throw up on any animals or get in a fight with someone or snog someone where you'll regret it in the morning."_

In fact, don't snog _anyone_.

_"__Of course not. Would rather not be all awkward tomorrow."_

Jack was satisfied with that answer.

_"__Good plan. How did all the…sacrifice stuff go?"_

He found the whole thought of doing animal sacrifices quite strange but not really in a bad way. Hiccup had told him quite a lot about it, and since the animals didn't suffer and the Vikings actually ate the meat afterwards, Jack couldn't really see a problem with it. He was sure that some people would probably find the idea repulsive, but at the same time go down to the supermarket and buy meat for their next dinner. As long as they hadn't seen the animal being killed they could push it out of their minds and pretend like it didn't actually happen.

_"__Fine. No problems. Rapunzel sacrificed too."_

_"__Really? What?"_

_"__A dagger. Strange to see her with a weapon."_

_"__Wow…Punzie being armed? Watch out world."_

_"__He he. True. She bought it from one of the other Vikings apparently."_

_"__Apparently?"_

_"__Yeah. Didn't know about it until the sacrifice."_

_"__Oh. Well, it's nice that she participates in your culture."_

_"__It really is…she's great."_

He and Hiccup continued to write each other for a little while. Jack asked plenty of questions about their Jól celebration and in return Hiccup asked him what he had been doing with his family today. Unfortunately their conversation wasn't that long and when Hiccup wrote that he needed to go back to the celebration, Jack couldn't help feeling disappointed. On the other hand…at least he got to talk to Hiccup just a little. That was better than nothing.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

As he entered the Great Hall again, he was hit by a wall of noise and warmth emanating from all the drunk Vikings in the large building. Everywhere people were enjoying themselves. Eyes filled with joy. Loud laughter spilling from mouths. Instruments being played. Drops of mead caught in beards. Backs being patted eagerly. Board game pieces being moved. Feet dancing swiftly.

Suddenly Tuffnut ran naked past him, having apparently woken up from his drunken coma, and he didn't even have time to look the other way, so he saw things that he definitely didn't want to see.

Cannot…unsee…

He quickly found his way back to Fishlegs, Rapunzel, Astrid and Ruffnut and they spent several hours just talking, drinking and laughing. Snotlout had disappeared to challenge another Viking to a boardgame and after a little while Tuffnut joined them (with clothes on now). Rapunzel got to know the twins better, as they started telling her more about Barf and Belch, about how they had to share everything (much to their annoyance) and about their high tolerance of pain. Well…Ruffnut did most of the talking, since Tuffnut was still extremely drunk.

The good times didn't last long though. Snotlout was playing a game with Björn, another teen, which was a drinking game at the same time. Suddenly angry voices reached Hiccup's ears and he turned his head to look at his cousin and Björn sitting at a table nearby with a few other Viking teens.

"You're cheating!" Snotlout yelled angrily and slammed his fist on the table.

Oh gods no…this was going to end badly.

Accusing another Viking of cheating was a serious insult and could easily lead to a fight. Being called a cheat was basically the same as calling someone dishonorable. It was not something that any Viking would take lightly.

"What?!" Björn shouted, as he got to his feet and clenched his fists.

"I saw what you did! You moved two pieces in one turn, when you thought I wasn't looking!" Snotlout snarled.

"Don't be stupid, Snotlout!" Björn exclaimed in irritation, furrowing his forehead.

Hiccup got up from his seat and approached his cousin and the other Vikings by that table. Sure, he was drunk but not as drunk as Snotlout and Björn, who both clearly needed to calm down right now.

"You're a fucking _bacraut_ [asshole] and a cheat!" Snotlout sneered and narrowed his eyes.

Hiccup had reached the table and stood close to Björn, while Snotlout was still sitting down on the other side.

"Guys, calm down. It's Jól. Just…put your differences aside." he told them.

"I can't do that Hiccup. This asshole is trying to trick me!" Snotlout insisted and motioned with a hand to Björn.

"I didn't do shit, Snotlout." Björn sneered in response.

"Yes, you did! You're a liar!" Snotlout shouted and Hiccup could sense that this was moving quickly towards a fight.

"_Rassragr_." Björn then spat with disgust and Hiccup's blood boiled instantly.

Snotlout shot up from his seat to attack Björn, but Thorsteinn and Úlfr held him back.

Hiccup grabbed Björn's shoulders and slammed his back against one of the nearby stone pillars.

"Don't_ ever_ use that word again." Hiccup hissed angrily and narrowed his eyes. He could hear Snotlout yelling curses at Björn from somewhere behind him.

"What's the matter with you, Hiccup?" Björn said, scrunching his face in annoyance.

"Just don't use that word." he replied in a low tone that left no room for discussion.

"Why do you care?" Björn said.

"I _care_ because it's wrong."

"Pfft. It's not wrong. Us Vikings have been using that word for ages." Björn told him, his tone sharp and annoyed.

"Yes…and hundreds of years ago us Vikings used to have slaves…and until just a few years ago we believed that dragons were bloodthirsty beasts so we used to kill hundreds of them…things _change_, Björn." he told the other teen, trying his best to keep his voice steady and not too affected by the rage he was feeling inside.

"Don't be stupid, Hiccup. It's disgusting, so I'll use it as an insult whenever I want."

"_You're_ the one who's being stupid. I don't_ ever_ want to hear you say that word again."

Björn scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You can't tell me what to do. You're not my chief."

"_Yet._" Hiccup heard Fishlegs say from somewhere next to him.

Hiccup just remained silent and glared at Björn. Fishlegs knew Hiccup would never bring up the fact that he was the future leader to win a conflict, but Fishlegs didn't mind doing just that if it made someone back down.

Hiccup could see the doubt and hesitation in Björn's blue eyes, although they were still narrowed in annoyance.

Then Björn scoffed. "Whatever."

Hiccup let go of his shoulders and Björn quickly stormed off, clearly still very pissed off.

Hiccup sighed. He glanced around him and saw several other Vikings observing him but they all quickly went back to their drinking and celebrating. Getting into heated arguments was not uncommon when people had had something to drink, although it was pretty unusual that someone slung out that particular insult he had just heard.

"Son?" he heard his dad's voice say from behind him.

He turned around and met his father's blue eyes. "Yeah, dad?"

"What was that all about?"

"Oh…Snotlout accused Björn of cheating in a game and then they began to yell at each other and Björn used a particular…word…that you shouldn't ever call another Viking." he explained. "_Rassragr_…"

"I see." his dad said and his face turned serious. Then he took a few steps closer to him and placed his large hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"I'm proud of you, son. A real Viking _always_ stands up for his family and friends. You did the right thing." his father told him with a soft shine in his eyes.

"Thanks dad." Hiccup replied with a tiny smile tugging at his lips. He wondered if his dad would still be proud of him, if he knew the whole truth about him and his sexuality. Probably not…

His dad nodded at him with a small smile, before he turned around and went back towards Gobber and some of the other men to continue celebrating.

Hiccup turned his head and looked at Fishlegs who had come closer.

"I'm going to bed now." he told his blonde friend, who nodded in response.

Hiccup quickly covered the distance to the table where Rapunzel, Astrid and the twins were still sitting, having observed the whole thing.

"Are you okay, Hiccup?" Astrid asked him with concern in her blue eyes.

"I'm fine. I just got angry." he told her and she nodded in understanding.

"I'm going to bed, Rapunzel. Do you want to stay here some more or do you want to go to sleep too?" he asked his golden-haired friend.

"I'll go to sleep too." she told him with a small smile and he nodded.

Then the both of them said good night to the others and made their way out of the Great Hall. As they exited through the massive, wooden doors, the cold air made his skin tingle.

"Hiccup." he heard Gobber's voice say from behind them. He spun around to face the large, blonde Viking who was like an uncle to him.

"Yeah, Gobber?"

"Rapunzel, could you give us a moment?" Gobber asked his blonde friend.

"Of course." she nodded and began to walk down the steps towards the village.

"Are you okay…after that whole thing with Björn?" Gobber said, concern appearing in his blue eyes.

"Yeah, it's just…sometimes I really wish Vikings in general were more open-minded." he replied and then shrugged.

Gobber nodded. "Hey, I agree with you."

"You do?" Hiccup asked, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice.

"Yeah. That word…and all the similar ones…they shouldn't be used anymore."

"Yeah…it would be nice if all other Vikings saw it that way too."

"Yes…but those things take time." Gobber told him with a soft smile.

"I know, I know..." he replied and then sighed a little.

"You did the right thing by putting Björn in his place, Hiccup."

"Thanks Gobber." he said and gave the large Viking a small smile.

"Get some sleep now." Gobber then told him and spun around to enter the Great Hall again.

Hiccup descended the stairs and he and Rapunzel began walking towards his house. Hiccup watched some of the dragons play in the distance. He quickly spotted his best friend, who seemed to be communicating with Stormfly.

"Bud, we're going to bed! Want to come along or stay here?" he yelled to the Night Fury, who immediately lifted his head and looked towards him and Rapunzel.

Then the dragon bounded towards them happily and Hiccup couldn't help but smile.

He, Rapunzel and Toothless quickly made it to the house and up the stairs to his room.

A few moments later, as Toothless had made himself comfortable on his slab of rock, Hiccup left the room to give Rapunzel some privacy to change into her sleeping clothes, while he did the same in the livingroom.

When they had both changed they got in their separate beds and was lying there in silence for a few moments. Hiccup's mind was full of thoughts and he really couldn't shut it off. Usually it would help a lot that he was still quite drunk, because alcohol helped to calm his thoughts, but right now it didn't help at all.

"Hiccup?" he heard Rapunzel's light voice say from the bed next to his.

He rolled to his side and looked at her. Even though it was dark, he could still make out her face from the light from the fireplace on the other side of the room. She looked worried.

"Yeah?"

"I just…I don't really understand why some Vikings seem to be against homosexuals...could you maybe…explain it to me?" she asked hesitantly, as if it might upset him. It didn't.

"Yeah, sure…" he said and then collected his thoughts for a few moments. "Rapunzel…I've told you a lot about Viking culture through the years. Do you remember what the most important things are to a Viking?"

"Yeah…honor and loved ones."

"Yes and often those two are linked…but what you have to understand about Viking culture is that it's _completely _focused on being strong, independent and self-reliant. Of course our culture has evolved in several ways since the Viking age a thousand years ago and thank the gods for that, but there are still a lot of remnants from the old ways, so I kind of have to explain to you how it was _back then_ for to you fully understand the situation now." he explained.

His blonde friend nodded silently, encouraging him to continue.

"Back a thousand years ago, there was even _more _focus on strength and independence…and honor was _everything._ You could get honor in a lot of different ways…being brave in battle, being protective and loyal to your loved ones and your leader, being generous, hospitable, hard-working, clever and always prepared to voice your opinion. But…if you lose your honor in some way…then you weren't a real man. Being without honor was the _worst_ thing to be, because then you were worthless in the eyes of other Vikings. If_ anyone_ implied that you were feminine, homosexual or submissive in any way, it was a_ very_ serious insult, because that meant you had no honor. It was never about the sex part in itself, but about making the person you insult look weak and unable to fulfill that roll of masculinity that was everything in Viking society. The weird thing is though…the Vikings back then didn't actually mind homosexual sex as long as you were the dominant one…being the submissive one was extremely shameful. Letting another man…do that to you…was basically viewed as a failure to be a real man and stand up for yourself, because it automatically meant to other Vikings that you would _also_ be submissive in other aspects of your life, like you would rather follow than lead, you wouldn't be brave enough to voice your opinions and you would be cowardly and rely on others to protect you. So if you were the submissive part in homosexual sex, you were weak, cowardly and feminine…no better than a slave really and not deserving any respect…and an actual relationship between two guys was completely out of the question. So yeah…being weak and feminine in any way was completely against the mentality of Viking culture and meant that you couldn't have honor, which was everything…and still is today. Sure, our culture has softened in many ways but…other Vikings don't seem to believe that someone can actually be gay or bisexual and_ still _be strong and honorable and masculine. They see it as a weakness."

There were a few moments of silence between them in the dark and Hiccup knew it was because Rapunzel was thinking about all that he had just told her.

"That's…I mean…I knew it was a masculine culture from all you and Fishlegs have told me, but I never knew just how deep that idealization of masculinity really was…"

"Yeah…like I said…we've softened up in some ways but there's still a stigma attached to being gay or bisexual."

There was a brief pause before Rapunzel spoke again.

"Hiccup…?" his blonde friend asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"That word Björn called Snotlout…what does it mean?"

Hiccup sighed a little. He had expected her to ask about that.

"Because of the deep shame associated with being submissive in a sex act with another man, there are…_a lot_ of Old Norse insults connected with this. The one Björn called Snotlout…I would say is the worst one._ Rassragr_…it's basically an extremely offensive way of saying that someone is willing to play the female, unmanly, cowardly part in sex and let another man…fuck you in the ass." he said and saw Rapunzel wince a little in the dark. She wasn't used to hearing him say things like that, but she had asked what it meant and he wasn't going to sugarcoat it.

"Back a thousand years ago…if someone called you _rassragr_ or any other word that meant the same thing, you were allowed to challenge that Viking to a fight and kill him without getting punished at all by society. That's how serious it was…of course that's not allowed here anymore but it's still…very very offensive."

"Yeah…I could tell by your reaction that it had to be something_ really_ bad."

"Yeah. I just…whenever I hear one of those words, my blood boils. It's not right to just generalize like that and think of being gay or bisexual as a disgusting, weak trait. It's not okay to judge people based on their sexuality. We should have moved on from that but unfortunately…Vikings can sometimes be quite stubborn." Hiccup told his blonde friend and instantly thought of how much their relationship with the dragons had transformed. He hoped the same thing could one day happen with this…that it would become accepted.

"I know…." Rapunzel said softly.

The silence once again hung in the air between them for a little while. He looked at Rapunzel, who was currently biting her lip a little in the dark, obviously concerned.

"I'm so sorry, Hiccup. This must affect you a lot." his blonde friend then said and trained her caring, green eyes on him.

"It does." he admitted.

He had always been seen as a worthless Viking until a few years ago, so he knew exactly how hurtful and brutal that could be.

"I wish there was something I could do…" Rapunzel told him.

"Me too…but there isn't really anything either of us can do."

"I hope…" Rapunzel began, sounding slightly hesitant. "I know you're not looking forward to becoming chief but…maybe when you're the leader you can help open the other Vikings' minds…work on removing some of those prejudices."

"Maybe." Hiccup replied quietly as he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

He and Rapunzel didn't speak anymore after that and Hiccup retreated into his own mind, while Rapunzel got some much needed sleep after being up for so long. As he was just lying in his bed and let his eyes drift across the wooden beams in his ceiling, he briefly wondered if Rapunzel was right. Maybe he could help gain acceptance for bisexuals and homosexuals once he was the chief, so maybe one day…his fellow Vikings would open their eyes and realize that being in a romantic relationship with another guy wasn't the bad thing they were making it out to be.

After all…he had opened their eyes regarding the dragons.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

The train ride back to Hogwarts was _very _different from the one they'd had two weeks ago, when they'd left the magical castle to go to Jack's house. As he sat in one of the compartments on the train with his three Gryffindor friends, Jack was in a _great _mood. He had trouble sitting still and he was talking and joking eagerly with his friends. Mavis told them that she and Jonathan were now dating, which made them all feel delighted. Apparently, her dad had finally accepted him, when he realized that Jonathan made his daughter happy. When the trolley came by, he bought some cauldron cakes and a pumpkin pasty and his friends all seemed relieved that his appetite wasn't gone like it was on the ride two weeks ago. The knowing looks they gave him clearly showed that they knew exactly why he was happy right now.

He couldn't wait to see Hiccup again and he wished that the train could just go faster. His friends teased him about his crush several times throughout the trip, but he didn't mind at all, because he was _finally _going to see Hiccup after two long weeks. Of course he had absolutely loved being around his family again, because he had really missed them a lot, but it had also been so incredibly hard to be away from that brunet Viking boy.

When Jack and the others entered the old, magical castle that was like a second home, they walked among a sea of other students towards the Great Hall.

Familiar stone corridors, now absent of Christmas decorations. Black and white school robes everywhere. Joyful laughter echoing through the air. Heads of hair in all colors and lengths. Happy eyes shining. Bubbly energy bursting through the crowd.

Jack's blue eyes scanned the surroundings, looking for a certain brunet.

When the large entrance to the Great Hall came into view, three familiar people entered his vision.

Hiccup, Rapunzel and Fishlegs were talking and laughing together by the entrance, obviously waiting for Jack and the others.

_Finally._

Jack felt his heartbeat speed up and he wished he could move faster towards them, but it was too crowded to get past all the students in front of him.

When his three Ravenclaw friends spotted them among all the other students and all turned their heads, Hiccup's face lit up in a bright smile and he waved at Jack and the others.

A flood of strong emotions washed over Jack in that moment. Pure, unrestrained adoration hummed contently in his veins and an unstoppable bubbly joy tickled in his stomach and chest like piles of soft feathers against skin, just by seeing that beautiful Viking boy again. He couldn't hold back the goofy smile that appeared on his lips, as his eyes took in Hiccup and how happy he looked.

Okay…

That was it.

He had made a realization about his feelings for the Ravenclaw that day when Astrid kissed him and today he made another one.

He didn't have a crush on that amazing dragon rider. He couldn't claim to simply "have feelings" for him or "fancy" him.

There was no way to suppress that adoration inside. No way to ignore how it felt like something _vital _to his life was missing when Hiccup wasn't around. No way to deny how desperately he wanted Hiccup to be his and _only_ his.

He didn't have a crush.

He was hopelessly in love.

**Author's note:**

\- Villieldr: The name of Hiccup's owl. Means "wild-fire" in Old Norse. He named it this based on the orange feathers on the bird's head, back and wings.

\- Frigg: The wife of Odin. Is said to be just as wise as her husband. Is associated with marriage and birth and is called on during birth to protect the mother and the child. Could also be called upon to protect sons who went to war.

\- Freyja: Probably the most important goddess in Norse mythology. Goddess of love and fertility, but also associated with magic (she is a powerful sorceress), wealth and death (half of the warriors who die bravely in battle go to her place Folkvangr, half goes to Odin's Valhalla). Vikings would pray to her for happiness and love and sometimes for a good harvest and she was also called upon during births.

\- Æsir: The gods in Norse mythology are divided in two different kinds or "clans": the Æsir and the Vanir. The Æsir are gods like Odin, Thor, Týr. They were the first gods to exist, since Odin and his two brothers were the first gods ever. Of course there are some overlap between what sort of powers/aspects the Æsir and the Vanir are associated with, but in general the Vanir are cultivation and fertility gods, while the Æsir are associated with power and war. The Vanir and the Æsir were at war with each other until they managed to come to a peace agreement by exchanging hostages (Freyr and Freyja are both Vanir who are brought to live with the Æsir) and since then the two clans have lived in peace, basically merging into one clan.

\- Njórdr: The father of Freyr and Freyja. Associated with the ocean (ocean travel, trade, wealth, fishing and the winds). Is a fertility and wealth god.

\- Freyr: Son of Njórdr. One of the most important gods in Norse mythology and the most important god to sacrifice to at Jól, because he's associated with farming and crops. Also associated with fertility and wealth. Rides the large boar Gullinbursti (means golden mane/bristles) that the dwarves gifted him with. The boar has (as the name implies) a golden mane that glowed so bright it could illuminate Freyr's surroundings at night and it could run (and fly) faster than any horse – even faster than Odin's eight-legged horse Sleipnir.-

\- The rituals Vikings did at Jól could vary a little from place to place (like if they performed them outside or inside, how exactly they called on the gods and so on) but they all sacrificed- and prayed to the gods in one way or another and then most of them had a big feast afterwards where they drank plenty of alcohol, ate a lot of food and just had fun together.

**Response to guest reviews:**

Pooka-Spirit: Of course you can promote my story on your Tumblr, I just take that as a major compliment :D Promote all you want, he he :) Thank you :D

Lyss: As always, I just love your long and detailed reviews, they make me very happy and I really like that you're so specific :) and you always shower me with such amazing compliments, I truly appreciate it :D and btw, I'm glad to know you appreciate that i proof-read, because that actually takes quite a while, he he.

Anno: Thank you for those lovely words :D And hey, a fellow scandinavian! Hej med dig :) I know just how you feel about Viking culture and Norse mythology, it's very important for me too to get the information about our Viking ancestors right :) And I'm glad you appreciate that.


	15. Love is watching someone die

**Author's note:**

Hi everyone :) This is a quicker update than usual, because I'd already written part of the chapter a loooong time ago, when I was having a sudden fit of inspiration :) A few remarks:

\- WARNING: Even though this is an M-rated fic, I'll still give you guys a little heads up (just in case there are some squeamish readers out there who get upset by reading unpleasant things): there will be some dark stuff in this chapter (angst and a lot more serious violence than previously). There. Now no one can say I didn't warn them :P

\- This chapter starts almost right where the last one left of. Jack and the others met Hiccup, Rapunzel and Fishlegs by the entrance to the Great Hall after getting back from the holidays and Jack realized he's in love with Hiccup. This chapter starts during the feast in the Great Hall right after Hiccup, Jack and their friends have all greeted each other and very briefly talked.

\- By the way…I know quotes are kind of cliché to use but I don't care because two of my favorite quotes just wouldn't leave my mind when I was writing this chapter, so I chose to put them in. One at the start of the chapter and one at the end.

* * *

Mark Twain wrote:_ "Of all the animals, man is the only one that is cruel. He is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it."_

* * *

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

He had almost forgotten how much he disliked the noise in the Great Hall at Hogwarts.

Almost.

Sharp sounds of cutlery. Scraping noises from plates, bowls and trays across tables. Bubbly chatter. Laughter. Shoes gliding across stone floor. Ruffling of cloaks. Liquids pouring from pitchers. Food being chewed.

The first feast after any kind of holidays was always the same. It was excited story telling. It was hushed conversations. It was friendly teasing and loud laughter. It was first year students eager to see if the new friendships they'd made were still intact after the first separation. It was older students reuniting with friends whose bond with them they never doubted.

He felt a headache approaching.

As he grabbed a pitcher of juice and poured some of the yellow fluid into his cup, he thought of Berk. It was so peaceful back there compared to here. Sure, Berk had dragon roars, tools clinking, waves crashing against rock, bleating livestock and a myriad of other sounds but…that was home. It was familiar and more importantly…it wasn't a swarm of noise all at once…a swarm he associated with something he also disliked: crowds.

He put the pitcher down on the table with a soft thud. In front of him Fishlegs was stuffing his face with roast potatoes, steamed vegetables and some kind of meat, while Rapunzel was cutting out a piece of chicken with her knife and fork.

He missed the quietness and nature of Berk. Not to mention the dragons and the other Vikings. Would he wish he was back there? Yes and no. He missed home whenever he was at Hogwarts. He missed Hogwarts whenever he was home.

Right now though…he was more than happy to be back at his magical school. He wouldn't want to be anywhere else in this moment.

Why?

Because Jack was here.

He turned his head a little and looked towards the Gryffindor table, where Jack and their friends were talking and laughing, while eating their dinner. Flynn and Jack seemed to be teasing each other relentlessly much to the amusement of Mavis and Merida. Flynn said something that caused the two girls to laugh and Jack to nudge his shoulder playfully, before Flynn ruffled his snow-white hair.

Gods, he had missed him so much. Dinner could_ not_ end soon enough, because he and his friends had all agreed to spend time together afterwards. Curfew had been extended for the older students since this was their first day back and everyone was excited to see their friends again and they'd agreed to take advantage of that. After all…they had plenty of things to tell each other about their holidays and it had been two weeks since they'd all been together.

He, Rapunzel and Fishlegs kept themselves busy throughout dinner with talking about resuming their classes and Fishlegs went on several rants about things he'd read in the book on magical creatures Hiccup had given him for Christmas, as well as things from the book on plant life Rapunzel had bought for him. Rapunzel told both of them about the latest letter from her parents, how they were and how Christmas had been for them.

When the three of them had finished their meals, they got to their feet, took their jackets with them and made their way towards the massive doors to the Hall. Their Gryffindor friends were already gone from their seats. Hiccup slung his satchel over one shoulder, the straps digging into the skin from the weight of the items inside the bag.

The four Gryffindors were waiting outside the Great Hall for them, keeping themselves occupied with conversation. They were laughing at something Mavis had said, when they all spotted them, turned their heads and gave them happy smiles and greetings.

"So…where do you guys want to go?" Flynn asked them, adjusting the strap on his satchel on his shoulder.

"Well actually…we were thinking we should all go to the lake tonight…make a small fire and drink some mead." Hiccup told them, the corners of his lips curving upwards in a smile.

"What? You have more mead?" Jack asked, instantly seeming excited about that. Not that that surprised him. He clearly remembered how much Jack liked mead.

"Yeah, we brought some back with us." he explained, his smile widening at white-haired friend's joy.

"Wicked. I've never tried mead." Merida said and Mavis and Flynn told them that they hadn't either.

"It's great!" Jack said, grinning at all of them.

"Yeah, just don't get a hangover again, Snowcone." he told Jack.

"Psshh. That will never happen. Now I'm obviously immune to it!" Jack said happily and did a dismissive motion with one of his hands.

"Yeah…that's _not_ how alcohol works." Hiccup replied dryly.

"As usual, you're just talking without actually knowing anything, Hic." Jack told him teasingly.

"Riiiight…I had forgotten you were the undisputed master of alcohol."

"I'm glad you finally remembered that, Hiccy." Jack retorted and Hiccup shook his head in amusement.

"Well…I want to try some mead now…let's go get drunk." Flynn told them, excitement evident in his brown eyes, before he spun around and walked towards one of the exits of the castle.

They all quickly followed the brunet, their busy feet treading across the stone floor. The incessant, irritating noise from the Great Hall slowly faded as they put more distance between themselves and the army of students still busy eating their dinner and catching up with their friends.

Jack walked beside him and then slung his arm around his shoulder without a word, while shooting him a happy grin, which he returned.

Gods, he had missed that little ritual. It was familiar and comforting and…wonderful. He sighed in contentment and savored the closeness and warmth between him and Jack, as they both trailed behind their friends towards the lake. It felt like it had been months since they'd last been around each other, even though it was only two weeks.

When they all stepped out into the brisk night air, they quickly put on their jackets and continued on their way across the snow-covered ground. Jack once again put his arm around him, and their friends pulled out their wands and illuminated their surroundings with Lumos spells, so they wouldn't stumble over something in the dark.

Hiccup lifted his head and watched the night sky for a few moments, as he and Jack walked shoulder to shoulder, their footsteps making imprints in the white snow. It was a beautiful, clear night. The dark heavens were devoid of any clouds, stars gleaming in contrast against the blackness. Shining its gentle beams across the landscape, the full moon was surrounded by a bright halo of light.

When they reached the frozen lake, they found their usual spot and unfolded the blankets Merida and Jack had brought in their backpacks. He and Fishlegs quickly located some wood nearby and sucked the moisture out of it with a quick spell, so it could be used to make a small fire to keep them warm and give them light as well. They stacked the pieces of wood in the middle of their little spot and Hiccup shot a spark out of his wand to light it. Small flames quickly began burning through the wood, emitting that familiar smell of smoke.

They all sat down in a circle around the small fire on the blankets. He, Jack and Rapunzel sat close together on one blanket, while Merida and Flynn slumped down next to each other on another and Fishlegs and Mavis took the last one.

Fishlegs pulled out the bottles of mead and the cups they'd brought and handed a bottle and a cup to each of them. Of course not all of them would even be able to drink a whole bottle, but this way they could all give themselves refills whenever they wanted.

Merida and Flynn wasted no time in taking the cork out of the bottle and pouring the golden liquid into their cups. They clinked the cups together in a little toast and then took a sip.

"Wow, this is great!" Flynn said as he took another drink of the cup.

"Yeah, it's delicious." Merida agreed.

"We're glad you like it." Hiccup told them with a small smile and Fishlegs nodded.

The rest of them poured mead in their cups and also began to drink the alcohol made from honey. Even though he had just been on Berk for two weeks, it was still somewhat comforting to have some mead. It was a taste of home and since he wouldn't be back on Berk for a while, he welcomed that.

They all quickly became engulfed in conversation about what they had done during the holidays. Of course he and Jack had written each other a lot, so they knew most of the stuff, but the others hadn't stayed quite as updated with each other, so they exchanged stories around the small fire. Merida told them all about her Christmas with her parents and three brothers and how her parents had jokingly discussed disowning her for buying stuff from Zonko's Joke Shop for the three red-headed rascals, since they'd pretty much wreaked havoc in the house and in the neighborhood. Mavis told them about her Christmas with her dad and his tons of strange friends from the wizarding world who spent every holiday with them and then explained how she met Jonathan, told them about the conflicts between her and her dad about her new relationship and then about how her father had finally accepted it. Flynn explained how he and his dad had celebrated Christmas with the rest of their little family and how he'd met his dad's new girlfriend who actually seemed to be a really nice person. All four Gryffindors also spent quite some time talking about all the fun things they'd done at Jack's house like building toys in North's workshop, having snowball fights and going to Christmas markets.

In turn, he, Fishlegs and Rapunzel told them about the things they'd done on Berk (leaving out any information about Hiccup being the chief's son and getting chiefing lessons), like dragon racing, the sacrifice and the Jól feast and about how Rapunzel had experienced everything. All the while, they all drank more and more mead and quickly became a little buzzed. Hiccup felt his fingertips tingling and his mind relaxing, defenses and rationality being forced into submission by the alcohol.

Grey smoke from the little bonfire drifted upwards into the night sky, the familiar smell of smoke staying in his nostrils. The sounds of pouring liquid into cups and happy talking and laughing floated through the air. There was a special kind of joy in the atmosphere…the kind that only came from reuniting with friends you hadn't seen in a while. It almost felt like he would actually be able to reach out and touch it if he tried…like invisible wisps of bubbly energy in the air.

"Man, I wish I could see all the dragons and Vikings someday." Flynn said in response to Rapunzel's story of witnessing one of the dragon races on Berk. The brunet took another swig of his mead.

"Yeah, me too. That would be wicked! An entire island populated by dragon-riding Vikings? Count me in!" Merida agreed excitedly.

Hiccup and Fishlegs both chuckled a little.

"Well…maybe someday you can visit." Hiccup told them with a crooked smile. He definitely wouldn't mind that at all.

"Really? Can we?" Mavis asked, hope shining in those blue eyes.

"Yeah, of course. You're our friends. You'd be more than welcome." Hiccup said and all four Gryffindors beamed at him in response.

"Oh, we are_ so_ doing that some day!" Jack exclaimed happily, gesturing wildly with his hands. Hiccup could feel a grin spread across his face. Jack's happiness was contagious as always…and the thought of his pale friend coming to Berk with them made his stomach bubble joyously. He would like to show Jack his home someday…show him all the dragons…let him meet the other Vikings…let him get a sense of his culture…

"Yeah, maybe we could get a ride on a dragon!" Mavis said and trained her blue eyes on him and then Fishlegs.

"Sure." Fishlegs agreed and Hiccup nodded, before taking another sip from his cup, letting the mead coat his taste buds with the strong, yet sweet taste.

"Well,_ some_ of us have already done that." Jack told them and puffed out his chest in mock arrogance.

"Don't be such a show off, Snow Queen." Merida stuck her tongue out.

"Can't help it, Mer. I'm in an exclusive club now." Jack told her teasingly.

Merida grumbled something inaudible in response and Jack laughed.

"Hiccup…?" he heard Flynn's voice say hesitantly, which was very out of character for him.

He turned his head a little and trained his eyes on his brunet friend, who was watching him with those brown eyes, that were currently conveying a little insecurity. He instantly felt confused. He'd never seen Flynn be hesitant about something before.

"Yeah?" he asked, furrowing his forehead a little. He wasn't really sure what to expect from this.

Flynn hesitated for a few moments, just watching him.

"I'm not trying to pressure you or anything, I completely understand if you say no but…do you think…_maybe_…it would be all right if we met Toothless someday here and watched you guys fly?" the brunet asked him.

All the other teens immediately looked at him, awaiting his response. It was a delicate matter, they all knew that, and that explained why Flynn had been so hesitant about it.

Hiccup hummed in thought. He bit his lip a little.

Would that be okay? Well…he trusted Jack completely and over time he had come to trust Flynn, Merida and Mavis as well so…maybe it was time.

"Yeah…I guess that would be okay." he said, a ghost of a smile appearing on his lips.

The Gryffindors all looked surprised for a few seconds before they grinned at him in response, eyes gleaming with happiness. They had probably expected him to say no due to his guarded nature but…he found that he actually_ wanted_ to open up even more to them. He already felt quite close to all of them but of course his bond with Jack was the strongest one and he had shared a lot with him that he hadn't shared with Flynn, Mavis and Merida yet but…perhaps it would be good to try and let them in more.

"Oh that is going to be so wicked!" Merida said and did a little jump while still sitting down, massive mane of curls bouncing a little.

"I can't wait to see Toothless again." Jack told him with happiness in his blue eyes and the Terrible Terrors inside Hiccup sprang to life.

"Well…I think Toothless will be happy to see you too." he replied softly, unable to keep a fond smile off his lips. He clearly remembered the feeling of soft affection inside him, when he saw Toothless and Jack interact with each other. It meant a lot to him that his best friend and the guy he had feelings for got along so well.

Although the next time Jack met Toothless, his scaly best friend better not try to play matchmaker again. Hiccup wasn't at all sure if he could handle that. It was difficult enough as it was to keep his feelings for his white-haired friend hidden. He _really _didn't need a meddling Night Fury thrown into the mix.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

The flames crackled eagerly in the small fire in front of him. Hiccup, Rapunzel and Mavis were in the middle of a philosophical discussion, flames reflected in their eyes, their soft voices reaching his ears. He took another swig of the golden liquid in his cup. The alcohol was making his whole body relax and a pleasant warmth ran through every vein inside him. He felt fuzzy and snug and just…completely content.

Somewhere along the way while Jack was discussing Quidditch with Merida and Flynn, Rapunzel had moved and was now sitting between Hiccup's legs, resting her back and her head on his chest, while she held a cup of mead casually in one of her hands and Pascal was curled up on her stomach. Hiccup was playing with some of the blonde's incredibly long golden hair, wrapping it around fingers or twirling locks of it, while they were talking.

If it had been Astrid or some other girl, Jack would definitely feel that sharp sting of jealousy, but since it was Rapunzel he was perfectly fine with the situation. He knew that she and Hiccup had a sibling-like relationship. There was definitely nothing romantic going on between them.

While Merida and Flynn kept discussing who was the best professional Quidditch chaser, Jack turned his attention to his three friends and their discussion, listening with interest while taking sips of his mead.

"…so I don't really believe in an afterlife." Rapunzel told Mavis and Hiccup, who both nodded. The bubbly blonde spoke more softly than usual, the mead seemingly making her content but _very_ relaxed.

"Do you believe in Valhalla, Hiccup?" Mavis asked their Viking friend.

"Not really. I mean…the thought of Valhalla is comforting but...I'm well aware that it's very unlikely to actually exist." Hiccup replied, locks of golden hair wrapped around one of his hands.

Jack found that it was quite amusing to discover what kind of drunks his three Ravenclaw friends were. Of course he already knew how Mavis, Flynn and Merida reacted to alcohol, since they'd been drunk together before. Mavis was the philosophical drunk…the kind who enjoyed having deep conversations about the big topics in life like death and love and morality, although she could also easily have a lot of fun. Flynn was the affectionate and sentimental drunk who told everyone how much they meant to him, often giving out hugs as well. Merida was definitely the reckless drunk…the one who usually got injured somehow and came up with crazy ideas like drunk cartwheeling.

It came as absolutely no surprise to him that Hiccup and Rapunzel were both philosophical drunks as well. The two Ravenclaws were not only intelligent but they both also preferred deeper subjects over small talk any day. He had expected Fishlegs to be the philosophical drunk as well, but the large Viking surprised him by being the kind of drunk who is entertained by almost anything, sometimes erupting into fits of giggles for no apparent reason.

"Yeah…if some kind of afterlife exist…I doubt it would be anything like any religion portrays it." Mavis replied, the warm glow from the fire almost making her pale skin shine.

"I agree." Hiccup said. "It's thought-provoking though…that all religions are so certain they have the one 'true' answer and yet…no one actually knows if gods exist or if they are just a human invention to comfort us because we need some kind of reassurance that there's more to life than just this."

"Exactly…and besides…most religions overlap each other not just on similarities between the gods but also in the values that are being preached. Like forgiveness and love. Most religions are incredibly similar when it comes to the basic rules and values." Rapunzel said and Mavis hummed in agreement.

"Yeah…" Hiccup said. "Which just makes it_ that_ much more ironic that humans have killed and tortured each other for religious reasons for thousands of years." he told them, freeing one of his hands from the mass of golden hair.

Flynn and Merida had apparently finished their conversation on Quidditch since it was suddenly quiet next to him. He glanced to his right and noticed that Flynn was observing Hiccup wrapping and unwrapping fingers in golden hair.

Huh. Strange.

A fit of giggles suddenly escaped Fishlegs and they all looked at him and laughed. Their large, chubby Viking friend was quite drunk by now and had serious trouble keeping his random laughter in.

As the hours ticked by, they all got more and more drunk. Hiccup, Rapunzel and Mavis finished their discussion on religion and the afterlife and joined him and the others in lighter topics, like which of their professors would make a good couple (everyone almost choked on their own laughter, when Rapunzel jokingly said Professor Bunnymund and Professor Mansnoozie), whether a team of lemurs or a team of raccoons would make the better team in a Quidditch match and who had the funniest experience with an animal (Fishlegs won hands down when he told them a crab once shot a missile of shit straight into his eye, when he was holding it in his hand, examining a bunch of the small animals that he had caught for eating).

"I love that story." Hiccup said, breathless from laughing and Jack's face split into a huge, beaming grin from the Viking's amusement.

"I know you do." Fishlegs said and then lost control, as another fit of giggles escaped him. It was amazing that he had actually managed to tell them the story without breaking down.

"It doesn't matter how many times we've heard it. It's still hilarious." Rapunzel said, leaned her head forward and drank some more mead, before leaning back against Hiccup's chest again. Jack found himself briefly thinking that _he _would like to be sitting there, leaning against Hiccup…being close to him…feeling his warmth…hearing his heartbeat…having his hands play with his hair instead of Rapunzel's.

"Must have stung like hell though." Flynn said, grinning, pulling Jack out of his thoughts.

He blinked.

"It did." Fishlegs said, having trouble breathing because he was still giggling and a grin spread across Jack's face. Fishlegs' giggling was seriously infectious. It was so…contradictory to his size and his Viking background to hear him giggle like a schoolgirl.

"Yeah…I had to listen to him moan about it for the rest of the day." Hiccup told them. "He's been injured in fighting practice and weapons training and sometimes when we've defended Berk against enemies but…that time where that crab shat him in the eye is the _only_ time I've heard him actually whine about something painful."

They all chuckled in response to that.

"Hey, it stung!" Fishlegs protested.

"I _know_ it did, you wouldn't shut up about it." Hiccup said with a huge, bright grin.

"Maybe you should try it before you judge me, Hiccup." Fishlegs said, lips parting into a wide, amused smile.

"No thanks, Fish…I prefer to keep excrement _out _of my eyes." Hiccup retorted dryly.

"You're such a bore, Hic. Be a little adventurous, will you?" Jack interjected teasingly and leaned to the left and nudged Hiccup's shoulder. He heard Flynn and Merida chuckle.

"Riiight…" Hiccup drawled. "I don't know what kind of adventures_ you _like, Snowflake, but I prefer the ones that don't end up with getting shat in the eye."

They all laughed at that comment, Fishlegs' high-pitched giggles standing out among their laughs.

"Hey, I was just saying what we were all thinking." he retorted and shrugged casually.

"I was _not _thinkn' that." Merida interjected, slurring just a little bit.

"Yeah, right. Like you wouldn't love going on a, quite literally, shitty adventure." Jack said and winked cheekily at her.

"I agree with Jackie. You're always fighting with your mum about cleanliness, because you go out and get all dirty, Simba." Flynn told her.

"Yeah, by _dirt_ not shit." Merida retorted.

"Nuance." Flynn said and held out a fist towards Jack who instantly bumped it with his own fist. They both loved teasing Merida and especially when they could gang up on her.

"_Not_ a nuance." Merida protested.

"Pssh, you're drunk, Mer. We can't trust anything you say." Jack told her and heard his friends all chuckle.

"Hey, you're drunk too!"

"So? I'm a wise drunk. Alcohol brings out my _massive_ intellect." he said and glanced at Hiccup, who grinned at him and lifted his eyebrows in amusement.

"You're so_ not_ wise, Snow Queen." Merida told him with a dismissive wave of a hand.

"Oh, don't even pretend you don't love me."

"Pfft…I despise you." his red-haired friend said but her blue eyes were gleaming with amusement.

"That's just not true. We all know you're hopelessly in love with me." Jack shot back and waggled his eyebrows.

"Now wait just a minute, Jackie. Curly is _clearly_ in love with _me_." Flynn said, motioning to himself.

"No, mate. She's in love with _me_…she's drawn to _your _enormous sexual energy and wants to rip your clothes off, remember?"

"Oh right,_ that's_ how it is." Flynn agreed, as a grin spread across his face.

"You two should be in a bloody mental hospital." Merida muttered before she got to her feet and wobbled, clearly affected by the alcohol.

"You can't run from our love!" Jack yelled dramatically, his loud voice echoing through the air and all his friends burst out laughing at that. Merida gave him the finger with a huge grin on her face, before she continued to walk on unsteady legs into a part of the forest. Jack assumed she had to pee.

He felt something crawl across his trousers, so he instantly looked down and saw Pascal walking across one of his legs. He kept his eye on the small lizard for a few moments, as he crawled over to Flynn and curled up on the brunet's thigh. Flynn smiled at the small reptile and stroked him gently a few times before looking up and exchanging a grin with Rapunzel. Jack _had_ noticed that Pascal seemed to be growing fonder and fonder of Flynn. It wasn't unusual these days that the lizard initiated some kind of contact between them.

Jack smiled softly to himself at that thought. It was just another sign of how close they had all grown in their little group of friends.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

The warmth from the fire heated his cheeks and nose and kept his body shielded from the brisk cold of the dark winter night. The orange glow from the flames illuminated their surroundings, bathing his friends' happy faces in a gentle light.

Mavis and Flynn sat closely together, Mavis now resting her head on Flynn's shoulder, while Rapunzel had moved from her previous position against his chest to sitting next to Fishlegs with an arm around him. Merida rested her back against the large oak tree behind her, while Jack still sat next to him, now having moved a bit closer since Rapunzel left.

Hiccup sighed to himself, letting his breath escape him in the form of white mist. There was a soft contentment washing over him, as he sat here by the fire with his amazing friends, drinking alcohol, talking and laughing. He was definitely drunk now…that familiar, warm sensation was flowing through him, his usually busy mind was unwinding and he had a tingling feeling in his stomach. Not to mention that_ everything _just seemed funnier than usual and he had a stomach ache from laughing so much at his friends' jokes and stories.

He chuckled a little, as he observed Flynn and Jack talking to each other by the fire. They had all just finished a conversation about Mavis' new boyfriend where they had basically thrown all kinds of curious and embarrassing questions at her, much to all of their amusement. They were all eager to learn more about the boy who was now dating their friend and Mavis mostly answered their questions with a grin on her face, but a few times she blushed when Jack, Flynn and Merida teased her.

Now Jack and Flynn were talking fondly with each other and it was incredibly amusing to watch them, because they were being _really _sentimental. They had already hugged each other several times and told each other how they would be "brothers forever", how much they loved each other, how "I'll always be there for you, mate" and so on. It was _unbelievably_ adorable as well. It didn't really surprise him though. Both Jack and Flynn got affectionate and sentimental when they were drunk and they had a long, brotherly friendship behind them, so it made sense that they got a little emotional with each other.

"H-hey Hiccup!" he heard Merida's voice say suddenly, so he turned his head to train his eyes on her.

"Yeah?" he asked, tilting his head a little.

"We should totally s-shoot arrows right n-now!" Merida said, grinning widely at him, her speech clearly affected by the mead.

"Oh no, we _definitely_ shouldn't." he said, shaking his head. "We're both drunk."

"Yeah, so it would be really funny!" the Scot insisted.

"No no no, Merida. I've seen people do that on Berk…trust me, it_ never_ ends well."

It had surprised him that Merida could actually be even louder than usual when she was drunk and she became extremely reckless, as she tried to persuade the others to do all sorts of crazy activities…like shooting arrows drunk. A few hours ago, she had insisted that she could do perfect forward rolls while drunk, which Jack had challenged her to prove. It ended up with Merida tumbling to the side, smacking her face into the snow-covered grass, much to everyone's amusement.

His red-haired friend scoffed dismissively. "I could totally s-shoot arrows right now."

Hiccup shook his head to himself. "You _definitely_ couldn't."

"Don't go there, Hic." Jack said, having apparently finished being all sentimental with Flynn. "You'll just make her want to do it even more."

"Pssh…it's a good idea!" Merida protested with a grin.

"It _really_ isn't." Hiccup said dryly.

"I think Hic would appreciate it if you could stop suggesting things that will get you both killed, Mer." Jack told the red-head.

"Definitely…what sane person wouldn't appreciate that?" Hiccup replied.

"Like you could ever pass for 'sane'." Jack told him, amusement gleaming in his blue eyes.

"Hmm…point taken." Hiccup agreed. "It's good I don't have to pretend to be normal around you then."

"Yeah. Normal is overrated anyway." Jack shrugged.

"I completely agree." he told his pale friend with a fond smile, which Jack returned.

"Uhh…I think we should get back guys…curfew is soon." Mavis told them suddenly.

They all quickly agreed to that. After all, no one wanted detention.

They began packing up the blankets, the bottles and the cups, all on very unsteady feet. He and Fishlegs quickly put out the fire with some water spells.

Then Hiccup went over to a nearby tree where he had left his satchel, while the others were stuffing blankets into backpacks.

When he had bent down, picked up his satchel and slung it over one shoulder, someone grabbed his arm and spun him around.

He came face to face with Jack.

His pale friend pulled him towards him and before Hiccup knew it, he was enveloped in a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around Jack, letting his fingertips dig into the back of his friend's black jacket and resting his chin on top of Jack's head of white hair. He breathed in that familiar faint smell of peppermint.

Being drunk was a_ really_ good excuse to be overly affectionate and he was taking advantage of that right now.

Jack didn't seem to mind in the slightest though. His white-haired friend tightened the grip around him and squeezed him, as if he was afraid Hiccup might disappear any moment.

"You're the best, Hic…" he heard Jack say and even though he was mumbling, the words were _packed _with fondness.

Oh gods…that was just…_seriously_ heartwarming and adorable. Hiccup really had to hold himself back, because right now he was itching to kiss the top of Jack's head in response. Just…press his lips against that soft, snow-white hair to express how much Jack meant to him…

Of course he knew that Jack was probably saying this because he was being incredibly sentimental and affectionate due to the alcohol. Still though…hearing the guy he cared so much for say something like that…it made him feel warmer and fuzzier inside than alcohol ever could.

"You're the best too." he said softly, his chin still against that white hair.

They just stood there for a few moments, as their friends packed the rest of the stuff. Jack didn't let his tight grip loosen at all. Not that that bothered Hiccup. He felt completely content just like this. His brain was telling him that this was really dangerous because his inhibitions were lowered by the alcohol, so he might end up doing something stupid…but his heart just couldn't allow him to let go.

Jack was in his arms. He could feel their chests pressed together. He could smell warm skin and peppermint. He could feel Jack's jacket against his fingertips. He was tickled by that soft hair against his skin. It was addictive.

"Hey you two, let's go." he heard Flynn's voice say.

Jack pulled away and smiled at him, before he turned around and began walking across the snow to join their friends. Hiccup quickly followed and actually felt slightly sad that that little moment between them was over.

He really wished he could have more of those moments…although that also made him conflicted because…those moments were risky. He craved them so much but they also fueled his feelings towards Jack and that was just…stupid and reckless. He had to accept the fact that they were never going to be together and just be content to be Jack's friend.

As the seven teens walked back towards the castle, every single one of them was pretty unsure on their feet. They were talking and laughing eagerly, shoving or hitting each other playfully, teasing each other and just goofing around in general. The pale light of their wands shone in the darkness and their happy voices were ringing through the silence of the night.

He and Jack trailed behind the others and Jack suddenly put his arm around him. Hiccup turned his head and looked into those familiar blue eyes. His drunk pale friend smiled brightly at him and he couldn't stop the warm smile that spread across his own face. Those tiny Terrible Terrors in his stomach spread their wings and soared and he was savoring having more close contact with Jack. It also didn't hurt that Jack was incredibly adorable right now…his drunkenness made his cheeks pink, his eyes sparkle and his entire face look like he was practically ready to burst with joy.

As their footsteps made the snow underneath crack, he let his eyes take in pale skin, blue eyes, snow-white hair…just drinking in the beautiful boy next to him. When Jack trained his eyes on him again a soft, fond smile tugged at the Gryffindor's lips, and he tightened his grip on Hiccup's arm and squeezed him, before leaning in a little and letting his head rest on Hiccup's shoulder for a few moments.

It was in that moment that Hiccup could feel the most delicate adoration bubble in his blood, as his heart skipped a beat and he stopped breathing for a few seconds.

It was then he made another realization…one that would have made a chilling fear creep up his spine, if it wasn't because his rationality was being subdued by the alcohol.

He had never felt this way before but he knew exactly what it was.

He was in love.

He loved that amazing, funny, attractive, caring, unique, snow-loving idiot…and there was no way he could push it down. Jack had slipped past his defense mechanisms and broken down his walls quicker than anyone ever had, he had showed him it was okay to let someone new in and he had brought him joy and happiness every day he had known him.

Now he felt the result of that.

Love.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

TIME SKIP: A WEEK LATER

"This is going to be so wicked!" Merida exclaimed, unable to conceal her giddiness, as she grinned widely and did a little jump.

The four of them were standing next to one of the entrances to the Quidditch pitch. It had been dark when they had made their way from the castle to the large wooden structure, but now the sun was slowly ascending from the horizon, letting its warm, orange glow gradually bathe the earth in light and illuminate the skies in beautiful golden and pink hues.

"Yeah, we're actually going to see a dragon….a real life dragon!" Flynn agreed, brown eyes shining with anticipation.

"He's not wary of strangers, right?" Mavis asked Jack in reasonable concern, but he shook his head quickly.

"Nah. As long as Hiccup says you're all right, he's perfectly friendly" Jack explained and then yawned and stretched his arms.

He couldn't remember the last time he had gotten out of bed this early. It was quite impressive that Hiccup managed to do that every day and still be able to fly Toothless at night too and keep up with school as well.

"Oh. So we better not piss Hiccup off then?" Flynn chuckled, and the rest of the teens grinned widely.

"Hell no. That dragon is even more protective of him than Astrid." Jack said causing the others to chuckle.

"He _definitely_ is." Hiccup's familiar voice interrupted their conversation and the four teens snapped their heads towards the sound.

Hiccup was standing still, watching them with an amused smile on his face, Rapunzel and Fishlegs each on one side of him. That wasn't what made all of their jaws drop though.

Hiccup looked _very_ different right now, than what the four Gryffindors were used to.

Dark metal body armor was protecting the upper half of his torso as well as his shoulders, the right one being extra shielded with a black shoulder pad with a red motif on it. He had a brown leather inner suit on that could be seen on the lower half of his torso, and there were two thick black leather straps around him near his stomach that were held in place with metal buckles. His legs were covered with green pants, and brown leather leg guards that shielded the side of both his legs down to his feet and were kept on with leather straps. His arms were protected by thick black and brown leather arm guards with more straps on them, and they seemed to have several small compartments for storing things, including a dagger. The Viking was holding a helmet in dark metal and brown leather to match the rest of the armor under one of his arms. It had three rows of slightly rounded spikes on top of it, which gave it a sort of dragon-like quality.

Wow. Just…wow…

Jack had to blink a few times, as his mind took a little while to register this _very _unexpected change. For a few moments_ all_ that went through his mind was the word "hot".

Hiccup was_ always_ attractive, but looking like _this_ was practically just throwing it in his face…it was just…evil. Now he looked every bit the dragon rider and the Viking that he was on the inside.

Then his eyes drifted towards Hiccup's left leg, where he could now clearly see the brunet's prosthesis for the first time ever.

It wasn't at all like he had imagined. It didn't look similar to a foot at all but more like some kind of tool. It appeared fairly intricate, as if it had several functions. Jack smiled to himself. It probably did, knowing Hiccup.

"Yup, that's my prosthetic foot." Hiccup confirmed, as he had clearly noticed Jack and the others looking at it.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to stare." Jack quickly said, feeling slightly embarrassed at being caught looking at it. "It's just that we've never seen it before".

Hiccup just shrugged. "It's okay. I know it's pretty unusual".

That was an understatement…but in a good way. The brunet's prosthesis looked like it had been carefully constructed to fit several needs and not just being a tool of walking.

Jack was incredibly relieved to find that he didn't flinch or mind looking at the artificial limb at all. He hadn't been quite sure how he would react, since he had never seen that sort of thing before. He really didn't want to be uncomfortable with it or make Hiccup nervous. He was sure the Viking already felt a little vulnerable about showing them his artificial limb, and Hiccup definitely didn't need more bruises to his ego…but luckily Jack didn't have a problem with looking at it whatsoever.

"It's a good thing the girls inside the castle aren't here with us." Mavis said as she looked Hiccup up and down, causing the Ravenclaw to shift the weight of his legs a little.

"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked uncertainly, furrowing his brow, obviously not liking where this was going.

"Well…" she started with an amused grin. "You look like a proper dragon rider now with that armor and everything on….and the girls would like that. _A lot._" she said, raising her eyebrows suggestively to tease Hiccup.

Hiccup groaned, sliding his hands down his face in frustration, and Jack and his fellow Gryffindors laughed at his obvious discomfort, while Rapunzel and Fishlegs observed the Viking boy with amusement evident in their eyes. As Hiccup removed his hands from his face, Jack noticed that he was now blushing, a faint pink color marking the smooth skin on his cheeks.

"Aww come on, do you guys _always _have to tease me about that?" Hiccup asked them, rolling his eyes.

"Yes." all six teens replied in unison, causing them to erupt into a fit of giggles afterwards.

"You guys suck." the Viking pouted as his friends' laughter subsided and Jack couldn't help but smile warmly. Hiccup was a brave dragon rider and a Viking, and yet he also possessed the ability of looking _incredibly_ cute…something that still kept surprising Jack to this day because Vikings and cuteness just weren't things you usually associated with each other.

"You know you love us." Rapunzel said with a teasing smile, nudging Hiccup's shoulder.

"Fine fine." the brunet said dismissively. "But you should still give me a break just once in a while".

"Never!" Jack said defiantly, causing the others to chuckle and Hiccup to shake his head.

"Your armor looks really wicked, Hiccup." Merida then said happily, causing Hiccup to flash her a bright grin.

"Thanks, I made it myself." he said with a hint of pride in his voice. Jack always liked when Hiccup sounded proud of something or confident. It was a nice change from his usual humble, slightly insecure demeanor, especially because he had plenty of things to be proud of…he just couldn't see it.

"Of course you did." Jack said softly.

Hiccup gave him a questioning look.

"You make everything yourself." he clarified and Hiccup smiled amused in understanding.

"Why do you need all that armor on anyway?" Flynn suddenly asked, observing the armor with interest.

"Well…it's sort of a combination of reasons. The archipelago isn't exactly the safest place to live. There are plenty of wild dragons and many other tribes and even though we usually live in peace, there are sometimes conflicts, so it doesn't hurt to be prepared for anything. Other than that, it's also a good idea to be protected when you're flying and practicing tricks, since something could go wrong." Hiccup explained. Jack didn't like the sound of that "something could go wrong", although he knew Hiccup was just being realistic.

"Well that makes sense." Flynn said, content with the Viking's answer.

Merida approached the dragon rider and seemed to study his intricate armor.

"Is that a knife?" she asked, pointing at one of Hiccup's arm guards.

"Yeah." he said, unsheathing the sharp dagger from its compartment and showing it quickly to Merida, before putting it back. "I know we're not allowed to bring weapons here, but I had actually forgotten to take this one out."

"What's that?" the red-head then asked and pointed at another compartment.

"Compass." Hiccup clarified.

"And that?"

"Notebook, extra parchment and charcoal."

"What would you need that for?"

"Toothless and I are mapping out the archipelago, so I need it to sketch all the islands we come across. Also, sometimes we find a new dragon species, and then I need to draw it and write down all the information I can observe".

Merida nodded in understanding. "What's this for?" she pointed to a strap down by Hiccup's lower right leg that appeared to be empty of what was usually stored there.

"I usually keep Inferno there, but as you already know, I can't bring it to Hogwarts."

The other teens nodded. Hiccup had told them about Inferno…his flame-weapon that he mostly used for bonding with wild dragons because it was coated in Monstrous Nightmare saliva and it unleashed gas from the Hideous Zippleback dragon and set it on fire with an ignition-function, so the fire smelled like dragon fire and that made the dragons see Hiccup as one of their own.

"So…Are you guys ready to go?" Hiccup asked Jack and his three friends, giving them a little smile. They all hummed in agreement or nodded.

Hiccup, Fishlegs and Rapunzel began walking towards the little piece of forest, where Toothless would be waiting in the cave. Jack and the others followed quickly behind them, feet sinking slightly into the white powder covering the ground. He let the fresh, chilly air fill his lungs and exhaled slowly.

Flynn suddenly nudged his shoulder and shot him a teasing look, as he motioned towards Hiccup. Jack felt himself blush, causing Flynn to flash him a wide smile exposing his teeth. Why did Flynn have to rub it in his face? And_ why_ couldn't he keep these blushes under control? He had never blushed around anyone he found attractive before, except when he had his first kiss at 12 years old. Now however, he was finding it impossible to stop.

They walked in silence though the woods, twigs snapping and snow making noises of complaint beneath their feet. The gentle morning rays made the white snow shimmer beautifully in the warm light.

When they had walked in silence for a little while, Jack watched the familiar cave come into view. He smiled to himself. Now he would get to see Toothless again. That would be wicked.

Hiccup motioned for them to stop, so they all did, and awaited his instructions.

"Stay there." he told them, and Merida, Flynn and Mavis nodded in understanding, while Rapunzel and Fishlegs remained quiet, being very familiar with what was about to happen, as they saw Toothless on a regular basis.

Hiccup turned away and began walking closer to the cave. Jack found himself looking at the boy's prosthesis and sort of admired that Hiccup didn't seem affected by it. His movements weren't constricted or stiff in any way, which would be more difficult to hide now, than when the artificial limb was hidden beneath trousers and a shoe.

"Toothless!" Hiccup called out with obvious affection lacing his voice. "Come out, bud, I've brought some friends to see you!"

It only took a few seconds before the massive black shape of the Night Fury quickly came into view, as it exited the cave and ran towards Hiccup. Toothless knocked the brunet over and put his large black paws on his chest.

Jack heard some of his friends gasp, but Rapunzel quickly said "It's okay, they do that all the time." to reassure them that nothing dangerous was going on.

"Hi bud, I missed you too." Hiccup cooed and smiled warmly at the black dragon, whose eyes were wide with joy and fondness. Jack couldn't stop the affectionate smile growing on his face and the familiar warmth spreading through his body.

The dragon nudged Hiccup's face, and he laughed and began to scratch Toothless under his chin. Toothless instantly visibly relaxed and made low purr-like noises in contentment. Then Hiccup stopped scratching and the Night Fury removed its paws from the Viking's chest.

Hiccup quickly got to his feet again.

"Big tough dragon pinning a Viking down, huh?" Hiccup then said in a mock challenging way. "Well, try this on!" the brunet continued and then threw his arms around Toothless' neck, obviously trying to start a play-fight between them.

Toothless just stood completely still, not affected in the slightest by the Viking hanging around his neck.

Hiccup then released his grip on the Night Fury and started play-hitting Toothless on the neck. "Vikings and dragons, enemies again!" Hiccup yelled, before the dragon lifted one of his paws and began jabbing at Hiccup, also for fun. It kind of looked like a play boxing match.

"Have you had enough of this brutal Vikingness, huh? Do you give up Toothless?" Hiccup asked the dragon before he once again threw himself at the Night Fury and locked his arms around Toothless' neck.

"Don't try to resist, Toothless! You can't win this fight!" Hiccup shouted and Jack and the others laughed at the Ravenclaw's and the Night Fury's playfulness. Jack _loved _it when Hiccup was playing around. It was so heartwarming to see him unleash his childish side.

Toothless lifted his body off the ground, walking on two legs a few feet forward with Hiccup dangling in the air, arms clutched around his neck.

Then the Night Fury instantly slumped down on the ground, its giant head putting weight on Hiccup's chest.

Hiccup groaned a little. "Okay, you win." the Viking said breathlessly, being pinned down by the weight of the dragon.

Toothless lifted himself off Hiccup and the brunet quickly got to his feet.

Toothless instantly let out low rumbling noises and it sounded a lot like laughter. Jack was unable to keep himself from chuckling and so were the rest of their friends.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up, bud." Hiccup said, unable to keep a bright grin off his face. Then the Viking looked at them and then back to Toothless.

"Well…Do you want to say hello to some people?" Hiccup asked the dragon gently, and Toothless made a warbling sound in reply. The Viking moved towards Jack and the other teens with Toothless following closely behind, the dragon's movements swift and smooth, large paws pushing snow aside.

Jack glanced at his friends, who were all looking slightly nervous now.

"It's fine guys, nothing bad is going to happen." he said confidently to reassure them and they seemed to relax a little at his words.

They may be Gryffindors and Gryffindors were supposed be brave but _anyone_ would be a little nervous about meeting a real dragon.

Hiccup stopped in front of the other teens, and Toothless followed suit. The Night Fury observed the people in front of him with curious and slightly guarded green eyes, but there was no malice or threat in them.

Toothless left his gaze drift across them one by one.

Jack saw recognition spark in those huge keen eyes, as the reptile met his own blue orbs. Toothless obviously remembered him, and he felt quite happy about that. Not that he had expected otherwise really…

"You already know Rapunzel, Fishlegs and Jack, bud." Hiccup said and the dragon warbled once again, obviously in agreement. Jack briefly wondered if Hiccup could actually understand what Toothless was saying most of the time. He'd have to ask him that sometime.

"Hi Toothless." Fishlegs and Rapunzel both greeted the dragon happily.

"Hey Toothless. Nice to see you again." Jack told the large, black Night Fury and gave him a small wave and a friendly smile.

Toothless rumbled something in reply that sounded quite joyful.

"This is Flynn, Mavis and Merida." Hiccup said as he motioned to each of the three teens while saying their names. "They're friends so be nice to them, bud." he told the dragon, and Jack found himself shaking his head in amusement. He knew Toothless could be mischievous sometimes…much like himself.

Toothless observed Jack's friends with intelligent eyes brimming with curiosity but he kept from trying to interact with them. They were probably pretty relieved about that Jack thought to himself.

"You can stroke him if you want." Hiccup said casually, but Flynn, Merida and Mavis looked anything but casual. Their eyes were filled with hesitance.

"Uhh…" Flynn said uncertainly, watching the large, black dragon in front of him with apprehension.

"Come on guys. I'll show you. Toothless already knows me." Jack said and approached the dragon who was still standing next to Hiccup, not intending to leave the Viking's side. Even though he had only met Toothless once, he definitely wasn't worried at all. Toothless had made it clear when they met that he liked him and also…he was Hiccup's best friend and the brunet had told the Night Fury that all of them were friends, so there was _no way_ Toothless would hurt any of them.

Jack reached out his hand and began stroking the top of the dragons head, feeling the rough scaly surface against his fingertips. Toothless seemed to relax at his touch, as the dragons eyes closed and he made some low noises.

Jack quickly looked at Hiccup who was smiling warmly at him.

"That means he likes it." the Viking confirmed and Jack flashed him a bright grin, causing Hiccup to grin as well.

He looked as his friends and motioned with his head that they should come and join him. Flynn was the first to approach Toothless and hesitantly reached out his hands to touch the dragon. Jack was still stroking the Night Fury's head, and Flynn began scratching the dragon's neck gently. Jack kept an eye on his friend, who was clearly in awe of the massive creature in front of him, who could end his life in seconds if it wished to do so.

Flynn's eyes lit up like Christmas lights as Toothless continued to relax and enjoy the attention. Mavis and Merida both came closer, and put their hands on the Night Fury as well, although very slowly. Suddenly they were all petting the dragon with wide grins on their faces and joy in their eyes.

"This is amazing…" Mavis said as she let her pale hands glide across the black scales.

"I know right?" Jack told her.

"Toothless is…incredible." Flynn said, still scratching the Night Fury's neck.

"Yeah…we're _actually_ touching a dragon right now." Merida said, blue eyes shining with excitement.

"And not just any dragon. A Night Fury." Jack replied and grinned at his three friends.

They all stood like that for a while, scratching and petting Toothless who seemed to savor it. Rapunzel and Fishlegs joined them at some point, also wanting to stroke Toothless a little.

Then Hiccup suddenly cleared his throat.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we should get going while there's still enough time." the brunet told them with a small smile.

"You want to go flying now, bud?" Hiccup then asked Toothless and the dragon's eyes flew open and it jerked away from the other teens who took a few steps back in surprise.

Toothless bounded around Hiccup in obvious excitement and let out loud, happy warbles. Jack and the others laughed at the playful Night Fury. Sometimes he almost seemed like some kind of pet and not a massive, fire-breathing reptile.

"Okay, let's go then." Hiccup said happily and Toothless lowered his body, so Hiccup could climb on his back. A few easy, flowing movements landed the Viking in the saddle, and it clearly showed how many times he had done this. Hiccup rotated the side of the top of his prosthesis, causing the bottom metal part to swing up and a different looking one to come down and replace it. Jack stared at the Viking, and when he looked towards his friends, they were doing exactly the same thing.

"Wow, you can actually switch them?" Flynn said, sounding very impressed. Rapunzel and Fishlegs were smiling softly, obviously being used to Hiccup's interchangeable artificial limb.

"Yeah. I need this one to operate the tailfin properly, and the other one is comfortable for walking. I have a few others too." the Ravenclaw said.

"Is it possible to make a tailfin that Toothless can use without you?" Jack asked in curiosity.

Hiccup's face split into a huge, beaming grin, and Jack was instantly surprised, but couldn't keep his own lips from twitching at the brunet before him. What was so amusing about that? he thought with laughter in his mind. Not that he minded seeing that look of utter happiness on the Ravenclaw's face.

Hiccup leaned slightly to the side from his sitting position on Toothless' back to stroke the Night Fury a few times.

Rapunzel and Fishlegs chuckled at his question.

"Oh no." Fishlegs said. "Not unless you want to piss Toothless off." he told him and then laughed.

Jack and the others looked at the boy in utter confusion.

"What do you mean?" Flynn said, voicing the very question Jack was about to ask.

"Well…" Hiccup started. "I_ did_ build a tailfin for him once that he could use by himself. He flew away for three days to find a helmet I'd lost, and when he came back he tore the tailfin up and pulled out his old one." Hiccup said, his eyes softening affectionately from the memory.

"Wauw…He's really devoted to you." Mavis said in awe.

"Yeah…" Hiccup agreed warmly. "So we agreed on a compromise and I made this one that's connected to this lever here." Hiccup continued and pointed at a metal lever that was linked to the metal contraption that he clicked his prosthesis into to operate the tailfin. "So, if I need Toothless to fly without me, I can adjust it to that…but he generally doesn't want to fly alone."

The others watched Hiccup in silence, as he then began to check the straps and buckles of his and Toothless' gear to make sure that nothing would suddenly snap, while they were in the air. Then the Viking strapped a harness around himself.

"Okay, we're just going to practice some drills now. Usually we don't stick around the castle grounds because we don't want to be seen but we'll do that today, so you can watch. It's still too early for anyone to be up yet anyway." Hiccup explained, and the other teens nodded in understanding. "And don't worry about me, nothing is going to go wrong." he said, meeting Jack's blue eyes, as if the statement was mostly meant for him.

"You know we can't help it Hiccup." Rapunzel said, and the Viking nodded, his lips twitching.

"Well, we're off." he said to them all and quickly put on his helmet. "Let's go bud!" he told Toothless and the dragon crouched down and instantly shot upwards through the air at massive speed. A strong gust of air from the sudden movement ruffled Jack's hair.

He instantly lifted his head and trained his eyes on the Viking and the dragon again. They were already climbing upwards into the sky almost vertically.

After a few moments they leveled out, soaring gently in the sky with the wind beneath the Night Fury's large, black wings. They were far away, but he and the others could still see what they were doing.

Hiccup made Toothless turn around and they came back towards Jack and the others at massive speed high up in the sky. Toothless folded in his wings and he and Hiccup began diving straight down towards the ground.

Just before they hit the treetops, Toothless opened his wings and they flew horizontally just above the branches. Hiccup was suddenly standing up on Toothless' back and spread his arms to the side, as they swooshed past Jack and the others making every branch nearby shake from the gusts of air. Then Hiccup sat back down as they ascended vertically into the air and did a large loop, before diving down once more towards the ground, pulling up just over the treetops again.

Oh man…he would_ have_ to make Hiccup take him on another flight…one where he and Toothless didn't hold back. It looked like _so_ much fun.

Hiccup and Toothless flew further into the heavens and then turned around, coming rushing towards them once more. Jack wrinkled his forehead, as he saw them fly straight towards a massive pine that towered over the surrounding trees nearby.

He couldn't see what Hiccup was doing but suddenly he was crouching on top of Toothless and then he quickly got to his feet, so he was standing on the dragon's back once more, while they were still heading right for the tree.

"What are they doing?" Flynn asked, sounding just as confused as Jack felt right now. He didn't look at his friends though, but kept watching the Viking and the Night Fury.

"Just wait and see." he heard Fishlegs' voice say knowingly, which made him relax more. At least_ one_ of them knew what was going on here.

Just as they were about to hit the top of the massive pine tree, Hiccup bended his knees and jumped off into the air over the treetop, while Toothless quickly swerved around it. The Viking traveled through the air over the tree and then landed in the saddle again perfectly and clicked his prosthesis in place again.

Then he and Toothless turned around and circled the massive pine tree several times at incredible speed before they shot straight up into the air, creating more and more distance between themselves and the ground, reaching for the heavens.

"Bloody hell, that was brilliant!" he heard Merida say excitedly from somewhere next to him

"Yeah, that was amazing!" Mavis quickly agreed. "They make it look so effortless."

"That's because they've done it so many times." Fishlegs said, as they all continued to watch the Viking and the dragon ascend further into the cloudy skies.

Suddenly Hiccup and Toothless stopped vertically in mid-air and just let themselves fall backwards through the sky for a few moments, shooting towards the ground upside down. Then Toothless spun around and unfolded his massive, black wings and they leveled out, gliding through the air once again.

As he and the others continued to observe Hiccup and Toothless, Jack found himself smiling, laughing, chuckling and listening to his friends' various joyful outbursts. The Viking and the dragon continued to do all kinds of maneuvers and sudden changes in direction and altitude and Jack found himself thinking how impressive a sight it was to see Hiccup and Toothless fly like this…without holding back at all. They did all sorts of different moves. They climbed into the sky, they let themselves fall before once again gaining control, they did amazing loops, they dived straight down towards the ground and then pulled up, they spun around almost in a blur, they navigated effectively around obstacles despite their incredible speed.

They acted as one.

"Hey, they're coming back this way." he suddenly heard Flynn's voice say.

Toothless was flying in their direction and as the Viking and the reptile came closer, the Night Fury spun his entire body around over and over in fast, elegant movements as they flew above the treetops, blowing wisps of snow off the branches. The dragon and the rider swooshed past him and the others in a blur of black scales and large wings, spinning rapidly.

"Barrel roll." Fishlegs explained to them.

Hiccup and Toothless then ceased the spinning and the black dragon's massive, leathery wings began to carry him and his rider towards the clouds.

It was amazing to just…look up into the sky and see a large dragon flying majestically through the air, black wings and scales against blue skies and white clouds.

Jack had trouble determining how he felt, as he watched Hiccup and Toothless almost reach the barrier of clouds above them, now appearing like a black shape in the distance.

He was…happy to watch Hiccup be happy…excited to finally see Hiccup's and Toothless' skills in the air…a tiny bit worried that something _could_ go suddenly wrong…

And so very much in love with that amazing dragon rider who was currently soaring through the sky, completely free and happy with his best friend.

If someone had told him before this school year that Hiccup Haddock was an adrenaline junkie, he would have laughed in their face and told them they were insane.

Hiccup's gentle, quiet, intelligent disposition was so misleading to anyone, who didn't know him very well. He had a whole other side to him, Jack had discovered throughout their friendship….a side that enjoyed the thrill of speed and risk and adventure.

_'There's always more.'_

Now…standing here on the ground, watching Hiccup fly and do amazing acrobatic tricks in the air with his best friend, who just so happened to be a dragon…it was unbelievable and yet it was happening.

Toothless and Hiccup continued to climb through the air, and for a little while they couldn't spot the Viking properly as he was too high up…higher up than he had previously been today…which made Jack wonder what he had up his sleeve.

"Uh oh." Fishlegs said. "You're not going to be happy now, Rapunzel."

"What?" Jack and Rapunzel said in unison, both immediately concerned.

"He's going to jump off." Fishlegs explained.

"Oh, he better not!" Rapunzel exclaimed.

Jack suddenly felt Mavis' gentle hand on his arm. She obviously knew that he was a little bit concerned. He didn't look at her but kept his eyes on Hiccup and Toothless far up in the sky.

Of course he knew it was stupid to be worried. Hiccup was an experienced dragon rider. He and Toothless trusted each other with their lives. Still…he couldn't help that tiny knot of worry in his stomach.

They all kept their eyes locked on the black form in the sky. Suddenly another shape separated from the Night Fury. Hiccup was plummeting towards the ground at massive speed.

Despite being prepared for it, Jack's held his breath. He heard some of his friends gasp around him.

Time seemed to stand still.

Hiccup had his arms along his sides and fell head first through the sky. Toothless dove after him, flapping his wings to gain on the Viking. When the Night Fury had caught up, he folded his wings in a little and shot through the air like a bullet next to Hiccup.

"Don't worry. He knows what he's doing." Fishlegs said reassuringly, having apparently sensed that they were all a little bit concerned right now.

That really didn't quell Jack's unease though. He _knew_ that Hiccup knew what he was doing. He knew the Viking took precautions, that he was clever about this but still…when Hiccup did something like _this_, something _could_ go wrong.

Jack saw Hiccup reach out a hand and touch Toothless on the snout, as they continued to dive towards the ground. The Night Fury extended one of its massive paws and jabbed gently at Hiccup, causing the brunet to begin spinning around. Toothless mirrored his rider's movements and began to spin around too as they continued to fall towards the snow-covered grass below.

Then Hiccup suddenly spread his arms wide. He immediately leveled out, flying horizontally above them. Jack could see fabric stretched between Hiccup's hands and his legs, functioning as homemade wings. Toothless unfolded his black wings and swooshed majestically through the air a little distance behind his rider.

"WOOOOOOOOO! YEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHHHH!" Jack heard Hiccup's voice practically scream in the skies above.

Toothless fired a plasma blast into the air and roared loudly in excitement, which was rewarded with another bubbling outburst from Hiccup.

Jack couldn't keep a happy grin from spreading across his face. His heart felt warm and fuzzy from Hiccup's cries of pure and unrestrained joy. This was obviously what Hiccup enjoyed more than_ anything_ in the world. The wind against his face, the freedom of the skies, the presence of his best friend. This was clearly his home.

"Show off." Rapunzel said fondly, causing Fishlegs to chuckle.

"That is so wicked!" Merida shouted in excitement and did a little jump.

"It's not just wicked, it's bloody unbelievable!" Flynn said and Mavis quickly agreed.

Jack kept quiet because he was too busy focusing on Hiccup, but he silently agreed with his friends. This was just…just…_amazing_.

They kept their eyes trained on the Viking and the dragon, as Hiccup continued to soar through the sky with the help of his artificial wingspan. Toothless began to fire plasma blasts underneath Hiccup and at first Jack didn't understand why, but then it became obvious. The warm air from the plasma blasts drifted upwards, helping to carry Hiccup through the air and not lose altitude.

"That's really clever." Mavis said and they all quickly agreed to that.

"It's a way for Hiccup to fly almost for as long as he wants, if Toothless just keeps firing those plasma blasts." Fishlegs told them.

The Night Fury unleashed a couple of plasma blasts right after each other, these ones in front of Hiccup though slightly lower in altitude, forming a curve from left to right and Hiccup seemed to turn his wingspan to the right simultaneously. Using the hot air from the plasma blasts and the fabric between his hands and feet, Hiccup managed to turn right and continue to fly but in the other direction now. Toothless aided him with more plasma blasts, these ones being fired under the Viking once again to keep him from descending.

"That is just incredible!" Jack told his friends, unable to keep his thoughts confined to his head any longer.

Incredible didn't seem to be enough to describe this though. When he had flown with Hiccup and Toothless they had gently glided through the air most of the time but now…they were doing all these amazing tricks and maneuvers that were not just incredible to watch but also fast and dangerous and inventive.

"Yeah it is…" Flynn quietly agreed, while none of them took their eyes off the Viking and the Night Fury.

Toothless began to let himself drop a little in altitude, so he could fly underneath Hiccup. Then the Ravenclaw folded his arms to his sides and dropped a few feet, landing gently on the Night Fury's back once more.

Jack felt a smile tugging at his lips. All of this was just so…_Hiccup_.

He shook his head a little to himself, as he continued to keep his eyes on the Viking and the dragon, now flying together.

He watched Hiccup and Toothless change direction, so they were flying towards him and the others again. The Viking and the dragon began to slowly descend through the air towards the ground, coming closer and closer.

Soon they reached the treetops and then shortly after the massive black dragon landed elegantly on the snow-covered grass with a thud, folding his black wings along his body, his large green eyes gleaming with the excitement of the flight.

Hiccup unstrapped the harness and jumped off Toothless' back with ease. He took off his helmet, put it under one arm and ruffled his brown hair a little with the other. When he met the eyes of the other teens, he had a look of pure contentment on his gentle features, and Jack felt a tug of affection in his heart. He remembered how Hiccup had told him before that whenever he was grounded and unable to fly for days, he became frustrated and restless. He shared the need for flying with his scaly dragon best friend now and sometimes Jack found himself thinking that it was definitely true what he had told Hiccup the day they discovered the brunet's Patronus was a dragon…Hiccup _was _part dragon.

And being a dragon rider…being one with Toothless…it was who he was meant to be. Seeing him like this, overjoyed and free, left no doubts about that.

The Viking quickly began to walk towards them, Toothless trailing behind him casually.

"That was so cool!" Flynn exclaimed happily and almost giddy, as Hiccup was once again standing before them.

"Yeah, that was just…just…WICKED!" Merida agreed, throwing her hands in the air.

"You two have skills. That was really impressive!" Mavis told the brunet with a bright grin.

"Thanks!" Hiccup replied with enthusiasm and slightly out of breath, his green eyes filled with joy and excitement. He obviously hadn't calmed down yet from that fall through the sky. The brunet patted Toothless a few times.

"Must take a while to calm down again after something like that." Flynn said, voicing Jack's thoughts, having also noticed Hiccup's enthused behavior.

"Oh yeah." the Viking confirmed with a huge grin and dilated pupils. "Right now, the adrenaline's still surging through me." he explained happily and gestured wildly as he spoke, as if it was truly the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Jack shook his head in amusement and chuckled lightly. Hiccup seemed so carefree and joyful right now, it was truly heartwarming to watch. Sure, Jack had seen him happy and excited many times, but this was different. This was pure, raw, exposed emotion that was expressed without _any_ kind of restraint.

"You're a junkie Hiccup, just admit it." Rapunzel said before laughing, clearly affected by Hiccup's happiness.

"Fine fine, I admit it." Hiccup replied, holding his hands up in defeat, but a bright smile still lighting up his features. "Adrenaline is seriously addictive. You don't know what you're missing!"

Jack found himself laughing a little, along with Merida, Mavis and Flynn. Fishlegs just shook his head with a knowing smile.

"Do you do that kind of thing on Meatlug too?" Flynn asked Fishlegs curiously.

"Oh gods no!" the chubby Viking exclaimed with eyes wide. "Other Vikings practice tricks too but Hiccup and Toothless are the only ones who do stuff like _that._ Others don't love crashing to their deaths as much as _they _do." he finished, while pointing a thumb at Hiccup and Toothless.

Hiccup rolled his eyes but a flicker of a smile appeared on his lips. "Don't be so dramatic, Fish. We can pull it off."

"Luck." Rapunzel scoffed in a teasing manner, crossing her arms.

"Skill." Hiccup corrected her with a self-satisfied smile. "Right, bud?" he asked the black dragon, and Toothless roared in agreement.

"See?" he told the bubbly blonde with his eyebrows raised in an I-was-right-you-were-wrong sort of way, and none of the other teens could stop themselves from laughing at that.

It was seriously amusing and adorable to watch the interactions between Hiccup and Toothless. It was obvious to anyone that their bond was indeed unbreakable and that they understood each other on a deeper level.

Jack flashed Hiccup an affectionate smile, and the Ravenclaw's forest green eyes softened in response, while a smile turned the corners of his lips upwards. Instantly those damn stubborn butterflies came to life with their incessant flapping against his stomach walls. He wished they would just give it rest once in a while. They didn't have to come alive and stretch their wings_ every_ time Hiccup gave him one of those crooked smiles or_ every_ time his eyes softened in that fond way. God, he wished he had some magical emotional bug spray right now.

"Does Toothless always understand what you're saying to him?" Mavis asked, tilting her head slightly to the right and pulling Jack out of his thoughts. He had wondered about that a few times himself.

"Definitely." Hiccup replied. He seemed a little calmer now, so maybe the adrenaline was slowly wearing off.

"Of course he doesn't understand any human concepts that I haven't explained to him." the Viking continued. "Like…Christmas…or weddings…but he definitely understands everything I say to him. He always does exactly what I ask him to do. There's never any guesswork involved and there never has been…and when I talk to him he reacts accordingly, like when I tell him about things that annoy me, he huffs and rolls his eyes to show me that he shares my annoyance. There's no other way to explain these things, except that he understands me perfectly." Hiccup explained to the other teens, a fond smile appearing on his lips.

Toothless let out a warbling sound as if confirming Hiccup's explanation and the dragon rider took a few steps around the dragon to stand face to face with Toothless. Hiccup leaned in towards the Night Fury and bumped their foreheads gently together, while holding both his palms under the dragon's chin.

"_Ek ann þér, broðir." _Hiccup whispered softly to the dragon, as he pulled away just enough for them to look each other in the eyes. Toothless rumbled happily in his throat and then bumped their foreheads together again softly, almost resembling a pet trying to express its affection for its owner. Jack knew that Toothless was in no way a pet though. To Hiccup he was family and there was no doubt that the massive dragon felt the same way about his rider.

This moment between Hiccup and Toothless seemed incredibly soft and caring, and Jack could tell that Hiccup had said some words of affection to his scaly best friend. What exactly, he had no idea.

He looked at Rapunzel with a questioning look, but she just shook her head slowly to indicate that she didn't know what the words meant. He turned his attention to Fishlegs, who was watching Hiccup and Toothless with affection evident on his face. Obviously, he knew exactly what had been said, but he kept quiet and just observed his friend and the Night Fury.

"We should probably begin heading back now, Hiccup…before everyone wakes up." Fishlegs then said, chasing the silence away.

"Yeah, sure." the Viking replied as he looked at Fishlegs and then trained his eyes back on Toothless.

"I'm going to go now bud, but I'll see you tonight, okay?" he said to the dragon and scratched the top of that massive, black head. Toothless let out some happy sounds and seemed to be smiling. "Good boy, bud." Hiccup cooed, as he began walking in the direction of the castle, closely followed by the rest of the teens. "See you later, Toothless!" Hiccup yelled over his shoulder and the dragon roared in reply.

The walk back to the castle consisted mostly of Flynn, Merida and Mavis talking excitedly to each other about how great it had been to actually meet a real life dragon. Hiccup had chuckled or smiled fondly once in a while at their comments but other than that he didn't say much on the trip back, probably because he was a little tired now, as the adrenaline was wearing off.

Jack kept an eye on him and he liked to see that relaxed contentment that had seemed to wash over the brunet after the flight. He seemed more at ease now than Jack had ever seen him before.

When he suddenly found himself walking next to Fishlegs, after the large Viking and Rapunzel had finished a conversation about a new trick Fishlegs was trying to teach Meatlug, Jack finally let his curiosity get the best of him.

"Hey Fish…" he whispered and nudged the Viking boy's shoulder gently. The heavy, blonde teen turned his head as they kept walking towards the castle and focused his eyes on Jack.

"Yeah?" the Viking asked curiously.

"What was Hiccup saying to Toothless?" he asked, hoping it didn't seem intrusive.

Fishlegs' eyes softened considerably as soon as the question had left Jack's mouth. He seemed to hesitate for a few moments, as if deciding whether to tell him or not.

Jack felt his heart bubble with gentle affection, when he heard the answer that escaped Fishlegs' mouth.

"I love you, brother."

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

"That was probably the wickedest thing I have_ ever_ experienced! We met a dragon! A real dragon! How many people can say that!?" Merida exclaimed and threw her hands in the air, her happy voice echoing through the empty corridors. Their Ravenclaw friends had gone back to their common room and now he and his fellow Gryffindors were doing the same thing, since there were still a few hours left before breakfast and then classes.

"I know right!?" Mavis told her with blue eyes wide in excitement. Flynn laughed happily at both of their reactions.

Jack was unable to keep a bright grin off his face. His friends' enthusiasm was contagious.

"And Toothless is so much different than what I'd imagined" Mavis told them, gesturing eagerly with her hands, as if she had too much excitement in her body right now and needed to get it out. "He and Hiccup…they're more like family than a dragon and a rider."

"Yeah, they really are." Jack agreed, feeling that fondness bubble inside him again at the thought of the close bond between Hiccup and Toothless. "He relates more to Toothless than most _people_." he added and chuckled a little.

"I think you're right." Flynn said. "You could tell how happy he was being around Toothless."

"Yeah…" Mavis began. "It's still…a bit surreal to me that we actually have friends who have _dragons_." she finished, a fond smile tugging at her lips.

"Yeah, me too." Merida agreed with a happy grin. "We _have _to visit them on Berk someday."

"That would be wicked." Flynn agreed. "Dragons and Vikings all on one island."

"Yeah...I'd really like to see Berk..." Jack told them. "We should definitely go there sometime."

"Yeah…I'd really like to see them both in the air on their dragons being all happy…like Hiccup was today." Mavis said and Jack once again found himself appreciating Mavis' caring nature.

He briefly imagined that look of utter contentment and joy on Hiccup's face and found himself thinking that he definitely wouldn't mind seeing that again.

Flynn hummed in agreement, as they began to ascend several moving staircases to get to the Gryffindor common room. "He was practically bursting with joy…and…he didn't look bad _at all_ in his armor, right Jack?" he then added teasingly and gave Jack a crooked smile.

"Aww, come on." Jack whined in response. "Don't do _that_".

As much as he tried to fight it, a blush emerged on his cheeks and he felt the warmth spread across his face. Seriously…his friends were only saying things like that to get a blush from him, he was sure of it.

"We have no choice. You know the rule." Merida said gravely, her features in sad folds, as if she was truly upset that the rule existed. Jack snorted mentally. She was _loving_ this.

He_ did_ know the rule though.

"Rule number 1: Teasing is mandatory._ Everything_ shall be used against you at _all_ times." he recited the first rule of that list of rules for their friendship they had made back when they were 12 years old in their second year at Hogwarts. The rule seemed fitting as the first one on the list as relentless teasing was definitely an essential part of their close bond. Right now however, he found himself wishing that they had added some sort of exception to the rule, like "unless you have feelings for someone, in which case no one can _ever_ utter a single word or perform any gestures that could potentially cause you to be uncomfortable in your own skin".

…but what can you do? 12 year olds don't think about falling in love with brainy sarcastic dragon riders and that was coming back to bite him in the ass now.

"Exactly. It's not our fault you got it bad." Flynn said and waggled his eyebrows, as they shifted staircases and the painting of the fat lady came into view in the distance.

Well, Jack couldn't really argue with that.

He sighed in response but didn't say anything.

"Aww, you're not even denying it." Mavis cooed at him.

"Why should I? You guys know me better than anyone, so you'd see right through that anyway." he shrugged.

"That's true. We know you better than you know yourself." Merida said teasingly and nudged his shoulder. He rolled his eyes in response but was unable to keep a smile away.

As they entered the warm, familiar common room in the Gryffindor Tower, they all slumped down on soft, comfortable red couches around a large oak table in front of the empty fireplace. It was still early, as there was two hours until the first classes of the day began, so it was no surprise that the room was completely deserted.

Gryffindors were _not_ ones to get up early. Well…unless they had to see a dragon and an attractive Ravenclaw perform daring tricks in the sky of course.

Jack let out a massive yawn, and Flynn and Merida quickly followed suit. He was already feeling tired but there was a full day ahead of him. How in the world did Hiccup manage to fly Toothless at dawn, have a full day of classes and homework and then fly again late at night? It seemed impossible to keep up with that.

Jack chose to take a nap on the comfortable couch for the remainder of the two hours, while Mavis sat on another couch and studied. Merida decided to go to bed again and Flynn, in a surprising move that was _very _out of character for him, chose to catch up with a Herbology assignment he was behind on.

Jack certainly wasn't one to do homework at this ungodly hour. It was going to be a long day, so he needed to get more sleep. Luckily the couch was so soft and comfortable that he was already drifting away from reality, giving him at least an hour and a half before this new day began. Well…began again.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

He dusted off the wooden surface of his workstation to get the last remnants of sawdust away. Tiny, almost invisible wooden flakes danced in the air, made noticeable by the sunbeam streaming through one of the large arch windows in the workshop.

He had stayed behind in the workshop after class for a while, after the other students and Professor Cooke had left. He had had an hour to spare before his next class, since Herbology had been cancelled today, and he had wanted to make a few adjustments to the new steering rods he had fashioned for him and Toothless. After about half an hour he was satisfied with his work and packed the rods gently into his satchel. He would test them later, when he went flying with his scaly best friend.

He finished cleaning up the workstation, putting away supplies and removing the last remains of wood, glue and metal stemming from both his work in class and his project afterwards. Then he quickly put the tools away in their correct places, before exiting the workshop through the large, creaking doors.

His footsteps echoed through the deserted corridor. He was heading towards Ravenclaw tower to spend the remaining free time catching up on homework before his next class but he chose to walk slowly towards his destination. He had always kind of liked being in the corridors when they were empty. The silence…the cool air...the solitude. It was such a massive contrast to when they were crowded and he found himself breathing warm, thick air, being attacked by noise and subjected to curious eyes.

He let one of his hands glide across the cool surface of the stone wall to his left, as he kept moving his feet down the corridor. His fingertips found scratches and cracks, evidence of the age of these ancient walls and once in a while, he let his hand brush over one of the large, stone pillars protruding from the walls.

He was a little tired from this morning's flight but that was to be expected. He smiled softly to himself as he thought about his friends' reactions to his best friend. He had really enjoyed letting them meet Toothless and he was pleased to see that Toothless seemed to like them. Naturally, he had had a few reservations about the whole thing but he had decided to take a leap of faith. After all, they were his friends now and they had all kept the things he had told them about Toothless and the other dragons a secret, so they had shown him that he could trust them. To his own surprise, he had also found that he _wanted_ to show them the dragon that was such a huge part of his life, just like he had done with Jack.

His smile widened as he began to think of the white-haired mischievous Gryffindor, who had become so close to him. Somehow, it didn't scare him that he was in love with Jack. He had expected that he would freak out once he sobered up and began to think rationally about his emotions but…for some strange reason, he just didn't. Even though it made him sad that he could never be with him, Jack made him feel happy and content just being in his presence and his upbeat carefree spirit was infectious to be around and soothing to his worries. Jack brought him joy and fun but it was more than that. Jack was protective, caring and loyal too…Hiccup knew he could always count on him if he ever needed anything, that Jack would always be there for him and that was just…something he treasured beyond words.

His thoughts were suddenly and brutally interrupted as he was slammed hard into a wall by an unseen force.

The air was knocked out of his lungs. A sharp pain shot through his chest. His prosthesis twisted painfully against his stump from the impact. An agonizing burning sensation spread through his bad leg.

He fell onto the cold, stone floor head first.

Head throbbing. Blurry vision. Heart pounding.

He rolled over. He could see some blurry shapes in front of him, so he quickly tried to regain his composure.

He was once again thrown through the air by some spell and into one of the stone walls. His chest and head knocked against the hard surface. He slumped down onto the floor. He rolled onto his side and tried to get his vision to focus.

His body was shooting adrenaline through his veins as a defensive strategy. His heart beat faster and his whole body had a sudden burst of energy. He grabbed into his pocket to find his wand, but it was gone.

Great. Now he was almost defenseless.

He quickly got to his feet although his movements were stiff and painful. He wobbled a little.

As his vision returned to normal, he found three guys grinning widely in front of him and he knew instantly that this was going to end badly.

He recognized McGowan and Levin immediately, as well as Zamora - a Slytherin with smooth, black hair and pale skin who was friends with the two large boys.

"Looking for this?" Levin said amused, holding up his dark brown wand.

Well, wasn't this just going perfectly? Not only was he already injured but now a sociopath had his wand. What were they even doing here? He and McGowan were supposed to be expelled…

"Well, yeah actually." Hiccup said casually, shifting the weight from one leg to the other completely subconsciously, and in doing so a stab of pain went through his leg. He winced at the unwanted sensation.

"What's up Haddock? Problems with your fake leg?" McGowan asked in a sickly sweet voice that was thick with underlying malice.

The other boys snickered mockingly.

"Yeah well, that happens sometimes." Hiccup managed to say, his voice steady. He didn't want to escalate this situation, so he would try his best to just remain calm and hope that these boys weren't looking for an actual fight. If they were…well, then he was screwed. They were three against one of him, he was already injured and they had wands…he didn't. There was no way he could take them all down by himself in this situation.

McGowan was glaring daggers at him and then apparently decided to break the tense silence that hung in the air between them.

"You got us expelled…and you fucking humiliated us in front of everyone. We're _not _too happy about that." he said in a chilling tone.

Hiccup exhaled.

So this was revenge…he should probably have seen that coming. Guys like these were definitely ones to hold a grudge. He was screwed then...there was no way out of this.

He tried to mentally prepare himself for the physical pain he was going to have to endure and his body became even tenser than it already was. He still felt the adrenaline rush through his blood, causing his senses to become hyper-aware and his heart to beat rapidly in his chest.

"You sort of attacked me, so I didn't really have a choice." Hiccup said matter-of-factly. "And Sarah talked to _me_, not the other way around."

He was trying to reason with them, even though he already knew it wouldn't work. Stalling was never a bad idea though.

"Shut up, Haddock." Zamora snapped and gave him an icy glare.

Hiccup found himself wondering what he had ever done to this Slytherin…if the guy just despised him because his friends did. He couldn't remember having ever interacted much with him.

He chose to keep quiet for now and let the boys in front of him take the lead, so he wouldn't rile them up more. This situation was…unpredictable.

"If you had just backed down and done what we'd told you, we wouldn't be in this shitty situation…and this…" Levin said, as he rolled up his sleeve to reveal angry, black and purple bruises. "...is because of_ you_. I have them thanks to you." he finished icily and clenched one of his fists.

Zamora's eyes were hard and filled with a chilling contempt. McGowan crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at him.

"What?" was the only thing Hiccup managed to say, his voice laced with confusion. What had happened to him? How was that his fault?

"Thomas' father had to punish him for getting expelled." Zamora explained calmly, but his blue eyes conveyed the loathing within.

Okay. Well, this was it. This was _hate_. There wasn't going to be a way out, so…do whatever you can and then push down the pain, he thought to himself.

He watched Levin bend his knees a little and he knew what was coming.

Levin charged forward and lunged at him.

Hiccup quickly jumped aside.

His leg protested. A shot of pain.

Adrenaline made his body focus on speed, reflexes, energy… _anything_ that could help him in this situation.

Levin spun around furiously and went for him again. Hiccup sidestepped the large boy.

Leg throbbing. Heart pounding.

Out of his peripheral vision he spotted Zamora lift his wand.

He ducked down. A red spark flew over his head. Must be a stunning spell. He wrenched himself upright.

Levin swung his fist towards him.

Hiccup ducked. He instantly stood up again. He kicked Levin hard in the stomach with his prosthesis.

The large boy groaned and crashed down on the stone floor.

Pain in his bad leg from the impact.

Zamora immediately came at him, face contorted in anger.

The Slytherin lifted his arm.

Don't let him punch first.

Hiccup planted a fist right in the boy's face. Zamora shrieked in pain and staggered back, a hand on his nose.

Pain spreading through his knuckles. Short, sharp breaths.

Suddenly he was flung through the air and then slammed across the hard floor.

Ripples of pain through his body. Vision swimming.

Get up. You need to get up.

He rolled to his side and pulled himself onto his knees.

A sharp pain rushed through his back, knocking the air out of his lungs. A foot had connected with his back. He groaned and fell a little forwards.

If he could just get up again…

He sat upright and attempted to get to his feet.

Zamora suddenly appeared in his blurry vision. He swung his leg out. A kick landed in Hiccup's chest.

He fell to his side, hard stone surface against skin and clothes.

His enemies wasted no time.

They kicked him. In the back. In the stomach. In the chest. He couldn't tell the boys apart anymore. Angry kicks formed waves of pain crashing over him.

Chest constricting. Trouble breathing.

You need to block out the pain.

More kicks launched at his back and chest. He curled up in the fetal position to protect his torso and held his arms over his head to keep it safe from damage. He closed his eyes. He focused his mind. The pain kept rushing through his skin and bones but he could take it.

Suddenly the kicks ceased. Hiccup's entire body was throbbing. His breathing was strained.

He slowly opened his eyes. His vision was no longer blurry.

The three boys were looking down on him, eyes narrowed in contempt.

McGowan crouched down and grabbed his wrists. The angry Gryffindor was much larger and stronger than Hiccup and he was so weakened by the pain shooting through him that he didn't have a chance.

The large boy stood up again, still holding on to Hiccup's wrists. Then he walked towards the entrance to the workshop, dragging Hiccup along the stone floor.

His back scraping across the hard floor. Sounds of shoes and limbs being pulled against stone.

As much as he hated it, he couldn't stop the pained groan that escaped his lips. He really hadn't wanted to let them see or hear his pain, but he was unable to hold it back.

He was dragged into the workshop, away from the hallways. He couldn't fight it.

Smells of paint and wood and metal. Familiar.

McGowan let go of his arms and let them drop to the floor. He rolled to his side to at least try to get up, but Levin moved in.

The Gryffindor kicked his stump brutally hard over and over

Pain. White, hot, blinding pain.

Don't scream. _Don't_…scream.

Teeth biting down on lip. Metallic taste of blood. Fists clenching.

Blows of burning pain.

Levin stopped kicking him and stepped back for a moment.

"You can scream, Haddock. We came prepared. There's silencing charms all around us, so no one's going to hear you…and we all know that no one_ ever_ comes down here unless they have to take that stupid class." he heard Zamora's voice say.

Levin took out his wand from one of his pockets and sat down by his side. The large boy began to roll up Hiccup's trousers on his good leg to expose the skin.

Hiccup had no energy left in his body to actually be able to do anything. His entire being was tired and aching. He would have to somehow take the pain as best he could.

"Haddock's apparently too tough to scream…We can't have that." he heard Levin's voice say and he tried to brace himself for whatever was about to happen. "We promised them he would suffer."

Promised who?

It couldn't be…

The tip of Levin's wand glowed a faint red and the large Gryffindor then reached towards the skin on his leg. Hiccup realized what he was going to do and his eyes widened a little.

Nausea churned in his stomach.

He saw Levin raise his arm and then jab his wand hard into his leg and tore it through skin.

His mind went blank.

A scream.

Nothing but pain.

Searing, blinding pain. Skin and flesh burning. Excruciating agony.

Levin began to cut deep into the skin with his wand.

Wood splitting flesh. Blood seeping.

Body writhing violently.

Tight grips around his wrists and legs, holding him down.

A warm trickle of blood trailing down his leg. Scalding pain inflaming the limb.

Screams echoing against stone walls.

The pressure was removed from his leg. Pain slowly fading to a throbbing.

Breathe. Just breathe.

Screams stopped escaping his lips.

He inhaled and exhaled deeply.

His mind began working again.

You can live through this…just breathe. Just…focus. Breathe like when you have phantom pains.

He didn't look at Levin or his leg. That would only make things worse…He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

Then the large Gryffindor resumed carving into his skin with the burning tip.

Searing pain rippling through body.

Green eyes shut tight. Fists clenched.

Entire body shaking, trying to handle the pain.

He opened his dull green eyes again, just as Levin lifted his wand. The piece of wood shot through the air and stabbed him hard in the leg.

A pained scream. The sound of wood splintering.

Stabbing rushing through skin and flesh.

Then the torment stopped for a few moments.

The echoes of his screams faded. Faint relief from the pain.

Hiccup managed to pull himself back to reality again. His breathing had become erratic and the sharp intakes of air made his lungs hurt. His entire body ached horribly as stinging, burning pain washed over him.

Warm trickle of blood from wounds, red liquid soaking his trousers. Fabric wet and clingy. Blood pooling around him.

McGowan and Levin grabbed him and flipped him over, so he was on his stomach.

Stump smacked against hard floor. Jolts of pain through his leg. Pressure on the deep cuts on his good leg. Warm wetness drenching his shirt from pool of red fluid.

Cheek against cold stone floor. Green eyes half-lidded.

So tired…so much pain…

The ruffling of paper. Someone crouching down.

"You know, Haddock…" McGowan's voice said. "We're not the only ones who can't stand you. You've pissed off some serious people. They're willing to pay a lot of money to get you out of the way." he said and then turned the paper to show it to him.

As Hiccup's dull green eyes took in the familiar markings on the paper, he knew one thing for sure. He would never see Jack or Toothless or anyone else he loved ever again.

He sighed deeply, as the pain kept on rippling through his entire body and he continued trembling in response to it.

McGowan folded the paper again and then stuffed it in one of Hiccup's pockets.

"Wait, what?" Zamora's voice said. "You never said we were going to_ kill_ him!?"

He sounded panicked. Maybe there was a little hope of getting away from this.

He tried his best to listen to the conversation, attempting to ignore his sharp, short breaths that were like the sound of the ocean in his ears and the distraction of the pain coursing through him.

"What did you _think _we were going to do?" Levin sneered.

"I thought we were just going to…hurt him."

"And then what?" Levin asked. "Let him go, so he can tell everyone and we'll end up in Azkaban for torture? Idiot."

"You said you had a plan! I never agreed to _kill _anyone..." Zamora told his two friends.

The sound of brisk footsteps across stone floor.

"_You_…are going to do what we say. You're in this just as much as we are." McGowan hissed.

"Why do we need to kill him?" Zamora asked. There was a strange pleading quality to his voice.

"Because it's _necessary_." McGowan said. "I don't like risking going to Azkaban either, but we _need_ to do this. He got us expelled and robbed us of our futures, but if we get all that money then we can do anything….we can all get away…we can start a new life. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

Hiccup's mind was having trouble processing what he was hearing. His breathing was still erratic and the hard stone floor dug into his wounded skin.

"Yes, but…" Zamora trailed off.

"Don't worry about_ him_." McGowan said. "He's a wanted guy back where he's from. They told us he's trying to force everyone to leave the dragons alone, to give up their livelihood and stop defending themselves just to keep those beasts alive…and that if _he_ stays alive, someday he'll have power over all the dragons and be able to force people to do whatever he wants…even over here and not just in that caveman place he's from. He's _not _worth feeling guilty over, Andrew."

Hiccup wanted to protest to that but he stayed quiet. Maybe…maybe there was still a flicker of hope that Zamora would get cold feet.

Silence.

"Andrew, if we don't kill him, they _will_. He _will_ die at some point, because he's done bad things, that has pissed people off. So we might as well do it and secure our futures, because it's going to happen no matter what." he heard McGowan's voice say.

A sigh reached Hiccup's ears. It might as well have been an "okay".

That was it. There was no flicker of hope anymore.

Small spasms still echoed through his body. His muscles tensed at the prospect of even more pain.

"Tell you what…we'll leave the final choice up to Haddock himself." McGowan said.

He heard shoes walking across stone. Someone approached him and sat down next to him.

"Let's play a game, Haddock...we hurt you and _all _you have to do when you want it to stop is say 'when'…and then you won't be in pain anymore." McGowan explained, sounding oddly neutral, as if this was just the rules of an ordinary board game.

Hiccup didn't respond but stared blankly ahead with half-lidded eyes. He was trying his best to deal with the constant pain signals being sent through him.

He was still on his stomach, his head resting against the floor. He was too weak to move in any way. His entire body felt spent and hurt.

"Crucio!" someone shouted.

Scorching, stabbing pain. Blood boiling. Skin and bones melting. Spine flaming in red-hot agony.

He writhed. He screamed. His grip on reality was sliding.

There was nothing.

Nothing but pain.

He had no identity. No name. No memory. All he knew was pain. He was nothing but a primitive being in need of escape.

"Just say 'when', Haddock." he heard a voice say. He couldn't even tell the voices apart anymore. They were like faint, ghosts of sound.

The spell was broken. The feeling of his body burning and being stabbed all at once slowly faded.

Short, sharp desperate intakes of air. Remnants of scalding, cutting pain in his entire being. Heart pounding against ribcage. Bones heavy inside him. Trembling.

Green eyes closed.

Darkness.

Inhaling. Exhaling.

His mind refocused. His identity came back. He was no longer the primitive being. He was Hiccup.

Raspy breaths. Chest heaving. Body against cold, stone surface.

Tired. So tired.

Pain. Pain in every bone…every muscle…every vein…

He tried to take a few deep breaths but failed. His body was shaking too much from the distress it was being put through.

Even in his current state, he knew what they were doing. He _knew_ that saying 'when' wasn't a way to get them to stop. It was a death sentence. They were trying to break him and as soon as he gave them what they wanted…they would kill him.

_Don't_ say 'when'. No matter what…_don't_ say it…

Hold out. Hold on.

But it was so difficult…

Shaky breaths. Muscle spasms. Warm blood seeping from wounds.

So tired…so much pain…

Just want to let go and sleep…

No. NO! Just hold on. Just…hold _on_.

Images began to flash through his mind.

He saw Toothless…Rapunzel and Fishlegs…his dad…Gobber…Astrid…Flynn, Merida and Mavis…the twins and Snotlout…and Jack…

Jack…

With his beautiful blue eyes and caring nature. With his mischievous spirit and bright smiles.

He would never see him again.

Someone kneeled by his side.

When the person broke the silence, his voice was low and hostile.

"Prepare yourself, Haddock. You're going to die today."

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

What was it about these school uniforms?

He wasn't sure at all. He had worn them almost every day for five and a half years and yet…he still didn't feel fully comfortable in them. He couldn't help adjusting his tie, fiddle with the sleeves of his cloak or tug at the collar of the white shirt.

His school robes weren't itchy. They weren't too tight or unpleasant in some other way and still…he just couldn't be completely comfortable wearing them, like he was when he had one of his hoodies on.

The corridors were brimming with eager students on their way to classes, the sounds of shuffling feet, laughter and friendly chatter enveloping the surroundings in an overwhelming noise.

Jack was heading towards his Arithmancy class where Mavis was probably already waiting for him. The amount of people walking in close quarters was quite overwhelming right now, so even if it was Arithmancy, he was sort of looking forward to getting to class and away from the busy hallways and all the noise.

"JACK!"

Flynn's roar echoed through the crowd, overpowering all conversation and he instantly froze in his tracks. His stomach dropped and he snapped his head around frantically to find that familiar face among all the other students.

He had _never _heard Flynn shout like that. His voice was desperate and full of alarm. It was the voice of an emergency.

When he spotted him, Jack met his friend's brown eyes and even though Flynn was a lot farther down the busy corridor, he could see that his features were marred by fear. Students all around them had stopped whatever they were doing to stare at the brunet Gryffindor, who seemed to be in so much panic.

"JACK! COME ON! IT'S HICCUP!" Flynn practically screamed and motioned with his hand for Jack to follow him, before he turned around and darted through the corridor away from him.

Nausea. Panic. Fear.

He threw his bag to the floor and took off like a gunshot down the corridor, navigating frantically around students and sometimes pushing them aside to get ahead faster. Hiccup was in some kind of trouble and from the panic in Flynn's voice it was serious.

It felt like he couldn't breathe, his chest tightened in pure, unrestrained fear. He forced his legs to move him forward faster and faster, adrenaline shooting through his veins. He could see Flynn up ahead waiting impatiently for him by a corner. He sprinted towards him faster than he had ever run before.

As he closed the distance between him and Flynn, his brown-haired friend began running again, this time down a new corridor, and Jack immediately ran after him. He caught up to Flynn and they both darted through corridors side by side, stone floors in a blur below their feet.

"What's going on!?" he shouted breathlessly as he kept up the high speed he was running at and watched stone wall after stone wall fly by.

"No time to explain!" Flynn said and Jack didn't argue. They needed to get to Hiccup. They needed to help him with whatever had happened.

His heart pounded so hard it felt like it could break right through his ribcage.

As they turned yet another corner, the corridors became more and more deserted. The sounds of their running footsteps bounced off the stone walls and students turned their heads to look at them until suddenly the corridors were completely empty.

"Take out your wand and be ready." Flynn said out of breath, as they ran around another corner. The brunet pulled out his own wand from a pocket.

Jack quickly grabbed his wand and gripped it tightly as they continued to make their way through the passageways, black school shoes slapping down hard on stone floor.

He tried his best to mentally prepare himself for_ anything_ that might happen. He needed to be ready, needed to be able to help Hiccup, to keep him safe, no matter what they were walking into.

They turned down another corridor and as they ran to the end of it, Jack recognized the entrance to the workshop. What the _hell _was going on?

They stopped for a few seconds just outside the big doors.

"Now." Flynn warned him and then he slammed open the doors and Jack held out his wand. He quickly scanned his blue eyes across the scene unfolding in front of them and everything inside him exploded in rage and fear.

Two guys who Jack immediately recognized were standing around Hiccup, while another was crouching beside him. Hiccup's lifeless form was lying in a crimson pool of blood and he continued to bleed profusely through his clothes, the bright red fluid trailing down the cold stone floor in the most horrifying tendrils Jack had ever seen.

"Stupefy!" Jack roared and Zamora was instantly slammed into a wall and fell unconscious to the floor, while Flynn had sent Levin tumbling through the air with a spell of his own, leaving the large brute unmoving.

McGowan was reaching for his own wand, but Jack and Flynn had both already covered the distance to him.

Jack dug his wand hard into the skin under McGowan's chin. He held him tightly in place by the collar of his shirt.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing!?" he screamed in the guy's face with pure rage and disgust. He wanted to strangle the boy to death right then and there.

Flynn snatched McGowan's wand, took Hiccup's wand from the floor and then instantly rushed to the brunet's side. Jack continued to keep his own wand trained on the guy in front of him, doing _everything_ he could to hold himself back from maiming him.

Hiccup's red blood soaked through the knees of Flynn's black trousers, as he knelt in the red puddle that surrounded the brunet.

"Tell me he's alive." Jack said in a low voice brimming with a quiet but deadly desperation. If Hiccup was not alive…if they had snuffed out the life of the most amazing person Jack had ever known, the person he loved _so _much, then he would not be able to restrain himself. He _would _make them hurt, he thought darkly to himself, as the grip around his wand tightened.

McGowan's eyes were narrowed but he stayed in place. If he so much as moved an inch, Jack wouldn't hesitate to injure him.

In his peripheral vision he saw Flynn check Hiccup's pulse, as more bright red liquid leaked from the Ravenclaw's body, marring the stone floor around him. Jack didn't want to look directly at Hiccup until he knew if he was breathing.

"He's alive." Flynn confirmed with a relieved sigh.

Jack let out the breath he had been holding.

"You'll regret this." he told McGowan in a deadly voice. Then he sent him flying into a wall with several stunning spells in a row, causing the boy to be smashed into the stone repeatedly before he dropped to the floor, unconscious, one leg twitching.

He immediately turned and rushed over to Hiccup. Flynn had picked up the unconscious Viking in his arms, blood soaking through his white Gryffindor shirt and striped tie.

Hiccup was completely lifeless in Flynn's arms, his skin deadly pale, his green eyes closed, blood drenching his clothes and a little of the red fluid smeared on one of his cheeks.

Jack's eyes widened and he felt the nausea and chilling fear creep into his entire being.

No no no no no…

No!

Hiccup already looked dead and Jack knew he was losing too much blood way too fast.

"We need to get to the hospital wing, now!" Flynn yelled urgently and Jack nodded.

They instantly took off down the corridor. Flynn was running as fast as he could while still making sure not to drop Hiccup and cause him even more damage. He was holding the dragon rider tightly in his arms, Hiccup's head pressed against his chest to keep him as steady as possible.

As they ran through the passageways in utter panic, Jack's heart was beating so fast it felt like he was going to have a heart attack. His fists were clammy and clenched in desperation and the nausea that bubbled in his stomach was threatening to make him throw up right here in the corridors.

_Everything _was surreal…as if this wasn't really happening. It _couldn't_ be…Hiccup _couldn't_ just die.

"MOVE!" Jack screamed, the sound echoing through the hallway, as he and Flynn began sprinting through corridors with more students walking through. "MOVE!"

People were jumping to the side and staring at Hiccup in Flynn's arms in shock, but nothing mattered right now to Jack but getting Hiccup to that hospital wing.

A boy was walking with his back to them and Jack pushed him out of the way. The boy went tumbling into the stone wall. There was no time to be nice or orderly. This was a matter of life and death, and Jack didn't care if he might cause someone a bruise or a scrape, as long as Hiccup got help as soon as possible.

"OUT OF THE WAY!" he heard Flynn scream, his voice bouncing off the walls of the castle, and the sea of students in this new, overcrowded passageway parted to the sides to let them through.

Jack briefly registered wide eyes, loud gaps and hushed voices, but he couldn't focus on anything but Hiccup right now.

He was going to survive. He _had_ to. Jack sure as hell wasn't going to let him die.

When they turned a corner and that familiar entrance to the hospital wing came into view, Jack felt like crying in relief.

Finally.

They hadn't run for more than a few minutes but it had felt like an eternity to him. A slow, agonizing eternity, where every second could determine whether Hiccup lived or died.

As they rushed through the entrance, madam Whitley jumped at their sudden appearance and quickly came running towards them, her eyes wide in shock as she took in Hiccup's lifeless form in Flynn's arms.

"Put him there!" she said urgently and pointed to a bed nearby, and then ran towards a cupboard, flung it open and took some vials filled with potions of different kinds. Flynn quickly but gently placed Hiccup on the bed and Jack didn't know what to do with himself now.

Hiccup's robes were completely drenched in blood, the fabric heavy and clingy on his body. The blood slowly began seeping into the sheets of the bed, staining them with the precious liquid. The dragon rider's skin was white as if it was drained of any life and that thought scared Jack more than anything he could have ever imagined.

He so desperately wanted to do something, _anything_ to help, but there was nothing he could do…nothing.

He clenched his fists. His blue eyes stared at Hiccup and he felt even sicker to his stomach. What if he didn't survive this? What if he lost him?

Madam Whitley put a screen in front of the bed, cutting off their view of the bleeding Ravenclaw. Jack knew that he didn't really want to see the extent of the damage, but he also felt desperate to keep an eye on Hiccup.

Flynn grabbed his arm gently and Jack forced himself to meet his friend's concerned brown eyes.

He felt hollow at the prospect of losing Hiccup. He felt desperate for _any_ kind of hope. He felt useless for not being able to heal him just a little to increase his chance of survival…and most of all he felt like he had failed to keep him safe.

He broke eye contact with Flynn as tears began to blur his vision and stung in his eyes. He let a single droplet trail down his cheek, feeling the slow, warm sensation of the tiny tear, before wiping both his eyes angrily with a sleeve.

Suddenly madam Simmons, madam Whitley's assistant, a young, blonde witch, entered the hospital wing and she immediately ran towards madam Whitley, behind the screen. They spoke in hushed voices, before beginning to roll Hiccup's bed into the next room.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Jack asked in panic, his blue eyes wide.

"We need some privacy to do this, Mr. Overland." madam Whitley said, and Jack couldn't do anything but nod mutely. They closed the door with a soft click, and now he truly had no way of keeping an eye on Hiccup.

Time was standing still from then on.

Jack couldn't tell if it had been minutes or hours, but every second was excruciating pain. He was pacing back and forth in the same place over and over, trying to occupy himself with something as they waited for the medi-witch to tell them, whether or not Hiccup was going to make it.

Flynn was sitting in a chair nearby, resting his chin on his knuckles and staring blankly into the air. Jack knew his friend well enough to know that this had shocked him and he was somehow trying to deal with it by organizing his thoughts.

This whole situation was surreal. One moment everything had been fine and he was on his way to class and the next moment his world came crashing down and Hiccup was dying.

He slammed a fist against one of the stone walls in raw frustration and desperation and didn't even flinch when the shot of pain quickly followed, spreading through his knuckles. He didn't care about pain…_all_ he cared about was seeing Hiccup again…he _couldn't_ lose him. He just _couldn't._

Suddenly his attention turned to the entrance, as Rapunzel, Fishlegs and Astrid came rushing through the doors, their eyes wild in desperation and shock.

"Where is he?" Astrid said, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, causing them to gleam in the bright light of the hospital wing.

"They're trying to save him…" Flynn said quietly from his spot in the chair, his voice sounding empty and hopeless.

The three teens' eyes widened in shock as they took in the blood on Flynn's clothes.

Astrid met Jack's eyes, and he saw the same raw desperation and sorrow in her eyes that he felt swirling inside himself. The Viking girl who was usually so fiery, confident and strong was now broken.

She slid down against the closest stone wall in shock and sat quietly on the floor, not moving a muscle.

Rapunzel had begun crying softly into Fishlegs' shirt, as the Viking held the blonde girl close in a gentle embrace, while a few tears trailed down his own cheeks and he stared blankly into nothing with dull eyes.

"Hiccup…" Jack heard Rapunzel choke out with a longing in her voice that matched his own need to see the Viking again. The need to see Hiccup's vibrant green eyes shine with mirth and gleam with intelligence, to hear his sharp sarcastic retorts that could put anyone in their place, to feel his soft brown hair against his fingertips, to see his eyes soften with the love of his friends, to watch him blush adorably at compliments and friendly teasing, to see him be completely free and happy in the air on Toothless.

Jack _needed_ him to come back to him. He needed it more than he had ever needed_ anything_ in his life.

The universe was _not _doing this to him _again_! He had already lost his parents…he was _not_ losing yet another person he loved!

The sound of running feet across the stone floor reached his ears, as Mavis and Merida came through the doors, breathless and their eyes wide with concern.

"What's happening? We were told Hiccup was seriously hurt." Mavis said with panic in her voice and her blue eyes darting back and forth between the five other teens in the room. Merida took in the solemn mood and her eyes shone with sadness and worry. Clearly she had already figured out that Hiccup's life was hanging in the balance.

"They're…" Jack's voice croaked. "They're working on him". That was all he managed to say. Mavis met his eyes, and he let her see that he was broken.

She flung herself at him, wrapping her gentle arms around his neck and pulled him in for a tight hug. He appreciated the gesture, but he couldn't feel anything except horror and anger and desperation right now. When she pulled away, she had tears streaming down her cheeks.

While Mavis sat down next to Flynn, fidgeting with her hands, tears still slowly leaving her eyes, Merida joined Jack in his relentless pacing back and forth around the room.

He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and he stopped walking and turned around. Flynn was standing in front of him, watching him with brown eyes filled with sadness. Then he reached his arm out and handed something to him. Jack looked down and saw Hiccup's wand lying in Flynn's hand and he took the familiar piece of wood. Flynn must be thinking it would be better for Jack to keep it safe since…since he was so close to Hiccup.

He observed the dark brown cherry wood wand in his own hand, and now he was unable to keep a few warm tears from trailing down his pale cheeks. If Hiccup died…this was all he had left of him. He tucked the wand into one of his pockets and then nodded mutely at Flynn before wiping the tears away with his sleeves and resuming his pacing.

As he continued to walk back and forth and back and forth over and over, he was praying to every deity he had_ ever_ heard of that Hiccup would be okay. He even sent a prayer to the fucking Norse gods, which spoke volumes of his desperation. It was all he could do to not go insane right then and there.

The thought that he could lose Hiccup right now put_ everything_ into perspective and he made a decision, as he kept pacing and pacing.

If Hiccup lived…he would find _some_ way of telling him how he felt about him… despite how much it terrified him. He _would_ tell him.

He couldn't be happy without him. He realized that now. He just couldn't…and…he knew that even if Hiccup lived…when they were done with school here at Hogwarts, Hiccup would go back home and they would be ripped apart. Jack couldn't let that happen without knowing that he at least_ tried_…

He had no idea how much time passed, but the pacing and the praying were the only things that kept him occupied enough not to scream and rip his hair out and break down completely. He was on the edge…he was close to losing his mind.

If Hiccup was ripped away from him…ripped away from this world _now_…and like _this_…it would break him.

Mavis, Flynn and Astrid suddenly flew to their feet and Rapunzel and Fishlegs ran towards them, as madam Whitley opened the door from the other room and approached him and Merida, who were standing closest to her.

Jack held his breath subconsciously and the anxiety and anticipation streamed through every vein in his body. He felt like he might throw up. This was it. He would know now if Hiccup was dead or if he was going to make it.

"Mr. Haddock is going to live." the medi-witch said with a kind voice and gave them all a small smile.

Everyone breathed a sigh of pure, unrestrained relief. "Thank the gods." he heard Astrid whisper.

Jack's heart leapt with joy and he took a deep breath. The nausea and panic inside him began to slowly subside. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, letting the good news wash over him, soothe him.

"But…he's very injured and not even magic can heal everything right away. He's going to be in pain for a while." madam Whitley finished, while observing them with her sympathetic blue eyes.

"When can we see him?" Rapunzel asked hopefully, wiping her green eyes with one of her sleeves, trying to chase away the tears.

"Not for a few hours at least. He's still unconscious and his body needs to rest." she told them and they all nodded eagerly in response. Jack was feeling an intense longing spread inside him. He knew that Hiccup needed rest after all of this, but he so_ desperately _wanted to see him.

Madam Whitley waited for a few moments before speaking again, seeming hesitant to tell them something.

The nausea instantly resurfaced inside him. What wasn't she telling them? Why was she holding back? There was obviously something very wrong…oh god, what else could there be to all of this?

"Is everyone here a close friend of Mr. Haddock?" she asked tentatively and looked from each person to the next for confirmation.

"Yeah, we're all his friends." Rapunzel said and the medi-witch nodded in understanding.

"As his friends…you should know that he was tortured." she said, her voice concerned and almost a whisper, in case someone should enter the room as she was speaking. "I'm not allowed to tell you the details without Mr. Haddock's permission, but he will most likely have some emotional damage as well, that you will need to help him get through."

Jack stopped breathing and he heard gasps and cursing erupt all around him from his friends.

"Oh no…" Rapunzel whispered.

Of course Jack knew that they had hurt him…beat him up to the point where he almost died…but he hadn't seen or known exactly what had happened.

He clenched his fists, as he felt a primitive, raw rage fuming inside him. They had_ tortured_ Hiccup…they had made the person Jack loved so much suffer horribly…

He took a few deep breaths and suppressed his rage as much as he could though…He needed to focus right now. He needed to be there for Hiccup, when he woke up, no matter how much the anger was making him feel like choking those boys to death with his bare hands for having done this to Hiccup.

Once again they all nodded at the medi-witch, all ready to help Hiccup with whatever he might need once he regained consciousness.

"I'll let you know, when he wakes up." madam Whitley said with kindness and gave them a warm smile before she walked back towards the room where Hiccup was and closed the door softly behind her.

Hugs and smiles and happy tears were exchanged as all of the teens celebrated that Hiccup was going to live.

Jack couldn't stop a few tears of pure relief streaming down his cheeks and Mavis gently brushed them away with a soft hand, as she smiled fondly at him. Flynn and Merida both pulled him into a tight hug, and Flynn stroked his snow-white hair a little in a reassuring gesture. Afterwards they exchanged hugs with Fishlegs and Rapunzel too.

After everyone had calmed down and managed to absorb the news, there was a heavy silence hanging in the air between the teens for a moment.

Yes, Hiccup was going to live and everyone was so _incredibly_ relieved about that…but…he had been tortured and none of them knew what kind of state he would be in when he woke up…if he would be emotionally traumatized by the experience or have some kind of permanent physical damage.

"What happened? Who did this to him?" Astrid asked Jack, breaking the silence. Her voice was calm and steady, but her blue eyes conveyed the rage she was currently suppressing, just like he was.

"Levin, McGowan and Zamora." Jack said with venom in his voice. "They…there was blood everywhere…we managed to knock them out with some spells and get Hiccup here."

It was the most words he had said since breakfast and he struggled to get them out. Speaking felt foreign right now because of the overwhelming emotions he was experiencing.

"I'll kill them." Astrid gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

"I'll help you." Jack said. Astrid sent him a small appreciative smile. They shared the suppressed rage…

"Do you know…what they did to him?" Fishlegs asked hesitantly, his blue eyes brimming with concern for his friend.

"No…we only saw them standing around him while he was bleeding…" Jack explained quietly.

"Who was with you?" Astrid asked.

"Flynn."

"How did you find him?" Rapunzel asked, barely audible, before sniffling.

That was a question Jack didn't even know the answer to himself. Flynn had found him and led him to Hiccup, but how had Flynn known? Jack looked at his friend for answers.

"Hiccup had been in class at the workshop and that part of the castle is almost always deserted. Apparently they attacked him when he was leaving but Liana Hayes saw them drag him into the workshop, so she went to find any one of us or a professor…whoever she found first." Flynn explained. "I knew I couldn't take them down alone, so I got Jack on my way there".

A few moments of silence passed, as they all processed the information.

"Thank you." Astrid said softly in a rare moment of raw emotion before she threw her arms around Jack first, and then moved on to do the same to Flynn. They were both slightly stunned, but they accepted the gesture with small smiles nonetheless.

"Someone needs to go tell Headmaster Lunar and get the bastards that did this. I assume they're still unconscious?" Merida said to Jack and Flynn.

"They should be." Flynn replied. "When Liana found me, I told her to get Headmaster Lunar but I don't know if they've made it down there yet…I should go to his office and find out what's going on." he added, shooting Jack a knowing look that he immediately understood. Flynn knew that Jack wouldn't want to leave, so even though his brunet friend was clearly also worried about Hiccup, he volunteered to go find their Headmaster and find out what was currently happening with this situation.

"Good idea." Mavis told him, and Flynn gave them all a quick nod before disappearing out the door.

"So…now we wait." Fishlegs said sadly, clearly impatient to see Hiccup. Jack could definitely relate, and he was certain that everyone in the room were resisting the urge to just slam open that door and go sit by Hiccup's side.

They sat in the hospital wing for five hours before Hiccup woke up. The time was passing more tolerably now that they all knew he was going to survive, but it was still difficult not to be impatient. Everyone wanted to see him for themselves, to say some comforting, soothing words, to let him know how much he meant to them all.

Jack went back to pacing back and forth, this time at least clinging to the good news that Hiccup was going to make it. His mind was still infected with angry, violent thoughts though…those bastards had actually tortured Hiccup and Jack couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that _anyone _wanted to hurt someone so gentle and kind.

Flynn had made it back to the hospital wing after about two hours, having been by Headmaster Lunar's office and then by the dormitory to change out of his blood-soaked clothes. He informed the others that Headmaster Lunar had immediately expelled Zamora and called the authorities to get them here and arrest the three boys, so an investigation could begin. Currently the boys were apparently being detained by some of the professors, while they waited for the authorities to arrive. They would need witness statements, so Flynn, Jack and Liana, as well as Hiccup and madam Whitley had to speak to them at some point and tell them what had happened.

Naturally, they were all relieved that Hiccup's tormentors would be punished.

Jack however, also felt slightly cheated. Somehow it just…didn't seem like enough that they would probably be thrown in Azkaban. They had tortured Hiccup and in his heart, Jack knew that no matter what punishment they would receive it would never seem like enough for him.

The remaining time passed mostly in silence. A few words were exchanged here and there, but no one really felt like having a conversation. The anticipation of seeing Hiccup again made the air heavy with impatience and restlessness.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, madam Whitley appeared once again from behind the door and approached them. Everyone flew to their feet and gathered around the medi-witch.

"He's awake now, and he's given me permission to let you see him." she told them, lips curving slightly upwards as she was giving them the good news. "He's very tired and in pain, so make sure he doesn't strain himself." she told them and they all nodded in understanding.

"We will." Rapunzel confirmed and the medi-witch gave them a small nod.

Jack rushed towards the door, with everyone else at his heel. He pushed it open and quickly entered the room followed by the remaining six teens. The room wasn't a large one but there was plenty of space for a few patients, and three single beds were lined up as well as cupboards full of medical supplies. He immediately spotted Hiccup lying in one of the beds, and he hurried over to him, standing at the right side of the hospital bed. Everyone else gathered around the bed a few seconds later, all taking in the damaged Ravenclaw with concerned eyes.

Hiccup's face and neck were marred by angry purple and blue bruises, but the rest of his body was concealed under a blanket, so none of them truly knew how extensive the damage was. Jack resisted the urge to fling himself at Hiccup and hold him close to him, taking in the dragon rider's familiar comforting warmth and just…bask in the relief that he was alive…but Hiccup was in too much pain for that. He was certain several of the others had the same thought.

Everyone said warm greetings to Hiccup, who observed them with tired green eyes.

"Hey." Hiccup replied weakly through pale lips and it ached in Jack's heart to hear and see him so fragile. It was an uncomfortable contrast to how Hiccup usually was: strong and capable. His deep green eyes were robbed of any energy or light and exhaustion was evident on his face.

"How are you feeling?" Jack quickly asked. He desperately needed to know.

"Like…I've been crushed by a dragon" Hiccup said faintly and then closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again.

"How much do you remember?" Rapunzel asked gently, leaning in and brushing a lock of brown hair away from the Viking's forehead. Jack could tell that she was restraining herself just like he was.

Fishlegs was standing next to her, and he gave Hiccup's hand a quick squeeze and then smiled fondly as his way of giving the brunet some comfort.

"Hmm…" Hiccup said in contemplation. His forehead wrinkled a little. "Almost everything I think…except how I got here and how they healed me."

Jack frowned. The ache in his heart grew stronger. He had hoped Hiccup had passed out sooner, so he wouldn't have had to endure so much pain.

"Well those bastards who did this to you will go to Azkaban." Astrid said reassuringly but with a trace of that uncontrollable rage she was feeling. Several of the others hummed in agreement.

Hiccup just gave them a tiny, barely visible smile but otherwise he didn't react to the news. Then he sighed deeply. Jack wondered what he was thinking. He desperately hoped that Hiccup wasn't too damaged emotionally by this. It would kill him to see those green eyes filled with depression.

"Who…found me?" Hiccup asked them, almost a whisper.

"Jack and Flynn. They brought you here." Rapunzel replied softly.

Hiccup nodded weakly but didn't say anything.

"Hiccup…you almost died." Fishlegs said, his voice almost breaking and letting his emotions show through his moist eyes. The somber mood quickly spread to the remaining teens, who all watched Hiccup with concerned expressions.

"I know." Hiccup replied quietly but with a certain acceptance in his eyes.

"How do you know that?" Astrid asked him hesitantly, as if she was worried she might upset him.

"Because the last thing I thought before I passed out was "I'm dying." he explained softly, his usually vibrant green eyes seeming even more exhausted now.

Jack let out a sigh. _None_ of this should have happened to Hiccup.

"Oh Hiccup…" Rapunzel said, unshed tears in her green eyes. She reached out her hand and stroked the Viking's cheek gently. Hiccup didn't really seem to respond to it.

Jack desperately wanted to reach out and touch Hiccup as well, but he held himself back.

"Do you think…they meant to kill you?" Fishlegs asked tentatively, almost seeming regretful for even asking.

Jack immediately trained his eyes on Hiccup's face, wanting to decode his reaction. The Ravenclaw didn't reveal much though, except letting out a small sigh.

"I know they did." he answered simply, observing Fishlegs.

"What? How?" Jack blurted out, unable to stop himself.

They had actually wanted to kill Hiccup? Hiccup had been close to dying but none of them knew exactly what had happened between him and those three bastards who had hurt him so much.

"Because they told me." Hiccup replied, way too calmly for Jack's nerves right now.

Why the _hell _wasn't he more upset about this? Why wasn't he crying or screaming or yelling? Was he still in shock? Maybe it hadn't truly sunk in yet what had actually happened? Or maybe he was just too exhausted to react right now?

His jaw clenched. Those bastards had actually told Hiccup that they were going to kill him? What had been going through Hiccup's mind?

"They _told_ you?" Astrid asked in part disbelief and part repressed rage. She clenched both of her fists.

"But…" Fishlegs started, sounding nervous, his eyes darting back and forth from Hiccup to Rapunzel. "Why would they try to kill you?"

Hiccup remained silent for a few moments. It was clear that it was actually difficult for him to speak right now due to exhaustion and pain.

"Where are…my school robes?" Hiccup asked, dull green eyes looking at Rapunzel.

"Over there on the chair." Rapunzel replied and pointed towards a chair by the opposite wall.

"Can you…grab the parchment in one of the pockets?" the brunet said.

"Yeah, sure…" Rapunzel told him and instantly spun around. The blonde quickly grabbed Hiccup's bloodied school robes and rummaged through the pockets, before locating a piece of parchment.

When Rapunzel was back by the side of the bed, she unfolded the paper. Some of it was stained with blood.

The blonde furrowed her forehead.

"I don't…understand this. It's in runes." she said, looking at Hiccup with questioning eyes.

Fishlegs took the paper out of her hands and let his gaze glide over the written markings. Then his eyes widened.

Astrid instantly walked to Fishlegs' side and also looked at the parchment.

"Oh no…" she said and then looked at Hiccup. "Hiccup…this is…"

"I know." Hiccup said, almost a whisper, his eyes exhausted but otherwise devoid of emotion.

"What?" Jack asked the three Vikings. "What is it?"

He really didn't like the sound of this and it was only worrying him more and more that he didn't know what was going on. The nausea swirled in his stomach instantly.

A few moments of tense silence passed.

"The paper says…."Death awaits, Dragon Conqueror." Fishlegs said quietly. "Only…only the hostile tribes call Hiccup the Dragon Conqueror."

Jack's stomach dropped.

He instantly looked back at Hiccup, who still looked exhausted and in pain, but otherwise not really reacting to the situation.

"Does this mean…?" he asked quietly, looking to Astrid and Fishlegs for answers.

"Yes." Astrid said and then sighed. "They're no longer content trying to kill Hiccup in the archipelago…now they're trying here too."

Heavy, almost unbearable silence filled the room.

Jack was having trouble handling the flood of horrible emotions that was wreaking havoc in his body.

Rage. Fear. Worries. Sadness. Protectiveness.

It was all flowing through his veins, making his body tense, making him feel sick and angry and panicked.

He took a few deep breaths. He needed to keep it together for Hiccup's sake.

"But…how did they even come into contact with McGowan and Levin and Zamora? And…how did McGowan and Levin get into the castle? It's protected…" Rapunzel said quietly, thinking out loud.

Everyone looked to Hiccup.

"I don't know…" he told them, eyes half-lidded, voice weak. It was becoming obvious that Hiccup struggled to stay awake now. Just being conscious and in pain for this short amount of time was completely draining him.

"Hiccup, you should get some more sleep." Astrid said softly.

"But…I need…" Hiccup began.

"What do you need?" Jack asked him. If it was even _remotely_ within the realm of possibility, he would give Hiccup _anything _he wanted right now.

"I need…Toothless." Hiccup told them. "I have to…explain to him…why we can't fly..."

"We'll take care of that." Rapunzel told him reassuringly.

"Won't work." Hiccup said.

"What? Why?"

"He'll…come looking for me. To protect me…"

"So what do you suggest we do?"

Hiccup furrowed his forehead in thought but his eyes were dull with exhaustion. "Shrink him…or…transfigure him…bring him here."

"What?" Rapunzel asked skeptically.

"We can do that." Jack agreed.

Everyone looked at him questioningly.

"What?" he asked. "Is it better that Toothless comes crashing through the castle to find Hiccup?"

"No, you're right." Astrid agreed with him. "We'll find a way to get him here."

Then she turned to Hiccup.

"Sleep now, Hiccup. You really need the rest…"

Jack wanted to protest…he wanted more answers…he wanted to be around Hiccup more…he wanted to discuss this new, terrifying situation.

But he knew Astrid was right…

Hiccup nodded, green eyes clouded by fatigue.

They all took turns saying goodbye to him and promised him that one of them would always either be in the room or in the room next to this one. Words of love and friendship were spoken, reassuring Hiccup of how much he meant to all of them, how happy they were that he was alive and how they would all be there to help him get through it.

Jack was the last one to approach Hiccup, as the others exited the door, Rapunzel and Fishlegs having just told the Viking they loved him.

He leaned in and very carefully put his arms around Hiccup's neck and hugged him.

"You scared the shit out of me, Hic…" he said softly, while continuing to hug the brunet, letting the familiar warmth and scent of pine comfort him a little. Soft, brown hair tickled the skin on his nose.

"Sorry." Hiccup mumbled.

Jack reluctantly let go of his hold on the dragon rider and stood up straight again, looking down at the damaged Ravenclaw.

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault. I'm just…so relieved you survived…" he spoke softly and sighed. "You mean a lot to me. Don't ever doubt that." he told Hiccup with a small, sad smile.

"I never did." Hiccup said, almost a whisper.

"Good…" Jack replied with a tiny smile tugging at his lips. "Get some sleep, Hic….I'll be back soon."

Hiccup closed his eyes in response and Jack turned around and exited the room to join the others, his heart heavy with worries and pain.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

"What the hell are we going to do?"

Astrid's voice was stressed and frustrated. She was pacing around the hospital wing, wringing her hands.

The rest of them were standing still, but everyone was fidgeting in one way or another, unable to keep the stress and worries of the situation out of their body language.

Jack put his hand in his pocket and closed his fingers around Hiccup's wand.

"I don't know…" Fishlegs said, eyes darting around the room in obvious stress.

"Well, s_omething_ has to be done…" Merida said in a sharp tone of voice that didn't leave room for discussion. "You said the hostile tribes are behind this."

"They are…or at least some of them must be." Astrid said, still pacing around, shoes slamming against stone floor in frustration.

"Must be?" Jack said, looking at the blonde Viking girl. "You said they were."

"Yeah well…it's pretty difficult to _know_ if it's all of them or some of them or maybe even just a small, independent group in one of them…they were clever enough to not sign their names or anything else that could identify them." Astrid explained, gesturing with her hands.

"Can't your tribe do something…_anything_?" Flynn asked Astrid and Fishlegs hopefully.

"Not without knowing more..." Fishlegs said, rubbing one hand over the knuckles of the other, his eyes still red from earlier tears. "We can't really…do anything, when we don't know exactly who has done this to Hiccup."

Jack felt the anger from this whole awful situation bubble in his stomach.

"What do you mean you can't do anything?" Jack asked him, unable to keep the hopelessness out of his voice.

Astrid turned around, stopped pacing and looked at him. "We_ can't_ start a war when we don't know if all of the hostile tribes are behind this or if it's one of them acting on their own or if it might even be someone _pretending_ to be the hostile tribes to start a conflict in the archipelago."

Jack scratched his arm. Hard. Passiveness was not an acceptable answer to this situation. Hiccup had been hurt…tortured. He had suffered.

…And Jack was overwhelmingly furious about that.

Of course Astrid was right but…they couldn't just do _nothing_! They couldn't just…wait for someone to attack Hiccup again. Maybe the next time they would be successful…maybe the next time, Jack would lose him for good.

No. He couldn't allow that to happen.

He clenched his fists.

"But…" Fishlegs started and Jack turned his head and looked at his Viking friend. "We should inform our chief about this and encourage him to call the hostile tribes to a meeting."

"They'll never admit to it, Fish, you know that." Astrid argued, making frustrated gestures with her hands. "It would be unbelievably stupid for them to admit it…that _would _start a war where Berk and its allies would unite against them, because they've made an open attack on us."

"Yeah, I know that Astrid but maybe it would be possible to get a read on them…try to somehow get an idea of whether they were truly behind this or whether someone is acting on their own or trying to frame them." Fishlegs replied.

Astrid sighed. "Well no matter what, we need to tell the chief about it."

"Yeah…" Fishlegs agreed and nodded. "I'll send a letter to him later."

Astrid nodded as well in reply, her eyes downcast.

"And then what?" Jack asked them, his forehead furrowed. He really tried his best to keep his voice steady and calm, but he knew that he was failing.

He needed to know what was going to happen here. He had no idea how Vikings would handle this sort of thing.

"Then…our chief decides what will be done." Fishlegs told him softly.

"Well, he better do _something_." Merida said, her blue eyes narrowing a little. "Hiccup was almost _killed_."

"I don't think _anyone _has forgotten that, Merida." Astrid said, shooting Merida a stern look. "But what we are going to do here is in the hands of our chief. He's our leader…only he can decide this."

Jack sighed and wrung his hands a little. He didn't know their chief…none of his Viking friends had ever really talked about him, so he didn't know what kind of guy he was but…he better be prepared to take action somehow. Jack knew that Hiccup was very important to his tribe, so maybe the other Vikings would take this attack on him as a personal insult and be ready to find the people who were responsible.

Jack bit his lip.

Something just wasn't right about this. There were still unanswered questions. How did McGowan and Levin even come into contact with the hostile tribes? How did they get into the castle? Zamora couldn't have let them in all by himself, no students knew the weak parts of the castle's defenses…

"We're forgetting something here." Jack told his friends, interrupting Astrid who was arguing with Merida about what should be done about all of this.

"What?" Flynn asked him, as they all turned their heads and observed him.

"Like Rapunzel said before…how did the tribes even get to McGowan and Levin and Zamora? And how did McGowan and Levin get in here? There's just…I can only see one explanation for this." he said and bit his lip once more.

"What?" Astrid asked, forehead furrowed.

"There _has_ to be someone inside the castle who helped them…someone who knows the castle well, knows potential holes in its defenses or secret entrances or something like that. Someone who also has some kind of connection to the archipelago…there's no other way. McGowan and Levin and Zamora wouldn't be clever enough to do this on their own and there has to be some kind of link between them and the tribes…someone who knew that Hiccup had made enemies here at the castle that they could use to get to him." Jack explained, gesturing with his hands to do _something_ non-destructive to express all the frustration that was swirling inside him.

Astrid nodded, her eyebrows lowered and her lips a thin line. "I think you're right, Jack. It's the only thing that makes sense… I just…have no idea who."

"Me neither." he replied, almost a whisper. Then he clenched his fists. "But we need to protect Hiccup. He should never be alone until we know who's behind this." he told them with no room for discussion.

His friends all nodded or hummed in agreement right away with determination shining in their eyes. They were clearly all on the same page.

"Why would the hostile tribes even begin to attack Hiccup here?" Mavis asked Astrid and Fishlegs.

Astrid sighed and let her hands grip onto the blonde braid that was resting on one of her shoulders.

"They believe that Hiccup is a threat to them." she began to explain. "He knows more about training dragons than anyone else, he rides the rarest and most feared dragon species and he's the one who brought peace between Vikings and dragons and turned almost everyone on Berk into a dragon rider. Because we have our dragons we have a serious advantage over other tribes, so those who disagree with us and wants to keep killing the dragons and selling off their parts…they feel threatened by that…so to weaken us, they want to take out Hiccup…his and Toothless' friendship is a symbol to everyone in the archipelago that Vikings can co-exist with dragons and _everyone_ knows who they are. If they destroy that symbol…it will make us more vulnerable, because we wouldn't just lose the person with the most knowledge about training dragons but also the person who made everything possible in the first place…it will make our tribe hurt and it might even strain our relationship with our allies because Hiccup was the one who convinced them that they should stop killing the dragons…They've tried to get to Hiccup several times back home but he's always either with Toothless or with other Vikings, he's never really alone in the archipelago outside of Berk…but here…he's alone here. I thought he would always be safe here because the castle's protected but…I was wrong." Astrid finished explaining, speaking softly at the end of the sentence, her blue eyes gleaming with regret.

Jack could tell she was blaming herself for this, just like he was. Of course he knew that it wasn't any of their faults…they couldn't have known this would happen but still…Jack wanted to protect Hiccup and he felt like he had failed at that.

Hiccup wasn't some kid who needed to be watched over or rescued, he was strong and resilient but even so…Jack just felt that protective instinct bubble inside him. He wanted to shield Hiccup from anything that could potentially hurt him, even though he knew that was impossible.

"It wasn't your fault, Astrid." Rapunzel said softly as she moved to Astrid's side and stroked one of her arms gently.

"I know…" Astrid said, almost inaudibly, before meeting Rapunzel's eyes and giving her a tiny smile. "I just wish I could have done something."

"We all do…" Rapunzel replied, as a ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. Her green eyes were still puffy from crying. "But this is no one's fault but those monsters who did this to Hiccup."

"We need to tell Headmaster Lunar…" Flynn started to say. "About the things Hiccup's told us...and about the possibility that someone inside the castle helped them. He'll need to know."

"Yeah." Jack said and everyone else nodded in reply. "And there's something else we need to discuss too…" he told them.

"What do you mean?" Rapunzel asked and trained her red, puffy eyes on him.

"What the hell we are going to do to help Hiccup deal with this." he said softly.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

Cupboards full of medical supplies, potions and salves. Small privacy screens in that sickening green color. Three hospital beds with sterile, white bedspread and charts hanging in front. Small tables by the end of the beds for visitors to leave cards and candy and other expressions of caring and well-wishing.

What do you give to someone who's been tortured? A fucking card or a teddy bear isn't going to make anything better.

The small room was dark except for one small lamp on the nightstand, bathing the sleeping dragon rider's face in a soft, faint light.

Jack sat on a chair next to Hiccup's bed, observing the sleeping brunet. Their friends had all gone to bed, exhausted by the day's traumatic events. He'd offered to stay by Hiccup's side throughout the night, while the others got some sleep. No one truly wanted to leave Hiccup but none of them were super humans…they would all need sleep and food at some point.

Despite being incredibly tired from all the emotional distress today, Jack would not be able to sleep even if he went to bed. He didn't want to leave the guy he loved right now…even if one of their friends would be here instead of him. He just…needed to watch over Hiccup. Make sure that he was safe and sound. That nothing else would hurt him.

Astrid and Rapunzel had gotten Toothless after they were finished discussing everything with him and the others. They had chosen the option of transfiguring him into a black cat and brought him to Hiccup's room. Toothless had instantly meowed in concern when he had seen his damaged friend and then he had curled up next to Hiccup's face, obviously guarding him while the brunet was sleeping. Since then, the cat had not moved. He continued to just stay next to Hiccup, watching over him just like Jack was doing.

He glanced around the small room. At least Hiccup could be in a room for himself and not in one of the beds in the main room, where other students could be admitted and invade his privacy. But on the other hand…Hiccup was so seriously injured that he needed all the peace and quiet and rest he could get, so it was an obvious decision to let him have his own room.

As Jack once again rested his eyes on the large cupboard in the corner filled with medical supplies, he found himself thinking how much he loathed hospitals and _everything _related to it. Most people saw it as a place of healing. He saw it as a place of death. A place of grief and suffering.

…and today had been too close. A few minutes later and Hiccup could have died. Jack could have lost yet another person he loved and he wasn't sure at all if he could have dealt with that or if he would have crumbled completely.

Jack clenched his jaw, as he turned his head and trained his blue eyes on Hiccup's sleeping form.

Those fucking bastards…they had hurt Hiccup in god knows what horrific ways…Jack still didn't know exactly what they'd done to him but…worst case scenarios were going through his mind, making the nausea churn horribly inside him.

God, he hoped that Hiccup wouldn't sink into depression from this.

He _knew_ that Hiccup would make it through it eventually…that he would be okay at _some_ point but…when? How long would it take? How much suffering would he have to go through? Would he try to push his friends away?

Hiccup wasn't a victim. On the contrary…he _never _wanted pity or attention to his problems and right now…that meant Jack was worrying that he might try to go through all of this alone, even though his friends were all ready to help with all the support in the world. The calmness he had seen in Hiccup's eyes when they had talked to him when he woke up…Jack found it eerie. Of course he knew that Hiccup was exhausted and in pain but…somehow it still wasn't the reaction he had expected.

Hiccup suddenly turned in his sleep and Jack furrowed his forehead, watching him intently for any shift in the brunet's expressions. Toothless lifted his black head and observed Hiccup for a little while. Hiccup continued sleeping peacefully though, so Jack relaxed a little again and Toothless rested his head on the mattress once more.

He knew that Hiccup would get as much time off from school as he needed to heal both physically and emotionally. At least that was something...

Headmaster Lunar had made a brief appearance in the hospital wing later that evening, when Jack and the others had moved on to discussing how they could support Hiccup.

Their headmaster had given them all a week off from classes with the option of getting more time off if they needed it, seeing as how serious this situation was and what kind of emotional damage it could leave on all of them. They explained their thoughts to their headmaster and he had agreed with their theory that someone with extensive knowledge of the castle had to have helped McGowan and Levin get in. Professor Lunar gave them his word that he would get to the bottom of it and that the person or persons responsible would be brought to justice. It was clear to Jack that their Headmaster took it as a personal offense that someone had hurt one of his students, which only made Jack's opinion of the tall, pale, white-haired man even better than it already was.

Jack sighed to himself and let his palms slide down his face. He trained his blue eyes on Hiccup once again.

The brunet seemed calm right now. His face was relaxed and he inhaled and exhaled evenly, lips slightly parted.

That was good.

Jack had been here for hours just watching him sleep. He didn't know what time it was but he knew it was in the middle of the night. Once in a while, Hiccup would squirm in his sleep and mumble words or make pained sounds. Then Jack would place himself on the side of the bed and whisper soothing words and stroke the brunet's hair gently until Hiccup was calm again.

He couldn't stand hearing those pained noises…seeing Hiccup's face contort in distress…hearing him saying words, mostly in Old Norse, that were clearly an expression of experiencing something horrible.

He sighed once more.

All he wanted was to make Hiccup's pain go away…to help him…to soothe his mind…to hold him and let him know that everything _would_ be okay…that he would_ always_ be there for him no matter what.

He loved him so much it almost_ hurt_.

…and he would let him know that. Soon. The time of keeping his feelings inside was over. Once Hiccup had had a little time to heal, he would tell him how much he meant to him.

He would put his heart in Hiccup's hands…and desperately hope that Hiccup wouldn't smash it to pieces.

* * *

Kahlil Gibran wrote:_ "Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars."_

* * *

**Author's note:**

\- So…as you can probably tell by this ending, we are getting SO close to a confession.

\- I know that Hiccup didn't invent his wing-suit until HTTYD 2 but in this fic he's invented it earlier than that…just because I felt like putting in some extra awesomeness.

\- And I know that what happened to Hiccup (AND Jack and their friends too for that matter) was horrible but…in life, sometimes horrible things happen to good people and I don't want to write a story that's all sunshine and rainbows, because life isn't a fairy tale. Also…I'm the kind of writer who believes that if you want to see what the characters are truly made of, you have to break them once in a while, and the events in this chapter was actually some of the first things I planned for this story.

\- I also want to explain something about McGowan/Levin/Zamora's motivations for torturing and trying to kill Hiccup (It will be explained more thoroughly in the next chapter)…I don't like stories where villains do horrible things just because they can. Everyone always has reasons for what they're doing. When people torture or do other horrible things to other people, they're only able to do it without feeling terrible about it, if they have justified the action in their minds somehow. No one see themselves as the bad guys (although some people will be well aware that they are perceived by others as the bad guys), because everyone has motivations for doing what they do. For example: McGowan, Levin and Zamora have, in their minds, justified the action of torturing Hiccup and trying to kill him, because 1) They make Hiccup responsible for their current shitty situation. Because Hiccup chose to fight them in a previous chapter instead of backing down and just doing what they told him to do, and because he then ended up kicking their asses and humiliating them in front of a lot of other students AND the fighting got them expelled, in their minds, he is to blame for their problems. Of course this alone isn't enough to bring a normal person to torture another person, so they have other motivations too. 2) They remind themselves of what the hostile tribes have told them (which is what these hostile tribes believe): that Hiccup is a threat to other people in archipelago because he'll have too much power some day and he is currently trying (or in their words: forcing) to get other Vikings to stop killing the dragons. This also helps to portray Hiccup as "the bad guy" in their minds, which makes their actions of torturing and trying to kill him less problematic, because "he deserves it, he's done bad things." 3) Necessity. They will get a reward from the hostile tribes if they get rid of Hiccup and since they no longer have their education (well, two of them don't) and they're all eager to get away from their homes, and they're not exactly guys with plenty of other opportunities they want to secure their futures and what better way to do that than to get a lot of money? Talking about something as "necessary" helps dull down the idea that the action is problematic, because well…it's "necessary" for getting what you want, so what other choice is there? The argument of necessity is often used to justify unethical or otherwise horrible actions. 4) The argument that if they don't torture and kill himself, someone else will and then gain the reward, so it might as well be them. Hiccup suffering and dying is inevitable (that's what the hostile tribes have told them), so they can use that argument too to lessen any potential hesitations or worries they have about what they're doing.

\- The name of the chapter is a line from the song "What Sarah Said" by Death Cab for Cutie, which is a song about a guy being in a waiting room in the ICU, while someone he loves is dying. So yeah…very fitting for this chapter.

\- A quick thank you to two guest reviewers: Pooka-Spirit and Lyss. You guys are great, I love that you're reviewing on a chapter-basis, that makes me happy :) Pooka, you were my 100th review :) That is awesome :) And Lyss, as always I truly appreciate your long, detailed reviews (and your honesty!) :)


	16. The Aftermath

**Author's note:**

So…hi again everyone!

This chapter is a whopper and there's a new record of most POV's in one chapter for me: the most so far has been 3 POV's in a chapter but this one has 6! The reason is that we get some insight into McGowan's, Levin's and Zamora's POV's regarding Hiccup's torture as well. Even bullies are very different people and the three of them will be handling their current situation very differently to reflect that.

Anyway…enjoy!

~~~~ Andrew Zamora ~~~~

TIME SKIP: ONE WEEK

One moment of weakness. One moment where you fail to act. That's all it takes to ruin your life.

The single light bulb in the ceiling flickered, interchanging waves of pale light and darkness bothering his eyes. It was the kind of bulb you would expect to see in an old, creaky house…the kind of bulb that would go out on a dark night, just when you were feeling most scared and vulnerable.

The small cot was hard and uncomfortable to lie on. The disgusting smell of half-digested food and bile hung in the air. The dark stone walls in the cell seemed like they were closing in on him, encasing him like a coffin. Sometimes he would let his fingernails rake down the stone, cracks and small holes and scratches scraping against his fingertips.

He felt sick.

He _always _felt sick these days. The nausea was unbearable. He had lost count of how many times he'd thrown up. How much weight he'd lost. How much darker the circles under his eyes had become. How much paler his skin was now.

He groaned and rolled to his side on the cot. His back was sore from hunching over the bucket next to his bed all the time to empty his stomach after every meal. He heard a growling sound from his belly, complaining of the lack of food, but he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't keep anything down.

Footsteps echoed through the long hallway outside his cell. It was probably some of the guards going to lunch…or dinner. He had no idea what time it was and there was no window in his cell.

Well…as long as they didn't pass by him and look at him with those judgmental eyes…those eyes that made him feel like a wild, savage animal being trapped in a cage.

His body was shaking. Beads of sweat rested on his forehead with their gross, sticky presence. The lack of food and sleep along with torturous emotions was making his body protest. It was trying to reject him…trying to push him out of his own skin and bones, like he was a demon being exorcised.

One moment of weakness meant he could no longer feel at home in his own body.

He sighed.

He deserved his suffering.

A certain dislike for Haddock had always bubbled inside him. He was annoying…a defiant smart-ass…a sarcastic know-it-all…and since his secret about the dragons was out,_ everyone_ just seemed to love him. It was sickening.

But what they had done to him…

It was wrong. It was so_ wrong_.

And now the guilt was killing him slowly. It was consuming him alive. A beast lived in him now, clawing at his insides and spewing poison in his system, fighting to get out, infecting his organs, his veins, his muscles with its nauseating presence.

He hated Thomas and Peter. He despised them.

They had made it sound so easy and simple. They just needed to hurt Haddock to teach him a lesson and then they could all share the reward that these 'tribes' had put out. It was a golden ticket to freedom. They could do whatever they wanted, be whoever they wanted…nothing was going to limit him anymore.

He would be free from his family, who always acted like he owed them something. Just because they had adopted him when he was 10. He was grateful that they had put a roof over his head, given him food to eat, clothes on his back, books to read and school supplies…but that didn't mean he had to be their slave…that he had to do everything they wanted and mold his future after their wishes. They never let him forget just how grateful he should be for what they had done. They made sure to humiliate him and break down his ego whenever they could…to make him attend to their every need no matter how degrading it was, to shoot holes in his confidence by constantly making snide remarks about his looks, his personality, his abilities. They made him feel like he was worth no more than a cockroach. Whenever he wanted something different from them, it was shot down and he was put in his place. Whenever he did something they didn't approve of, they threatened to kick him out on the street, knowing fully well that he had _nowhere_ else to go and _no one_ else to turn to. It wasn't abuse in his mind but it was bloody close to it…and he was dependent on them…but he didn't want to be. He wanted to be his own person…someone who wasn't indebted to _anyone_ ever again. If he had actually gotten that reward he would finally have been able to wrench himself out of their grasps as well as escape from his home town, where all the memories of his parents' deaths still echoed. He _really_ didn't need to be reminded of that every single time he went home. He just needed a fresh start.

One moment of weakness meant that he would be spending the rest of his life in jail, never getting that fresh start.

His skin began to itch again. Irritating prickling sensations that he _knew_ wouldn't go away even if he scratched. It was psychological. It was illusionary bugs crawling right under his skin, swimming in his blood, laying their disgusting clusters of eggs in his head.

He lowered his gaze and took in his arms resting along his sides on the hard cot. Long, angry, red scratch marks marred both of them. He had tried to scratch away his guilt…tried to rip open his skin, pale flakes getting trapped under his violent fingernails.

It didn't work.

No matter how much his angry nails dug into prickling skin, he didn't get any relief.

It was maddening. He wanted to claw at his scalp, rake his fingernails across every pale inch of his body, until everything was raw and red and bleeding. Maybe that would somehow purify him. Maybe then he could get some relief from the itch because he would be too focused on the pain instead.

One moment of weakness meant that he was going mad from the itch.

Why couldn't things have turned out differently? Why couldn't it have been like Peter and Thomas had told him in the first place? Injure Haddock and then claim a huge reward. Nice and simple.

With all that money, he would have just…traveled into the world and never looked back. He would have started a new life and left without saying goodbye to _anyone,_ not even to Thomas and Peter.

But they had lied to him. They had trapped him. They had told him that everything would be fine…that they would harm Haddock but that it was going to be quick and easy and then they could all leave Hogwarts and their shitty lives behind forever.

It had been _anything_ but quick and easy.

Suddenly he found himself in the middle of torture and attempted murder…something he had_ never_ agreed to do. He had tried to protest, tried to convince them that they didn't need to do it but he was scared. He had never been scared of Thomas and Peter before but what he saw in Peter's eyes...it frightened him to his core.

Peter was _enjoying_ it. He was actually having _fun_ watching Haddock scream and bleed and writhe in agony. The sick bastard…

Of course he knew that Peter got some kind of thrill from beating people up, from putting them in their place. After all, they had been friends for years and he had helped him inflict pain on others several times…but he had never expected that Peter would so easily cross the line over to torture and murder.

He had been wrong.

One moment of weakness meant he now knew Peter was a full-blown psychopath. Physically _incapable _of guilt and empathy of any kind.

That also meant he could have never actually cared for him and Thomas. That they were never really friends. It was a disturbing thought. That all these years he had been by the side of a psychopath without even knowing it.

He should have done more to stop them from torturing and trying to kill Haddock, but he feared they wouldn't hesitate to get him out of the way too…because it was about survival. They wouldn't risk going to Azkaban just because of him…their weak friend who had suddenly grown a conscience.

Oh, the irony…Peter had used the fucking Cruciatus curse! That was _not _a part of the plan and it was a guarantee that he would never leave Azkaban once they had all been convicted. Which they _would _be. The evidence was overwhelming.

Not that he cared. Peter could rot in a cell forever and it wouldn't bother him. He was done with the both of them. _They_ had turned him into this…this writhing, sweating, vomiting mess whose guilt was chipping away at him, one torturous little piece at a time. He was wasting away.

He could still hear Haddock's screams of pain echo in his mind. They haunted him whenever silence hung in the air…like his guilt wanted to make sure he would never get a single moment of peace from what he had done.

He still saw the red blood and the sliced skin in his nightmares. He still pictured Haddock writhing in agony. He could still hear Peter telling Haddock that they were going to 'play a game'. The word "Crucio" still echoed in his mind.

He could feel the bile rising to his throat again, burning into his esophagus with its sharp, sickening acid. He curled up in the fetal position on the unpleasant cot that felt like a slab of rock.

He closed his eyes and breathed slowly to hold the bile down. He didn't want to feel his organs moving, the yellow-green fluid traveling towards his mouth, filling it with warm saliva first to warn him what was coming. He didn't want that disgusting, sour taste lingering on his tongue.

He wiped his forehead with a clammy hand, warm wet drops clinging to the skin. It was like poison was streaming through his veins as a result of his horrible actions and his body was desperately trying to get rid of the toxins through bile, sweat and vomit. He imagined this must be how addicts feel when they are coming off a drug. Pathetic. Weak. Boiling. Painful. Shaking.

Why had he ever gotten himself into this? He never wanted_ this_…he just wanted freedom and if Haddock got beaten up and injured, it was a small price to pay.

But murder…cruel, slow torture…

One moment of weakness was all it took. One moment of weakness where he failed to do something meant that he would probably spend the rest of his life here in Azkaban.

One moment of weakness meant that Haddock would never be the same again.

One moment of weakness meant that neither would he.

~~~~ Peter McGowan ~~~~

Dark, stone surrounded him from every angle. The hard, wooden chair dug into his back. His hands trailed along the imperfections in the large, dark table he was sitting by. Evidence of years of use. Above him, a single lamp hung from the ceiling, only bathing the nearby surroundings with a very faint light. It had a sickening yellow color. Like baby vomit.

Interrogation rooms were all the same. They were meant to scare people, to make them feel cornered and alone against the authorities, to give them the impression that they would be unable to ever escape unless they gave them what they wanted.

This was what? The fourth or fifth time they had brought him into this room to question him in the last week? As if he would suddenly break down and tell them everything. They had another thing coming. He wasn't some weak coward who was easily manipulated and broken down.

"Come on Peter, we _know_ you did it. We have plenty of evidence to convict you, so you might as well try to help yourself and cooperate." a man's voice said from the chair on the other side of the table.

Bloody hell, he hated police officers. They always thought they were so clever and superior…that they had some kind of secret knowledge about the minds of criminals that even the criminals didn't know about.

There were two of them trying to interrogate him. One was tall, lean and quite young with short blonde, smooth hair. His gentle features reminded him of the typical 'all-around good guy'. Someone who had been well-liked all his life and who had now dedicated his life to being a 'hero', fighting the awful, horrible bad guys. The other officer was middle-aged, a bit chubby and had dark hair and a moustache. He had a certain air of authority and experience about him that he didn't like at all. He was challenging him.

It was a classic combination. A young one who he might identify with because he was closer to his own age and an older one whose experience and authority he might respect or feel intimidated by.

As if.

He remained silent, letting his fingertips glide across the wooden surface of the table, exploring the small holes, marks and cracks that came from years of having criminals sit by it. He briefly wondered how many killers, rapists, child molesters and death-eaters had sat here. Azkaban was an old place after all…and from the look of this table, it had been there for many years as well.

"Peter…" the young, blonde man's voice said, more softly this time. "We just want to help you…but we can't help you unless you give us something. You need to cooperate."

Great, here came the bonding strategy…trying to develop some rapport, so he would feel 'comfortable' opening up to them.

Apparently they thought he was a bloody idiot. He may not have done very well at school but he definitely wasn't stupid. He was good at reading human behavior. He _knew_ what they were doing. He saw right through their manipulative strategies.

…and he was _not_ going to say a fucking word. They weren't trying to "help" him. They just wanted him to start talking, so he might eventually say something they could use against him. Because he was a criminal, they assumed he was some kind of half-wit and wouldn't figure that out.

"You know you're in trouble here, Peter. This is not going to go away just by remaining silent. You tortured someone and tried to kill them. You used the Cruciatus curse. You know what that means." the older, dark-haired officer said and leaned a little over the table, lowering his head to watch him with those condescending eyes, as if he was talking to a small child who knew he was in trouble.

Bloody hell that guy's face was annoying. His cheeks and nose were all bumpy and reddened, as if he was an alcoholic, his dark moustache rested under his nose like some kind of furry snail and his eyes gleamed with the arrogance that came from years of feeling superior to others. He must be getting off on this…playing the role of the righteous crusader every day. A pure defender of morals and law.

He stuck a finger into one of the larger dents in the wooden surface.

Yes, he had used the Cruciatus curse…and yes, he knew exactly what that meant.

He shouldn't have used it, because using that curse would earn anyone a life-time stay here in Azkaban. That was his future now. How fucking ridiculous. He had been so sure they would get away with it that he had gotten carried away in the heat of the moment.

When he didn't respond, the older man spoke once more.

"Peter." he said, this time firmly, like a parent trying to get their disobedient child to do something. Apparently he was attempting a new strategy now. "If you feel any remorse at all about what you've done, you should use this chance to come clean about everything."

Ah, the guilt strategy. Well, that was definitely _not _going to work with him.

An eye for an eye. Haddock got what was coming to him…for all the times he'd been a defiant, disrespectful, sarcastic shit through the years…for how he had used his new popularity to hit on Sarah and wouldn't even back down when they confronted him…for humiliating them in front of everyone, when he should have just done what they'd told him…for getting them expelled…

Under normal circumstances, he would have found a way to beat Haddock up. To cause him pain in the way he usually did with people who got in his way or tried to make him look weak.

But then a better opportunity had arisen. When their connection at Hogwarts had approached him and explained to him that those savage tribes would offer him enough money to fulfill all his wildest dreams of power and status for the rest of his life, how could he refuse? All he needed was to get his two friends to join him in the plan, since he wasn't going to take on Haddock by himself. The guy might be a sarcastic shit but he knew how to fight and he wasn't going to take the risk of losing. Only a stupid person would have approached him alone.

Luckily he knew all of Andrew's and Thomas' weaknesses, fears and dreams through years of analyzing them, learning how to get them to do what he wanted.

Getting Thomas on board had been the easiest. He was hesitant at first of course but when he had explained to Thomas just how much money they were going to get and how that would be his golden ticket to get his family away from his abusive father, he quickly accepted. He wasn't surprised by that. Thomas was desperate to get his mum and brother away from his father and when people were desperate, they were easy to manipulate and willing to cross moral borders they wouldn't usually cross.

Andrew was a bit more difficult to convince, but he had expected that. It was the reason why he hadn't actually told him they were going to torture and kill Haddock. If he had known that from the start, he would have blown the whole plan. Andrew might not mind beating people up, but he did _not _have the stomach for torture and murder. However…he had known that as soon as Andrew was in the middle of the situation, he would be too afraid to back out. He knew he could control him. Inside, Andrew was a weak coward, so he decided to use that knowledge to his advantage. He was also well aware that the black-haired Slytherin had serious issues with his adoptive family and desperately wanted to get away and achieve independence from them and everyone else, so that had been his way in to convince him to join. While Thomas was in it for his family, Andrew looked out for himself. That was perfectly logical and reasonable to him, but most people would probably not agree. Those people were hypocrites.

"Peter…what you did was sick and wrong. You know that. The only way you can start redeeming yourself is if you talk to us and tell us what happened from your perspective." that annoying, authoritative voice said from in front of him.

A little, crooked smile strained one side of his mouth. That guy should choke on his own moustache. That way the world would be free of his suffocating moral speeches.

_Did_ he know that what he did was sick and wrong?

No.

Those were just words invented by people who were slaves to societies' morals and laws. Like the two 'heros' in front of him.

He was different from other people. He had been aware of that for many years.

He knew what guilt meant. He could recognize it in other people. But he had never felt it himself.

He was well aware that that was not normal. He had often found himself in situations where other people reacted emotionally to something and he_ should_ be doing the same thing, but where he had felt nothing at all.

The first time he realized something was different inside him was when his sister died when he was nine years old and his parents were stricken with grief. He should have been sad. He should have been crying. But he didn't. He didn't feel _anything._

Several times in his life people, mostly former teachers and psychologists, had called attention to his lack of guilt and empathy towards other people. They said it was human to feel remorse and to be affected by other people's emotions.

He didn't care that it was 'human'. They spoke of it as if it was some kind of strength to be able to feel those things.

Andrew was currently spending his days vomiting out his insides from guilt.

Was that better than his own situation?

Of course it wasn't. Only a stupid, naïve person would think so.

Guilt meant that you doubted and felt horrible about the actions you'd taken to put someone in their place, to avoid people taking advantage of you and to make sure you'd be able to fight your way to the top and stay there.

Being unable to feel guilt and empathy made him _much_ stronger than the average person. He _never_ had to hesitate or feel bad about doing whatever needed to be done to make himself succeed and achieve what he wanted in life. That was strength and power, _not_ something to try to suppress. Those so-called 'good' people, the ones who were kind and understanding and patient with everyone they came across…they didn't have what it took to achieve greatness.

Life was a brutal game. Everyone wants to believe that all people are equals, that everyone should help the weaker ones, that no one should be immune from the law not even the most powerful, that everyone should be nice and polite and understanding about every single flaw and neurosis and trauma.

But that was bullshit and that wasn't how things actually worked. Some people will always have more power than others. The strong have always oppressed the weak and that will continue to happen. It's human nature.

…and he did _not _intend to ever be one of the weak.

So when those savage Vikings came along and offered him a way to a rich, powerful life…a life where it didn't matter that he didn't have an education or a family anymore, where it didn't matter that his parents were meek, unimportant people, where it didn't matter that he didn't come from a rich background or had a lot of connections…

…it was just impossible to resist.

He had had power throughout his life by making sure that no one ever messed with him or his friends, but this was on a much larger scale. In this world, money was power…and after getting rid of Haddock, he would have been set for life.

"Don't you care about anyone?" the young officer asked him, light eyebrows lowering in a condescending way. "Not your victim, not your two friends, not your family? You would make things easier on all of them, if you cooperated."

He scoffed and then an amused smile appeared on his lips.

Wow. These officers were_ not_ the brightest. They hadn't figured out yet that no, he didn't care for the needs of others. Why should he?

His victim?

No, he didn't care how Haddock was. He had been a means to an end. A way to finally get what he wanted.

His two friends?

No, he didn't care about them either. They were both going to turn on him as soon as they got an offer of a reduced sentence in their hands. Why should he be loyal to them? Besides…he had had a lot of fun with them over the years, but he would _never_ choose someone else above himself. His needs came before all others'. Thomas and Andrew had been an entertaining way to socialize through the years. They had been a source of fun for him and they had been useful chess pieces, assisting him with whatever he wanted, like beating someone up or threatening someone to do their homework…but they were just that…chess pieces. Tools he could use to achieve stuff. He didn't actually give a shit about Andrew's insecurities or Thomas' abusive family life. They got what they deserved because they were too weak to do anything about their situation.

His family?

He hadn't heard from his parents while he had been in here. Not that that surprised him. They were probably going to disown him after this…but...what did it matter anyway? He didn't need them. He could take care of himself no matter what happened.

They had never forgiven him for his sister's death. For that reason, it had always been a part of his plan to leave them behind and start again somewhere else. They liked to look at him with blame in their eyes. To spit out subtle reminders that he was responsible. It didn't make him feel guilty like they wanted it to, but he wasn't going to put up with that kind of disrespect. He knew he wasn't responsible and even if he was, so what? His sister had obviously been a stupid little girl since she had wandered off and stumbled down that hill and bashed her head on that rock, while he was busy reading comic books. Yes, he was supposed to watch her, but he had told her not to leave the garden and yet she had. Foolish girl. It certainly wasn't his fault that she couldn't obey a simple order.

"Fine. That was your last chance. I hope you'll enjoy your time here in Azkaban, since this will be your home for the rest of your life." The older, dark-haired officer with the snail moustache said and then got up. His chair creaked from the sudden movement.

They pulled him to his feet and began to lead him towards the door, one officer on each side of him, holding on to his arms with tight grips.

He met the eyes of the younger, blonde officer whose lips were a thin line. Those blue eyes were slightly narrowed and they were brimming with a quiet, controlled disgust.

He knew they saw him as some kind of repulsive, lower form of life because of his actions. Because he had actually dared to do something they would _never_ have the ability to do without breaking down pathetically.

As they began to lead him through dark, stone hallways with dim lamps in the ceiling and guards posted at various points, he began thinking about what he had discovered about himself through this experience. The reason why he cast the Cruciatus curse, even though it hadn't been a part of his original plan.

He had beaten up plenty of people throughout the years. He was no stranger to inflicting pain on others and he liked the sensation of power that rushed through him, when he made someone bleed and bruise, but…he had never tortured someone before. He hadn't really expected it to change anything inside him but he had been wrong about that.

He had found out that he liked it.

Holding Haddock's life in his hands…watching him be completely at his mercy…hearing and seeing him writhe and scream and bleed, being able to decide whether he lived or died with a simple flick of his wand…

It was the most thrilling surge of power he had_ ever_ experienced. It felt like being some kind of god, who could choose to extract someone's life force slowly or snuff it out in a few, quick seconds. That was why he had used the curse. He was in some kind of trance and wanted to feel _more _of that wonderful, addictive power and exhilaration…to feel even _more_ adrenaline and excitement stream through his entire being. He had never felt more alive. It was like some primal need had been awakened inside him.

…and the longer Haddock had held out, the more he had wanted to see just how much pain he could handle. How much would it take to break him? How long before he started to beg them to kill him?

It was like some sort of childish curiosity had arisen within him alongside the sparks of excitement. He wanted to explore the limits of the human body and mind…wanted to find out when someone would snap and go insane and when the continuance of pain would be a worse option than death.

He never got that far though.

They moved down a new, dark hallway towards his cell. Their footsteps echoed through the air and the older officer's heavy breathing reached his ears. The handcuffs had started to dig into his skin but he wasn't going to show his discomfort. They moved past a lamp that briefly flickered.

He didn't know exactly how their plan had failed, but he was certain that either Andrew or Thomas had fucked up somehow. Maybe Andrew hadn't kept a proper lookout, while they were in the corridor and hadn't dragged Haddock into the workshop yet. Maybe Thomas hadn't done the silencing spells properly. He should have done those things himself.

Because of the stupidity of his so-called 'friends', Frost and Rider had ruined their plans. They had interfered, knocked them out with stunning spells and (as he was later informed) taken Haddock to the hospital wing so he survived.

And now he was going to spend the rest of his life in this hole of a prison known as Azkaban.

That wasn't the important thing right now though. The important thing was that these police officers were_ not_ going to break him. He knew it wouldn't be the last time they would pull him into that interrogation room, even if they had claimed just that. Every interaction between him and them was a power play and there was no way he was going to lose.

They walked past empty cell after empty cell, before he turned his head a little and looked into Thomas' cell. He was sitting on the floor just staring blankly into the air. When he passed by Andrew's cell a few moments later, he could see the black-haired boy lying on his cot, shaking and moaning as usual.

Andrew and Thomas were both weak. They had probably already cracked and would sell each other out as well as him. But he wouldn't talk no matter what.

It was a good thing that he had kept the identity of their source at the castle to himself. He had figured that if something went wrong, he could use a bit of leverage to negotiate a reduced sentence or use it to his advantage in some other way…

…but that was before he had used the Cruciatus curse. Now there was no way he was going to be offered better terms in exchange for information, so there was no reason for him to keep it to himself, except that he didn't want to cooperate in the slightest. He didn't want to give those officers the upper hand. To let them win.

He glanced briefly to his left and then to his right, where the two men were walking beside him, still keeping their hands tightly on his arms.

They thought they were cleverer than him. More persistent than him. More manipulative than him. Stronger than him. They thought it was a matter of time before he would break down and begin to talk in a desperate, naïve attempt to create an easier life in prison for himself.

They were very wrong about that.

~~~~ Thomas Levin ~~~~

Tick tock.

Tick tock.

Loud clocks in prisons was some kind of method for breaking people down and get them to talk. He was sure of it.

Hearing the same, repetitive sound over and over again, every single day, would stress most people out. The human mind wasn't made for endless repetition.

Tick tock.

Tick tock.

He hadn't even been able to see the guilty fucker at first. He couldn't spot it from his cell, so it was only the first time he was brought out of the cell again and towards the interrogation room that he had seen it, hanging farther down the hallway. A big, round black and white thing, whose whole mechanism clicked so noisily it seemed like a huge effort for the clock to make its arms go around.

The fact that the cells in this particular hallway were a place to hold prisoners temporarily until they had been interrogated and then later on received their sentence, only supported his idea that that clock was used as some kind of psychological torture.

_Time is running out. You better start talking before it's too late._

That was the message the placement and noise of that clock seemed to send.

Tick tock.

Tick tock.

He knew Peter certainly hadn't talked.

He could see it in his eyes. Every time those two officers led Peter back and forth between the interrogation room and his cell and the large guy looked into his cell and they locked eyes…he could see that defiance, that stubbornness, that refusal to ever show weakness of any kind.

The hard stone floor was beginning to dig into his thighs. He had been sitting here on the floor for hours just staring into the wall and thinking about this whole situation. It wasn't like he had anything else to do and he needed a break from that unpleasant cot.

Peter wasn't ever going to leave Azkaban after using the Cruciatus curse and he didn't care in the slightest. It had become completely apparent to him that Peter was in fact not just a bully like him…but something else entirely.

He probably should have seen the signs over the years but…how often do you think about potentially being in the company of an actual psychopath? When you notice someone you know often causing trouble and pain for others, you think 'bad temper' and 'lack of impulse control' and such things. You don't think 'psychopath'. And when he wanted to, Peter could actually be a lot of fun to be around as well as generous, and he never backed down if anyone messed with his friends. That had been an effective way to disguise his true nature, even from him and Andrew.

But there was no way Peter could ever disguise that gleam in his eyes and that hint of a smile on his lips, when Haddock was screaming in agony from the Cruciatus curse. Peter actually _liked _torturing someone. He didn't. And now Peter would definitely spend the rest of his life here in Azkaban.

He and Andrew however, still had a chance of getting their sentences reduced a little bit and he wasn't stupid enough to let that chance slip through his fingers. He told the officers whatever they wanted to know. Whenever they brought him into the interrogation room, he answered their questions without holding anything back. He knew it was his best chance right now.

Tick tock.

Tick tock.

He felt an itch appear on one of his arms. Prickling. Uneasy tingling across the skin.

He carefully rolled up the long, dark grey sleeve covering the arm. As he folded the fabric up, purple and dark blue skin came into view, angry bruises coloring almost his entire arm. There was barely a skin-colored patch left on it. It was sore and aching and every time something even grazed the skin, he flinched.

He looked at the bruises and tried to very carefully scratch at the itchy skin with two fingers. It immediately hurt too much and he stopped right away. He would just have to put up with the itch.

He had gotten them about two weeks ago. They hadn't faded much yet. His dad was very effective in leaving dark bruises that took a long time to disappear.

Tick tock.

Tick tock.

All of this was supposed to have been his way out.

He had been close to breaking during the summer. He had actually had the thought that his mind might snap.

There was only one reason he didn't. It was the same reason why he had let Peter talk him into torturing and killing Haddock, even though he knew it was wrong and might end badly.

His mum and his little brother.

He needed to protect them. At_ all_ costs.

If it had only been him at home with his father, he would have run away years ago…but as long as he was there, his father left Jacob and his mum alone – even when he was off to Hogwarts. That was the unspoken agreement he had with his father. That he would take the abuse as long as his mum and Jacob were left out of it.

He couldn't just grab them and take off either. His father would definitely come looking for them and he was one of those people who would never be held accountable for his actions, because he knew all the right people.

The law was supposed to protect everyone and make everyone responsible for their actions.

It didn't.

His father was wealthy and had friends in all the right places, so he was kept safe from any kind of prosecution no matter how many times he abused him in various, cruel ways.

They wouldn't be able to hide from him for long and even if they would, he didn't have any money to provide for them. He couldn't give them life on the streets just because he was too weak to put up with more of his dad's ruthless beatings.

Tick tock.

Tick tock.

Then Haddock just_ had_ to be unable to shut his mouth. He just _had_ to provoke them, talk back to them, be an annoying shit as usual, so Peter lost his temper and attacked him and he helped him to back up his friend and to teach Haddock a lesson.

He sighed and leaned back against the dark, stone wall. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before cracking them open again. The sounds of Andrew vomiting_ again_ and moaning in his cell farther down the hallway reached his ears. That was a regular occurrence these days. Andrew was being eaten up alive by his guilt.

He couldn't say he didn't understand him and sympathize with him. He was having trouble with his conscience too these days, although obviously not _as _much as Andrew…but he had bad dreams regularly and whenever he thought about how he had sliced Haddock's skin open, he felt sick to his stomach.

He couldn't fully comprehend that he had actually done those things. Now that it was over, it seemed like it had been another person doing it. As if he saw himself from outside his body. It was surreal.

What they had done to Haddock was wrong. There was no doubt in his mind about that. He might beat people up on a regular basis, but torture and murder was a completely different thing. He knew it was a terrible, inhuman thing to do, but he had been desperate. He had needed to protect his mum and little brother and was slowly running out of options to do that. Sacrificing Haddock to get them a better life was an acceptable trade for him. Something he didn't like to do at all but something he could live with in the end, because he would have saved his family.

Well…he would have been able to live with it, if it had actually gone the way they had planned. Now though…his family was left to his father's bad temper and violent hands without him being able to do _anything _about it. It was tearing him up inside, especially because he wasn't even allowed to get visits from them yet. He had no idea how they were doing. If his father had already started to hurt his little brother in the same way he himself had been used to getting hurt for years. He had smashed his fists against the stone walls of his cells endless times since he got here. It was the only outlet for his anger and frustration he had.

Tick tock.

Tick tock.

So it hadn't been worth it in the end. He had ended up doing something horrible for no reason and that would probably plague his conscience for the rest of his life.

Those bloodthirsty Vikings had been very insistent that he and the others would need to make Haddock suffer and humiliate him. Otherwise there was no deal. Apparently Haddock had pissed them off to the point where they not only wanted him dead but wanted it to be slow and painful as well. It was clearly personal. He didn't know what exactly Haddock had done to them, he just knew that it had to do with the dragons and that those Vikings saw him as a threat because he was apparently able to gain control of the massive beasts…

…and once they had made the deal with the Vikings, there was no backing out. You did _not_ break deals with those people. If you did, it would be _you_ who would be killed.

Despite how much he despised Haddock, he had actually been relieved to find out that he had survived. He wouldn't have minded beating him up but torturing and killing him was _never_ something he had _wanted_ to do. It was nothing more than a desperate attempt to finally find a way out of that hell hole he called home and take Jacob and his mum with him. It was reckless, dangerous and wrong but he had had to take that opportunity Peter handed him. It was the only _real_ ticket to a better life for him and his family that he had _ever _been given. He couldn't have said no.

Even if that meant becoming a murderer.

At least he had tried to protect his family. Unlike Andrew and Peter who only did all of this for themselves.

Tick tock.

Tick tock.

Most people will never find out what lengths they will go to, to save the ones they love. Most people are able to remain in their little, snug illusions that they would never harm another human being no matter what. That they would never cross those neat moral lines they stayed inside in their everyday life.

That was bullshit.

_Everyone_, if pushed enough and under the right circumstances, would be able to hurt someone else. Not everyone would be able to go as far as torture and murder but everyone _would _cross some of those moral borders they were usually so protective of.

Would you steal something from another person under normal circumstances? No.

Would you steal something from another person if someone held a gun to your head and threatened to kill you if you didn't? Definitely.

Would you hit someone under normal circumstances? No.

Would you hit someone if a person said they would slice open the neck of someone you loved, if you didn't? Definitely.

Would you beat someone up under normal circumstances? No.

Would you beat someone up if someone had kidnapped a loved one and threatened to rape them if you didn't? Definitely.

How willing people are to compromise their ideals of 'morals' and 'honor' is a matter of desperation. It's easy to take the moral high ground when you don't have something vital at stake.

He _did _have something vital at stake…

…and he would continue to talk. He would spill everything if it meant getting his sentence reduced so he wouldn't spend his entire life here in Azkaban, away from his family.

His friendship with Andrew and Peter was over. This was every man for himself.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

TIME SKIP: ONE WEEK

The chilly night air was fresh and cool against his pale skin. In the skies, grey clouds drifted across the dark blue heavens, occasionally obscuring the large, white glowing moon and veiling the bright stars.

Usually the moon would bring him some comfort. It reminded him of the story of the Man in the Moon his father used to tell him when he was sad or scared. The bright, glowing light illuminating the earth in a pale shine would always make him feel better.

Today the moon had other plans. Today it said: "Fuck you, Jack. It's not my job to make you feel better. You're on your own."

The wooden surface of the table was digging into his thighs. He was sitting in one of the courtyards, completely in silence and solitude, since everyone was inside in the warmth, either spending time in the common rooms or still in the Great Hall eating dinner.

Jack had no appetite these days. The thought of food made his throat close up a little and the nausea to stir inside him.

He raked fingernails along the hard, wooden surface of the table, feeling every bump, every scratch, every crack with his pale fingertips. So many students had sat by this table through the years, abusing it in various ways. It had been subjected to teenage boys carving messages or names into it, little girls drawing small doodles on it, countless items being dropped or spilled, staining or denting it, the brutal effects of rainstorms, harsh winds, snow and burning sun scraping away at the wood. It was beat up. Used. Worn down.

Jack was worn down too.

He'd never actually identified with a piece of furniture before but today he did. He felt sorry for the poor table. Its busted up, worn state reflected his own mind perfectly.

He wasn't just worried about Hiccup.

He was slowly being consumed from the inside out with anxiety and depression. It was fraying every nerve in his body. Gnawing at every corner of his mind. He was being slowly and torturously ripped apart. A bone in the mouth of a dog ruthlessly tearing thin, sparse shreds of meat off with sharp canine teeth.

His surroundings were quiet and peaceful but they didn't soothe his mind in the slightest. The wind gently ruffled his snow-white hair and caressed his pale skin. It danced through the blades of grass below him and the branches above him. The snow had gone away these past few days, melted by showers of rain. Now everything seemed grey and wet instead of white and shimmering.

Not that the snow would have comforted him anyway. The thoughts were constantly swirling in his mind, tugging violently at him in every waking moment.

Hiccup was doing exactly what Jack had feared he would do. He was pulling away and isolating himself.

Madam Whitley had let Hiccup leave the hospital wing a week after he was admitted. His physical wounds had healed enough for him to be able to leave, as long as he brought pain killing potions with him, because he was still suffering from headaches and sometimes muscle spasms. Why, Jack had no idea and he was growing more and more frustrated and desperate because he wasn't getting _any_ answers.

Hiccup had spent most of his time in the hospital wing sleeping. He was given Dreamless Sleep potions because he had nightmares and his body and mind seriously needed rest because of everything he'd been through. In the short periods he was awake, he would mostly just lie in the bed in silence, petting Toothless who never left his side. They had ended up bringing food and water to the room for the cat, since Toothless_ refused_ to leave for even just a second.

Jack and the others made sure that at least one of them was _always _in Hiccup's room, since the person who had helped McGowan and Levin get into the castle still hadn't been found. Jack and the others had discussed time and time again who it could possibly be. They had gone through so many possibilities but without coming to a conclusion, since they couldn't find anyone who had an obvious connection to Scandinavia.

Jack and Flynn had both given witness statements to the authorities and Hiccup had as well. The brunet hadn't spoken a single word for the rest of that day and Jack knew exactly why. The authorities not only needed Hiccup's statement of what had happened, they also needed to document his injuries, which meant that Hiccup had to show them the damages to his body. Hiccup was a private person, so the fact that he not only had to relive everything by explaining in detail what happened, he had also had to strip down and let them document his injuries.

Since Hiccup had left the hospital wing, he had begun to spend all his time outside in the forest with Toothless. He had been excused from classes for three weeks by headmaster Lunar, with the option of getting more time off, in light of the seriousness of the situation. That meant Jack almost never saw Hiccup these days. He came to the meals in the Great Hall at first, mostly just pushing his food around on his plate, but now he was beginning to skip meals or at least…get food at other times. Jack hadn't even seen him at all today and only a few glimpses of him yesterday.

He sighed and let his hands slide down his face. He lifted his head and just looked at the moon for a few moments. He was getting desperate and that unnerving, anxious feeling that something was_ very _wrong wouldn't leave him.

Hiccup was calm. That was probably the most worrying thing of all. He was exhausted yes, but he was calm and collected. He never cried, screamed or lashed out as a result of the horrible things he had gone through. He was just…passive. He didn't want to talk to anyone, he didn't really eat much and he didn't want to do anything except be with Toothless.

That was _not _a healthy way of dealing with being tortured.

Jack pulled his legs up on the table so he was sitting cross legged on the wooden surface. He wrung his hands a little.

Of course he had tried to get Hiccup to talk. They_ all_ had in their little group of friends. None of them were successful. Hiccup always just told them he didn't want to talk about it and then retreated outside with Toothless. Ever since he was tortured, Toothless followed him _everywhere_ in the shape of a black cat, except outside in the forest where Hiccup once again turned him into a dragon.

It worried all of them that Hiccup was isolating himself and not just because of the obvious emotional problems he was dealing with that he didn't want to share…but also because of the safety issues. If Jack had his way, Hiccup would be surrounded by him and the others at all times to keep him safe, but they couldn't force him to do that and obviously Hiccup needed some time alone before he would be ready to let them in. Rapunzel had tried to comfort him and tell him that Hiccup was safe as long as Toothless was around but…he couldn't let go of his worries.

His vision became slightly blurry, as a few tears moistened his eyes. He quickly blinked them away.

His heart was slowly breaking into tiny, shattered pieces from watching the guy he loved so much being in pain without being able to do anything about it…and Hiccup _was _in pain. He was calm and collected, yes…but anyone who truly knew him was well aware that that was one of his defense mechanisms.

Hiccup was putting up more and more emotional walls…and this time they were thicker and stronger than ever before…surrounded by barbed wire and guard dogs. _No one_ was getting past them and each day that came and went without Hiccup improving made Jack slowly sink into a hopeless depression.

Madam Whitley hadn't been able to tell them what had happened to Hiccup, because she wasn't allowed to share that kind of detailed information without the student's permission, and Hiccup hadn't wanted to tell _any_ of them about what those bastards had done to him. The _only _thing he had shared was that they injured him with some stunning spells and took his wand.

It made Jack sick to his stomach to think about it all…the not knowing made everything worse, because he ran all kinds of possibilities through his mind every single day, each of them more horrible than the next.

What had they done to him?

~~~~ Rapunzel ~~~~

The large stone bathroom was dimly lit and completely deserted. The light cast strange shadows across her face, as she watched herself in the mirror over the sink for a few moments. She brushed the tears trailing down her cheeks away with her hands and took a deep breath. She exhaled shakily and then sighed.

She felt empty inside these days. Tired. Depressed. Hopeless.

….and all those feelings were clearly expressed on her face. She had dark circles under her eyes, her hair wasn't brushed, and she looked paler than usual. Her usual bright and bubbly appearance was gone.

The reason was obvious. Her heart was breaking for Hiccup but he wasn't letting her in. She had tried _so _many times in the past week to get him to talk, but he clearly didn't want to and it left her in a state of desperation and depression. She _knew_ him. He might not be crying or be scared or angry, but he was definitely _not _okay.

And how could he be? She still didn't know what exactly had happened to him that day, but it was obviously something horrific and traumatizing and…even though Hiccup was a strong person, _no one_ could undergo torture and come out of it without any emotional damage. She so desperately wanted to help him…do _anything_ to lessen his pain…but how could she, when he didn't want to open up to her?

As she left the bathroom and walked slowly down the empty corridor, her entire body tired and weak, she felt the nausea that had become so familiar ever since all of this happened to Hiccup, swirl inside her. She and Hiccup were not related but in her heart, he was her brother. They had known each other for so many years…they had laughed together, cried together, been angry and frustrated together…they had supported each other, revealed their demons to each other, eased each other's worries and fears in dark moments. They were best friends. Siblings. They could always trust each other, always rely on each other no matter what.

She rubbed her red, puffy eyes a little, as she continued to softly tread along the empty, dimly lit hallway. Luckily there weren't any other students around right now.

She made sure to_ only_ cry when she was in the bathroom or lying in her bed at night. It was incredibly difficult to hold it in because the ache in her heart was so strong but…she couldn't let Hiccup see her cry. That would only make things worse for him, because he would start to blame himself for it. He really didn't need guilt on top of everything else he was going through. So she tried her best to push it down, to blink away the tears whenever he was around and then retreat some time later to the bathroom or the dormitory to have a good cry, where she could let it all out. Once in a while, Fishlegs or one of their Gryffindor friends would comfort her afterwards, if they knew she was crying. Her eyes constantly felt irritated these days from all the tears passing through them.

As she walked through another corridor and passed one of the entrances to a courtyard, she suddenly spotted a familiar head of white hair. She stopped in her tracks and watched Jack for a few moments. He was sitting on one of the large tables with his head lifted upwards, watching the stars and the moon. The gentle light from the large orb in the dark skies made the Gryffindor's snow-white hair and pale skin almost glow.

She walked into the courtyard and began approaching him, her light footsteps squishing the wet grass beneath her feet. It would be comforting to talk to a friend right now.

She knew that Jack had seen her in his peripheral vision, but the white-haired boy didn't move. She came closer, shivering a little from the brisk night air and pulled her cloak tighter around herself. She sat down next to him on the table.

They sat in silence for a few moments in the chilly winter night, watching the stars and the moon shine in the sky and the grey clouds travelling across the darkness.

She turned her head and looked at Jack for a few moments.

She knew Jack was just as concerned about Hiccup as she was. It was obvious that he was falling apart inside from all of this. He barely ate and slept and his usually youthful, happy face was marred by fatigue and depression. He had dark circles under his eyes, his face seemed paler than usual and his white hair was constantly disheveled.

She exhaled deeply and watched her breath look like a little white cloud.

"You know…" she began, breaking the silence between them. "The first time I met Hiccup all those years ago on the Hogwarts express…I knew right away that I wanted to be his friend." she said softly. A tiny smile graced her lips as she recalled the memory.

"How so?" Jack croaked, but didn't take his eyes off the sky.

"Two second year boys on the Hogwarts express were being really mean to me and took my backpack, refusing to give it back. I was really upset…it was a horrible way to start this whole new life. But then suddenly, this short, really skinny boy with freckles and shaggy brown hair" she said and chuckled fondly at the memory "started defending me with that sharp sarcasm of his and they let me have my backpack back…and then…his entire demeanor changed. He was so kind and gentle when he asked me if I was okay, and when he told me not to listen to anything they said. Then he offered me to come along with him to a compartment where his friend…Fishlegs…was waiting. I already knew then that I wanted to be his friend."

Jack tore his gaze off the dark winter heavens above them and met her eyes. The familiar blue orbs were filled with soft warmth now and a tiny, almost invisible smile twitched his lips. "It's a good thing the sorting hat put you in the same House then." he told her.

She smiled at that comment.

"Actually….the sorting hat was in doubt when it had to decide where to place me. It said I could do well in either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw but…Hiccup and Fishlegs had already been sorted into Ravenclaw, so I asked it to put me there." she explained and grabbed a lock of her long, golden hair and twirled it around a finger. It was a familiar, comforting act.

Jack nodded in understanding and then broke eye contact with her to look at the wet ground for a few moments.

Then the white-haired boy sighed deeply.

"What are we going to do about him?" he asked her, wringing his pale, slender hands.

She lifted her head and observed the large, glowing orb in the dark skies.

That was a good question. What could they do that they hadn't already done? Hiccup knew they were all there for him but…he still couldn't bring himself to open up to them. In her heart though, Rapunzel knew that Jack was their best shot.

Hiccup was in love with him. She_ knew_ that even though her friend hadn't actually told her. Since that day on Berk where Hiccup had revealed to her and Fishlegs that he had feelings for Jack, she had begun to notice the way he looked at their white-haired friend, when he thought no one was watching.

It was soft. Adoring. Like Jack was something he desperately wanted to cherish, protect and hold close to him forever.

It was the look of a pure, unconditional love…

…and that love was going to be their best shot of getting Hiccup to open up.

She trained her green eyes on her white-haired friend once again.

"Jack…to be honest…I think _you're _the one who has the best chance of getting him to talk." she told him.

"Me? Why?" Jack asked her, brow furrowed in confusion.

"It's just…I've known Hiccup for more than five years. Fishlegs has known him even longer and…neither of us have _ever_ seen him open up to someone as quickly as he has opened up to you. I mean, after only a few months, he told you about how everyone made him feel worthless back home. Do you know how long it took him to tell me about that?" she said to him, remembering that night in the start of their second year when Hiccup had finally let her in on all the hurt he experienced back home. It had deepened their friendship significantly and since that day, he trusted her more and more as time went by and let her see so many hidden sides of him that he had kept buried in his mind. She knew that Hiccup trusted her completely, even when he was isolating himself. He just still had some trouble reaching out sometimes.

Jack shook his head slowly, encouraging her to go on.

"A year. I obviously knew, because Hiccup had dropped hints that things weren't great back home and he got all solemn and isolated himself every time he got a letter from his dad but...it took him a year to sit down and actually tell me everything about it, because it hurt him so much and because he had lost his trust in people. I don't know how you did it but…you just…you have a unique relationship with him, Jack." she smiled softly at him.

It was true. Jack's friendship with Hiccup was something truly special and she was immensely grateful that he had managed to gain his trust. It warmed her heart whenever she saw Hiccup and Jack play around with each other, protect each other or be affectionate with each other.

"You think so?" Jack asked with a small, insecure smile and his blue irises gleamed with…

…was that…hope?

She stared into Jack's intense eyes, trying to decode what that burst of raw emotion swirling in the blue orbs meant.

It looked so soft…so…

Could it be…? Could Jack…have feelings for Hiccup too?

What she was seeing in her friend's eyes right now made her believe that it was actually possible.

"Yeah." she responded. "Hiccup is one of my best friends and…you seem to be able to get past those walls of his better than anyone I've ever seen, so…I really hope you'll try again and get him to talk, Jack. I think he'll listen to you eventually." she told him, hoping that he would be willing to try again, though somehow she already knew he would. Jack wasn't the type to give up on his friends. He was fiercely loyal and supportive to everyone he cared about. That was one of the things she appreciated most about him, along with his slightly childish, fun-loving nature.

"I'll try my best." Jack replied with a small sigh. His breath formed a little wisp of white mist.

"Thanks Jack." she said, a warm smile curving the corners of her pink lips upwards a little.

Hiccup would open up to Jack eventually. Somehow, she just knew it.

"Do you have…any idea what's wrong with him? Why he's so calm but still isolates himself?" Jack asked her.

Yes. She had an idea. But if it was actually true, it wasn't good at all.

"I…I don't understand what it's like to be tortured but…I have a theory about why he's doing this." she started hesitantly.

"What is it?"

She sighed a little.

"Hiccup _knows_ we're all here for him…that he isn't alone but…because of his past, his first emotional response to a difficult emotional problem is to isolate himself and be alone with his thoughts, because that's all he knew how to do before he had any friends who cared about him…and…I think he's so calm and he's isolating himself because…he somehow feels bad about himself right now. He's come a long way in trusting his friends with his problems but there are still some things that he really struggles with and he usually only isolates himself without telling us why, when it's one of those things…so…maybe he blames himself." she explained, waves of sadness crashing inside her. She could feel a few tears begin to blur her vision but she quickly pulled herself together and got them to disappear again. Now wasn't the time for even more crying.

Jack's forehead instantly furrowed and his eyes narrowed a little in confusion.

"How could he _possibly_ blame himself?" her white-haired friend asked her.

She wasn't sure about the answer to that question. She didn't know why he would blame himself, she just knew that he sometimes fell into self-loathing and blamed himself for difficult situations, even if it wasn't his fault.

Hiccup's Viking background definitely didn't help on this problem. Of course none of his fellow Vikings would ever see him as weak for being tortured but those ridiculously high standards of strength that was so ingrained in Viking culture might actually make _Hiccup_ believe that he was weak for not being able to withstand it…for being put in such a horrific, painful situation without being able to do something about it.

"I don't know…I just…think that's why he wants to be alone." she replied, unable to keep the sadness out of her voice.

"Really?" Jack asked, biting his lip in worry.

"Yeah…he's holding something back and putting up those walls again." she said and then shook her head a little from the depressing situation they were all in right now.

However, she sighed in relief at the soft words that left Jack's mouth next.

"Well…I'll have to try to break them down then."

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

Some nights were made for solitude. This was one of them.

Cold rainwater tracing a hundred tiny rivers down his clothes, his hair, his skin. Sitting on drenched earth, wet, squishy grass wetting his trousers. Head drooping. Soaked locks of hair dripping. Green eyes taking in red skin on hands, touched by harsh winter wind and cold water. Breaths leaving his mouth in wispy, pale mist, trailing towards the dark, grey heavens, like ghosts trying to escape from him.

He shouldn't be sitting here.

Rainwater drummed on branches and logs and slammed against rocks. Droplets splashed into puddles, leaving ripples, becoming one with their brothers and sisters in a collective mass. Chilly wet beads thudded against leaves and blades of grass before slowly gliding towards their true destination, leaving wet trails in their wake. It was nature's own soothing music.

He should be inside in the warmth. Or at least in the cave where it's dry.

His clothes were heavy on his body, clinging tightly to his skin with their unpleasant, wet grip like they were attempting to fuse together with his body. They had begun to drip little droplets of their own, aiding the skies in guiding the cold water towards the ground.

He should be cold. But he wasn't.

Many people didn't like rain. He was not one of those people. Rain was peaceful. Purifying.

There was life in the rain.

Those glassy drops nurtures everything…grass, trees, crops, animals…everything essential to make life continue. Most people tended to forget that. They complained that rain is cold and wet, that it's not practical for picnics or a day at the beach but…rain is nourishment for the world. It travels through the skies, down everything in its way…branches, rocks, leaves, buildings, people to get to the ground and sate the thirst in the soil. It can form into long, narrow channels rushing across the earth with its own little current, it can shape big or small pools on the ground - waterholes for animals and plant life alike, it can cascade across edges, almost resembling tiny waterfalls.

Rain flows and hums with_ life_.

He leaned his head backwards and closed his eyes. Raindrops splashed onto freckled skin, trailing down his face in wet, uneven lines. Every little bead of water landing gently on him was soothing. It was relieving to feel something else. Something besides those dark, exhausting emotions scraping and scratching inside his mind, like sharp cats' claws on asphalt. If his head was a room, the wallpaper these days would be shredded to pieces by now, the underlying walls filled with crisscross patterns from destructive paws.

Cold droplets softly landed on his mouth, some of them slipping through his slightly parted lips.

This was a gentle shower for his soul. Rain always somehow seemed to be able to temporarily wash away the outer layer of his pain, numbing him a little just for a brief moment. He had done it so many times back on Berk before he met Toothless...gone out into the pouring rain and just sat there getting soaked, feeling the chilly, purifying droplets trail down his skin.

He inhaled and exhaled deeply, a pale fog leaving his mouth.

He knew he should be crying. He should be screaming. He should be lashing out at people.

He _should_ be going through several psychological stages. That would be the normal way to react after what he'd been through.

But he wasn't doing that. He wasn't normal. He went straight to one stage and stayed there.

He leaned his head slightly forwards again. Wet drops stuck in his eyelashes. His brown hair hung in clumped sections, soaked and dripping.

All people are damaged in one way or another. Some are lucky enough to barely have any scars at all… they've been so fortunate as to not have too many horrible experiences. Others barely have any unaffected patches of skin left…they're filed with damaged, jagged lines and shapes.

It all depends on what you've seen in your life and how you've managed to handle it…or not handle it.

But damage in a person's mind doesn't just happen from one day to the next. It builds up over time. It sneaks up on you.

At first you don't even notice it at all. The signs are so tiny and elusive that you don't discover that a seed has been planted in your mind.

Then you begin to notice you're different than you used to be. Your way of thinking, your emotional responses, your actions…they have changed somehow. The seed has begun to sprout, tiny vines with sharp leaves.

And then, there's the final step. The seed has spread its long tendrils. You acknowledge that the damage is not some foreign object but has become a part of you. You recognize its presence but now it just seems natural. It's changed you. It's become a part of you.

That doesn't mean the damage can never be changed. Some people are able to lessen its presence in time.

His own emotional damage made him wary of strangers, suspicious of their intentions. It made him fall into self-loathing sometimes and doubt his abilities. It made it difficult for him to ask for help and to open up when he had emotional issues. It made him isolate himself. It was unhealthy but at least he didn't lash out at others. He directed his pain inwards.

He was not a dramatic person. He was not one of those people who wanted attention or pity…who wanted to be seen as a victim and have everyone say how awful it was for them. No. He didn't want any of that. He wasn't a victim or someone people should feel sorry for.

That wasn't the same as denying the damage though.

It was there. He was well aware that it was within him and had been there for years. That was not some new epiphany to him. After all…how could it _not_ be there? His past had left emotional scars.

He was no stranger to analyzing himself. He did it on a regular basis and he knew what was going on in his mind.

He was running.

Running from questions. The questions his friends desperately wanted answers to in order to help him, the questions all the students (no matter if they had even ever spoken to him) were so curious and gossipy about.

He didn't want to answer those questions.

In the past, his feelings had never been respected. They had even been ignored or mocked. It became easier to process them through isolation and then push them down than to express them to people who wouldn't understand anyway and who might even mock him for it, damaging his self-esteem more than it already was. He had learned that sharing his thoughts and feelings led to humiliation or annoyance from his fellow Vikings, so it made sense that he still had trouble with it now, even though things had changed. After all…it had been about two and a half years since he met Toothless. He was going to keep trying to work out his problems. Try to become better at trust and opening up. But two and a half years doesn't simply erase the fifteen years that came before them. It would take time. A lot of time.

The drops from the dark grey heavens had now soaked his clothes completely, reaching their cool touches onto his bare skin. The water had traveled through his thin, brown jacket, his black trousers and green shirt. He could feel droplets trickle down his bare skin underneath the clothes, gently flowing over pale, bumpy scars as chilly caresses.

Scars were reminders…of places he'd been, experiences he'd had, feelings he'd felt. The marks spread across his body all told stories from his life.

There was the scar on his hip from when he fell down the stairs when he was 8 years old. There were the two long scars on his stomach from when a wild Deadly Nadder's claws had grazed him, when it thought he was trying to take its eggs. There was the scar Snotlout had accidentally left on his shoulder during weapons training. And dozens of others from dozens of other situations.

And then…there were the new scars. The scars on his back, the scars on his leg. Scars that told the story of how three boys decided to torture him and slice his back and carve into his leg.

He let one of his hands glide underneath the bottom of his drenched trouser leg. His fingers brushed over the red, bumpy skin that formed letters on his shin.

He wasn't upset about the scars. It was only damaged skin. He had a lot scars already plus a missing limb, so damaged skin wasn't new to him.

But that word…he despised that word…and now he was stuck with it. Now it would forever be carved into his leg. That stung. It hurt his already bruised ego to be marked that way, as if he was a piece of cattle that had been branded.

He removed his hand from his leg and trained his eyes on the small puddle in front of him. A myriad of raindrops smashed into the dark water's surface, resembling countless tiny cannonballs being dropped into a miniature ocean.

Well…even though scars were permanent, at least they faded in time and became less visible.

He sighed a little, as the endless sounds of splashing continued to echo in his ears.

Of course he knew he had to talk to someone at some point about all of this. He might have a few issues asking for help with difficult, emotional stuff but he wasn't stupid. He was well aware that torture was something you shouldn't be processing all alone.

Images of his friends flashed in his mind.

He loathed that he was making them worry. He could see the concern, the sadness, the frustration in all of their eyes whenever they looked at him. He knew they desperately wanted to know what had happened to him so they could help him move on…

…and he loved them for that. He couldn't have asked for better friends. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that they would be there for him and support him. He just wasn't sure when he would be ready to actually tell them about what had happened. It would be _beyond_ difficult to open up about it and reveal to them exactly how vulnerable and powerless that experience had made him feel and what sort of thoughts were currently plaguing him.

And he felt guilty about that. On top of e_verything_ else, he felt the sharp stings of guilt. He didn't want to be the reason for his friends' suffering but he didn't know how to handle any of this either.

They were pressuring him. He knew they didn't mean to. They wanted to be patient with him and that's why they never _said_ anything that could make him feel cornered.

But…whenever their caring, concerned gazes met his, he saw that unspoken plea in their eyes: _'Please tell us. Please open up. Please let us help'. _

It was unbearable. It made him feel like a victim. It made him feel worse than he already did, because he couldn't be what his friends needed. He couldn't just throw himself in their arms and sob and tell them every horrific detail of that day and of how it had affected him since then.

His mind didn't work that way. He needed time. Time alone to process. Time alone to just be openly miserable without sad, pleading eyes watching him, making the guilt churn horribly inside him. Time alone where he didn't have to think about what to say or how to appear.

Jack's and Rapunzel's eyes were the worst. Jack's blue eyes were filled with so much raw, unrestrained sadness that it broke his heart just to look at him. He felt like such a jerk for making the guy he loved suffer like that.

Rapunzel was trying to be strong for him but he could tell she was crying every day, because her eyes were always red and puffy. Seeing her like that…broken and in pain…it made him despise himself. She was his 'little sister'. He was supposed to protect her and care for her, but right now, _he_ was the one causing her pain.

Raindrops continued to trail down his face. He reached his hands up and rubbed his face with his palms, spreading out the drops into a thin, wet layer across his skin. Then he rested his arms on his knees again.

His friends weren't the only ones worrying. His dad was sending him a letter almost every day asking questions about his condition, letting him know that he was there for him if he needed to talk about all of this. Even though he truly appreciated his dad's support, Hiccup didn't always have the energy to write back and he certainly wouldn't be able to tell his dad about what had happened. But that didn't stop his dad from sending more letters. He also continued to ask him to come home where he could be safe among the other Vikings but Hiccup refused. He was not leaving Hogwarts.

In his letter yesterday, his dad had told him that a meeting with the leaders from the three hostile tribes had been arranged. Apparently they had been reluctant to meet until his father threatened them with war if they weren't even willing to meet with him and the leaders from their ally tribes to discuss this situation. He knew his dad was determined to get to the bottom of this. To find out who was behind the attack on his son. He wouldn't stop until he found out.

To make his situation even worse, all the other students at Hogwarts knew about what had happened. Of course, they didn't know _why_ he had been close to dying but that only increased their curiosity. Every time he went inside the castle, eyes followed his every move, studied his every expression. It was as if he was some kind of entertainment for them…something to stare at, to gossip and speculate about. Some of them even tried to get him to talk about it sometimes, like it was perfectly all right to ask someone you barely knew or had never even spoken to about their near death experience.

He already felt vulnerable these days from everything that had happened…he did _not_ need people watching him constantly, talking about him, trying to figure out what had happened to him, when there was no way in Hel he _ever _wanted them to know. So he did his best to avoid the castle these days, until he could get over the worst part of this and begin to feel a little better and stronger again.

He glanced over his shoulder to the cave, where Toothless was currently sleeping close to the small fire where orange flames danced and crackled. The dragon's body was bathed in a warm light, the massive black chest and back rising and falling evenly.

His scaly best friend never left his side these days and for a long time Toothless had even refused to sleep as long as Hiccup didn't sleep, but in the end he had convinced the dragon to get some rest. After all, there was no reason for his best friend to suffer like that, just because he was currently having insomnia.

He was truly grateful for Toothless. It was comforting to have him by his side whenever he was dealing with something difficult that he had trouble telling _people _about.

He tore his eyes off the black, sleeping form of the Night Fury and returned to watching the drops disturb the water in front of him.

He was exhausted and yet he couldn't sleep. His mind wouldn't stop constantly going in all directions. Images and thoughts would keep appearing over and over again. He would think about who could possibly have helped McGowan and Levin get into the castle…he would see flashes of blood, of damaged skin, of spiteful eyes…he would think of his dad and how everything with the hostile tribes was going to play out in the future…he would hear bits of voices saying mocking words, telling him to say 'when'…and he would think about his friends and if he was ever going to be able to let them know everything that had happened.

He rubbed his eyes, a wet fist moving over equally wet eyelids. He was soaked. Every inch of him was drenched, down to the smallest freckle and the last strand of hair on his head. Somehow though…that was kind of liberating.

Gods, he wished he could just sleep. His entire body was weak and exhausted. He felt fragile and his mind was beginning to get more and more clouded due to the lack of rest. Unfortunately he didn't have any more Dreamless Sleep potions. He would have to go to the castle soon and get some more, if he didn't manage to sleep by himself soon.

It didn't help his insomnia that even though his wounds had mostly healed, he still had headaches and muscle spasms sometimes. They were common side effects of the Cruciatus curse that would hopefully go away in time. The curse attacked a person's nervous system and for some people it left permanent damage, while others were more fortunate and had their symptoms disappear after a while.

Hopefully he would be one of the so-called 'fortunate' people, although he didn't like using that term in this context. He couldn't really label_ anyone_ who'd been under the Cruciatus curse as 'fortunate'. They would be scarred forever in one way or another.

He leaned over a little, wet, chilly clothes sticking to his body, reaching out a hand towards the puddle in front of him. He dipped a finger in the cold water and then began to trace nonsensical patterns in the dark blue surface, aiding the tiny cannonballs in creating chaos in the puddle.

He knew he would get through this at some point but it was going to be difficult. It would be a cold struggle through a raging river, fighting against the violent current and the crashing waves, when it was just a lot easier to let go and allow the strong waters to carry you away.

He wasn't going to give up though. He would fight it.

He stopped making patterns in the water with his fingers and just sat back on the wet, cold grass. He blew out a gust of air from his mouth and watched the pale mist float into the dark sky.

Several people he didn't know had already tried to comfort him with their friendly but frustrating words and gestures. Rapunzel and Fishlegs had gathered all the cards, candy and various other stuff people had left on a table outside the hospital wing and thrown it out. He didn't want anything to do with it. All those people meant well, but to him it was invasive that they were interfering with this horrible situation he found himself in, when they didn't even know him.

Madam Simmons, madam Whitleys young assistant in the hospital wing, suddenly entered his mind and he frowned as he remembered what she had said to him as her own way of trying to comfort him. When he had left the hospital wing after a week, she had given him a bunch of pain killing potion to help with the side effects of the curse. She had smiled softly at him, her brown eyes clearly conveying the sympathy she felt but then she had said_ those_ words….that _frustrating_ saying that people had a tendency of telling those who were going through something incredibly difficult. She had meant well but it was the _last _thing he had wanted to hear.

_Time heals all wounds._

What a load of shit.

Only a person with no serious emotional wounds would say that. A damaged person would recognize that saying for what it was: an empty, faulty promise that had no roots in reality.

Time doesn't heal all wounds.

Time soothes the pain. It makes the wounds more tolerable to live with. It clots the blood and closes the skin up, but what you're left with isn't fully healed flesh.

It's scar tissue.

He ran a hand along his stump on top of his drenched trousers. Underneath was plenty of scarred skin where the rest of his leg had been bitten off.

Emotional scar tissue wasn't really that different from the physical kind.

The pain becomes a dull ache in time. Sometimes it might even almost be gone. But it will never truly disappear. The scar tissue remains. Bumpy, damaged skin on the body. Bumpy, damaged areas of the mind.

Time makes the pain lessen. It doesn't heal the wounds.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

TIME SKIP: THE NEXT AFTERNOON

The blue Converse shoe on his left foot tapped quickly on the old stone floor, his leg bouncing up and down, expressing the restlessness he felt within him.

He was sitting on the floor, leaning his back against one of the stone walls by the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room, by the end of the long, spiral staircase that led upwards through the Ravenclaw tower.

He had waited here for hours now, doing nothing but stare ahead into nothing, tapping his foot on the stone and getting lost in his thoughts. It didn't matter how long he had moved his foot up and down, creating those impatient sounds on the floor, he still kept tapping. He had too much nervous energy, too many worries inside him to sit still.

Ravenclaw students had entered and left the common room on a regular basis during the morning hours but now it had been a long time since Jack had seen anyone. It was the weekend, so that wasn't unusual. Students preferred to spend their weekends out of the common rooms.

He let his head droop a little and watched his blue shoe continue to tap on stone, the sound echoing just a little bit.

He knew Hiccup had to return here some time, since all of his things were here. He didn't know how long it would take, but he would wait for days if that turned out to be necessary.

He was done watching Hiccup isolate himself, not getting any answers, not being able to help. He wasn't having it anymore. He and the others had been patient for long enough. They had given Hiccup his space because he obviously needed it, but as time went by it was becoming more and more unhealthy for the brunet to just be alone with his issues.

Hiccup _needed _to talk to someone about what had happened to him. He was well aware that his Viking friend might not be able to tell _him _about it but as long as he spoke to_ someone_, Jack would be content. All he wanted was for Hiccup to get through all of this.

He lifted his head as he heard slow footsteps coming from somewhere down the spiral staircase. God, he hoped it was Hiccup. His heartbeat quickened and nervousness began to stir inside him. He desperately wanted to help Hiccup but the brunet's reaction to being ambushed like this would be unpredictable.

Jack flew to his feet, when he watched a head of familiar brown hair come into view. Hiccup was walking slowly up the stairs, clearly exhausted, his face devoid of any emotion. He looked even worse than the last time Jack had seen him. Toothless in his cat shape followed closely behind the Viking.

When Hiccup lifted his head and spotted Jack in front of the entrance to the common room, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Time stood still as they just watched each other, blue eyes locked with green ones, waiting for the other to react in some way.

Then Hiccup sighed and continued on his way up the last steps until he was standing in front of the portrait.

"Hiccup…we need to talk." Jack told the brunet, attempting to make it sound firm, with no room for discussion.

Hiccup didn't make eye contact or reply but just mumbled the answer to the riddle the portrait had posed. It swung to the side, revealing the large Ravenclaw common room.

The Viking made his way inside the large blue and grey room with the painted dome ceiling and headed towards the staircase to the dormitories. Jack quickly followed him, not deterred by Hiccup's lack of response.

The stairs creaked underneath his weight as he ascended the steps, closely behind the brunet and the black cat. Hiccup quickly found the door to the room he and Fishlegs shared with two other boys and he pushed it open and walked inside. Jack followed him and then closed the door behind them.

The Ravenclaw threw his black satchel on the floor next to his four-poster bed and then turned around to face Jack. Toothless jumped onto Hiccup's bed and sat down, watching Jack with those very green, intelligent eyes.

Hiccup's eyes were trained on the floor. His face was tired, dark circles under his eyes, but he wasn't expressing any emotion. He looked like he was numb inside, like he wasn't affected by anything at all but Jack knew that wasn't true.

"Hic…" he said softly, slowly approaching the brunet.

Hiccup lifted his gaze and observed him, Jack now standing in front of him.

Jack felt a slight sting of hurt when he saw that those green eyes were guarded…like they were protecting a secret from an intruder. It had been a long time since he had last seen that look in Hiccup's eyes.

Then Hiccup broke the eye contact and let his eyes watch the wooden floorboards again.

Jack sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Hiccup…can't you see what you're doing to me? To all of us….you're_ killing_ us with this. We all want so badly to help you….to be there for you…but you won't let us."

He made sure to speak softly and gently, not wanting Hiccup to feel like he was being interrogated or verbally attacked. He needed Hiccup to understand that he wasn't angry or somehow blamed him…that he was just sad and desperate to help him.

Hiccup looked at him once more and his tired green eyes became pained by the words. As Jack had expected, the thought of hurting his friends was agonizing to him and even though he didn't like that look in the Viking's eyes, he was hoping that maybe…just maybe…it could lead him to open up.

"Please Hiccup…just…trust me, won't you?" he pleaded with him.

Hiccup sighed in what appeared to be a mix of exhaustion and frustration. Jack could tell that his resolve was crumbling. Hiccup had kept up his isolation long enough that it had taken a serious toll on him. He was worn down. He just needed a little push or two more to open up…

The dragon rider ran a hand through his brown hair in a quick, tired gesture and kept observing him with dull eyes without responding. Besides the fatigue, his face still didn't reveal any emotions.

Jack took a step closer to him.

"Hiccup…you're not alone anymore. I just…you mean so much to me. Please let me help you. It's breaking me down to see you like this." he told him in a moment of pure, raw honesty. He really wanted Hiccup to understand just how much this was affecting him as well.

Hiccup bit his bottom lip and then he let his palms slide down his face in an exhausted move.

When his eyes met Jack's blue orbs once again, Jack could tell that it had worked. He could practically _see_ the emotional walls crashing down in Hiccup's deep green eyes.

"Jack…I've…been through a lot." Hiccup spoke and it was the first time in days that Jack had actually heard his voice. God, how he had missed his voice…

"I know…" he replied quietly. "You should never_ ever_ have been through that kind of pain…it's understandable that you're having trouble dealing with it."

Hiccup shook his head weakly.

"No…Jack…please don't do that." the brunet protested quietly.

Jack was immediately confused. "What?"

"Don't do that whole 'I understand your pain' thing…I know you mean well, but…you _don't _understand." Hiccup explained.

Of course he was right. Jack didn't have the faintest idea what it was like to be tortured and what kind of emotional damage someone would have to deal with afterwards…but no matter _what_ it was that Hiccup was going through, Jack would be there by his side.

"You're right." he agreed softly. "I don't…but I _want _to."

Hiccup watched him in silence but his eyes were no longer guarded. Jack had broken through the walls and all there was left now was raw emotion swirling in forest green irises.

But Hiccup was still holding back. He didn't make any move to speak. Jack knew he needed one more push.

"Please tell me…you _need_ to talk to someone about it." he said, trying his best to maintain that almost _impossible _balance of gently pushing Hiccup to open up but not push him so much that he would become guarded and defensive again.

The silence hung in the air between them for a few moments. Jack's breathing had become a little erratic from the nervousness bubbling inside. This was a delicate, unpredictable situation. He had no idea what you were supposed to say and _not _say to someone who had been tortured. He was doing his best to be understanding and yet insistent.

"I know…" Hiccup then said in resignation.

The nervous bubbling immediately started to subside. He had a way in now. Hiccup hadn't closed off. He had recognized that he _did_ need to talk. That was good. That was progress.

"Can you…talk to _me _about it?" he asked him with a tiny glimmer of hope.

He really wanted Hiccup to let him help him but…if not, then he should at least talk to Rapunzel and Fishlegs…or a professional. Just _someone_.

Hiccup's green eyes burned into his skin for a few moments. The sudden revelation of emotions shining in them made them intense to look at. It was such a stark contrast to the dull, emotionless orbs he had seen before.

Hiccup's eyes seemed to search his own for something and Jack knew that look all too well. It was the look of Hiccup deciding whether or not he should let him in. He had found himself in this situation so many times in their friendship that he had lost count. Now though…it was the most important time ever.

Hiccup suddenly bent down and began rolling up the trouser leg covering his good leg in response, nimble hands working on folding up the fabric.

Jack watched in confusion but nevertheless with the attention of a hawk. He didn't know what he was about to see but Hiccup was obviously trying to show him something…trying to open up to him.

As Hiccup's slender fingers worked on rolling up the black trousers, the skin on his leg was slowly exposed.

Jack stopped breathing. His blue eyes became wide, as he just stared at Hiccup's leg for a few moments, completely speechless.

Not only were there long, red lines here and there on the leg, clearly from something sharp slicing the skin open but…

…across the shin, red, scarred skin formed letters that spelled out "CRIPPLE."

Jack exhaled.

"Those bastards…" he whispered and he felt a few unshed tears invade his blue eyes with their warm, stinging presence. He was in a strange limbo between depression and rage. He wanted to sob and yet destroy something. "You're going to be carrying that around for the rest of your life."

"I know…" Hiccup said, sounding oddly calm about that. Once again, Jack did _not _like that. It just…wasn't a_ normal_ response to something like this.

"I'm sorry Hiccup…if I had known they'd done that…no wonder you've been isolating yourself lately." he told Hiccup, shaking his head a little to himself.

"That's not the reason."

"What?" he asked in confusion, furrowing his forehead. What was Hiccup talking about? How could it _not _be that? He instantly felt nausea roiling in his stomach. There were obviously more horrific details to all of this.

Hiccup remained silent for a few moments. When he spoke again, his voice was steady but Jack could clearly sense the underlying vulnerability.

"You asked me to let you in…so that's what I'm trying to do but…it's not the scars." Hiccup said quietly, eyes downcast.

"I don't understand…is it because you almost died? Or because the hostile tribes are trying to kill you?" Jack asked, sensing that dread and fear creep into his gut just from saying the words. Someone wanted Hiccup dead…he still couldn't fully believe that horrific truth.

"No…" Hiccup began. "Jack, it's…I'm a Viking…I have plenty of scars already…and I've been close to dying before and…_of course _I'm worried that some of the tribes want to get rid of me but it's not that either." the brunet trailed off and became silent, brown eyebrows lowered, pink lips in a thin line.

Jack's mind was in pieces. What else could there possibly be to all of this? He didn't understand how Hiccup could so easily let go of the scars, the near death experience and the thought that someone wanted him dead and yet…still have something else affecting him so much. What wasn't he telling him?

"Then what is it?" he asked Hiccup, absolute _dreading_ the answer that would come. It had to be horrible. "Is it the pain you went through?"

Hiccup took a few moments, obviously collecting his thoughts, so Jack waited patiently even though he was feeling the anxiety tickle his insides in that unpleasant, nauseating way. Twisting. Squirming.

"The pain was…_unbearable_…but once it was gone again…it didn't hurt me anymore. It hasn't…mentally scarred me." Hiccup explained, meeting his eyes now.

Jack remained silent, not knowing where this was going at all. He didn't know how to respond.

Apparently Hiccup was well aware of that, since the brunet spoke again, not waiting longer for an answer.

"Jack…." Hiccup continued. "When the pain and the realization that I almost died was gone…do you know what stayed with me?"

"No."

"The shame..." Hiccup answered, a trace of bitterness lacing his voice.

"Shame?" Jack asked in disbelief, wanting Hiccup to explain, as he didn't understand any of this. What could Hiccup _possibly_ be ashamed of?

Rapunzel had been right. Hiccup did feel bad about himself and that's why he'd been pulling away from all of his friends except Toothless.

Hiccup nodded weakly, green eyes conveying fragility and strength all at the same time.

"I can live with pain…and almost dying…but…they _used_ me…like some kind of _plaything_. They held me down and did_ whatever_ they wanted to me, and I couldn't…I couldn't do _anything_. They made me _completely_ powerless. They took away my control over my own body and my own life…" Hiccup explained.

"And _that's_ the worst part of all of this. I was being used…humiliated…hurt…for someone's _sick _amusement and greed…and I was helpless and I…_hate that._" Hiccup finished, almost spitting out the last two words.

Jack could sense the self-loathing behind the words and it made his heart ache. _This _was why Hiccup had been so calm all this time. He had fallen into self-loathing and shame, not fear or anger or panic.

"Hiccup…I'm so sorry…" he began, not having the slightest idea how words could ever comfort Hiccup right now. The Viking's ego was already bruised and this had only torn old wounds wide open and made them bleed again.

"But you're_ not_ weak, okay? I_ know_ that's what you're thinking…but _no one _could have done anything in that situation. You were outnumbered, they had wands and you didn't and they made sure to injure you, before they even showed themselves." he explained, the words quickly rolling off his tongue in his attempt to bring Hiccup comfort.

"I know." Hiccup replied. "And I've told myself that a hundred times already…I _know_ it but…that still doesn't take away that feeling of being violated…and helpless. It's…you can't possibly understand how degrading and shameful it is to have_ all_ of your control and power over yourself taken away like that…to be _completely_ at the mercy of someone who is hurting you in the most horrible ways."

Jack felt his throat close up a little, due to the sadness streaming through his entire being.

"Hiccup…" he said. "I know I can never fully understand what you're going through but…I think _anyone_ who's experienced what you experienced a week ago…would feel the same way. But you have_ nothing_ to be ashamed of. _Nothing_."

Hiccup just looked at the floor for a few moments. The brunet bit his bottom lip and he began to blink quite quickly, and Jack knew that he was blinking away a few tears.

"Hic…" Jack said softly. "Look at me."

Hiccup slowly and reluctantly lifted his head and met Jack's eyes. Those familiar green eyes still had a few unshed tears in them, making them shine beautifully in the light.

"What happened to you and how it's made you feel…it's _not _fair. You_ never _deserved any of this, but please…just let me in…just let me help you. Let me be there for you." he outright pleaded with the Viking boy that meant the world to him.

Silence.

He and Hiccup stared into each other's eyes.

Jack felt his chest constrict from the nervous anticipation...it was like he couldn't breathe properly.

"They turned it into a game…" Hiccup then said quietly.

Jack blinked. His chest unclenched.

Hiccup was going to let him in completely.

"What?" he let out a shaky breath.

"They told me they were going to hurt me and all I needed to do was say "when" and then they would stop." Hiccup began telling him.

Jack instantly felt the nausea and the rage inside him intensify, crashing around in his gut like a storm-plagued sea smashing its waves against cliffs of unyielding rock.

That was just…no wonder Hiccup was isolating himself. He already had self-esteem issues from years of being told he wasn't worth anything, and now he had been forced to give in to what those sadistic pricks had wanted.

"But I knew it wasn't true…that they were trying to break me." Hiccup continued, voice calm and steady but green eyes still gleaming with a few unshed tears.

"What do you mean?"

"That if I_ had_ said "when" it wouldn't have made them stop and leave me alone. It would have been their cue to kill me. They wanted to mock me and humiliate me…they wanted me to beg them to stop…but I didn't."

Jack's eyes widened. "You…didn't?"

"No."

"Why? How?" Jack asked. He had assumed that Hiccup had given in…most people would have under those circumstances just to make the pain stop, even if that meant death.

Hiccup shook his head a little to himself.

"I just…" he started. "I was okay with dying because the pain was…making me _want_ to die."

Jack winced at the words and felt a deep, intense sadness tug at his heart, as unshed tears made his vision blurry. He tried to blink them away. The thought of Hiccup _wanting _to die because he was suffering so much was beyond terms like 'depressing' and 'maddening' to him. It was one of the worst possible things Hiccup could have told him.

"But I _couldn't_…" Hiccup trailed off and broke eye contact for a little while, watching and wringing his hands anxiously. The Viking was so exposed and vulnerable right now…it was such an unfamiliar, heartbreaking sight.

"What?" he asked. He could tell that he was _so _close to get Hiccup to open up completely.

"I couldn't…let them take away that last piece of me…the _only_ power I had left…that I could die knowing I didn't give them what they wanted. That I didn't break." Hiccup told him quietly, looking at the floor.

A single tear slowly trailed down Jack's pale cheek and he didn't bother wiping it away. He wanted Hiccup to understand how much his heart was breaking for him right now.

"Hiccup…" he whispered, his voice almost trembling.

When Hiccup lifted his head and looked at him, those green eyes conveyed such sadness that it was agonizing.

Jack couldn't take this anymore. He couldn't stand Hiccup's suffering. He needed to do something,_ anything,_ to make it just a little better.

He quickly covered the few feet between them and pulled Hiccup into a warm, safe hug, wrapping his pale arms tightly around the brunet's midsection. Hiccup hesitantly put his arms around him and hunched forward a little to rest his chin on Jack's shoulder. The warmth and the scent of their bodies brought each other comfort.

Jack began to gently stroke the back of Hiccup's head, fingers gliding through soft, brown hair. He let his other hand softly roam across the brunet's back in soothing movements.

God, how he loved him…he loved him_ so _much and his heart felt like it might shatter from the pain that Hiccup was going through…like a piece of ice smashed against the ground, tiny, clear, shimmering pieces scattered across earth. All he wanted was to make it better…to get Hiccup to understand that he wasn't weak and that he was never alone. Jack would always be there for him. _Always_.

Those three powerful words were so close to rolling off his tongue but he held himself back. He didn't want Hiccup to hear it like this…when he was exhausted and vulnerable. It wasn't the right time.

They kept standing like that, arms binding each other together, as Jack gently got Hiccup to finally open up to him completely, using more soothing words of reassurance to let him know that no matter what had happened to him and what problems he was now dealing with, Jack wouldn't turn away from him. He would help him get through it.

And in that deserted room with the four-poster beds with blue curtains and bedspreads, the Ravenclaw banners and the large arch windows, Hiccup ended up telling him _everything_.

He told him about the Cruciatus curse and how it had felt (and Jack was so incredibly close to crying in that moment because it was said that the pain of that curse was enough to drive many people mad), about every mocking and humiliating word they had said to him, about them carving into his leg and then later moving on to slicing cuts in his back, about the thoughts he'd had when he was sure he was going to die, about the thoughts he was having now. _Everything_.

Jack just held him tight, listened to him and rubbed slow circles on his back to give him comfort and support. He tried his best to focus and not let more tears fall even though he was feeling heartbroken by the fact that someone had harmed the person he loved in such cruel, horrific ways. He needed to be strong for Hiccup, so he kept his breathing steady and quickly blinked away any beginnings of blurry vision.

His sense of time became warped. He had no idea how long he stood there, hearing Hiccup softly speaking, letting him in on every single horrifying detail, and him holding the brunet close to him, sometimes squeezing him extra tight when something particularly awful was revealed.

When Hiccup stopped talking, Jack still kept his arms around him, not willing to let the guy he loved go. He knew it was stupid because obviously he couldn't hold on to him forever, but he just felt that protective instinct completely taking over him. The warmth and the closeness between them in this moment comforted him and he was sure it comforted Hiccup too.

"Hic…?" he asked quietly, resting his chin on the Viking boy's shoulder.

"Yeah?" the soft reply sounded.

"Thank you for telling me…for letting me in."

A few seconds of silence.

"You were right, Jack…I needed to talk about it." Hiccup said and he sounded less troubled now, which warmed Jack's heart.

"I hope it helped just a little…"

"It did but…it's going to take some time before I can put it all behind me." Hiccup replied quietly.

"Of course…just…just know that I'm here for you. No matter what, I'm here."

"I know…thanks, Jack." Hiccup's voice said and the appreciation and fondness was evident in his tone.

"You need to remember that you're only human, Hiccup. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself."

"I thought you said I was part dragon?"

Jack smiled a little at that. "You definitely are. But even dragons feel pain."

Then Hiccup pulled away from him and broke the hug. That sense of loss instantly washed over Jack. He just wanted the warmth and closeness back, but if Hiccup needed something else right now, then that was what was going to happen. His needs came first.

When Jack saw his face again, he could tell just how exhausting it had been for the brunet to tell him everything about that horrible day. His green eyes were completely lacking any light now and the dark circles under his eyes and the paleness of his face seemed to have become even worse than before.

"You need to get some sleep." he told the Viking with a small, gentle smile. "You look like you haven't slept in days."

"I haven't." Hiccup told him with a small sigh.

Jack wasn't really surprised by that but it still made his heart ache to actually hear Hiccup confirm it.

"Come on. I'll stay with you." Jack told him and then grabbed the Ravenclaw's arm and gently dragged him towards the bed.

"Jack, you don't have to-" Hiccup began but Jack immediately cut him off.

"I know I don't have to, Hic…but I want to."

Hiccup didn't respond to that but just placed himself on his bed and rested his weary head on the pillow. The brunet pulled the covers over him and then rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. Toothless made himself comfortable by curling up above Hiccup's head on the pillow. Jack chose to sit down on the end of the bed, resting his back against one of the bedposts.

After a little while the Viking boy began to enter the world of sleep and Jack was relieved about that. Hiccup hadn't slept for days and that definitely wasn't helping him get through his current problems.

He watched Hiccup sleep for a little while, just taking in the Ravenclaw's face that now seemed peaceful, lacking the troubles that had previously rested on the features. He listened to the even inhaling and exhaling escaping Hiccup's lips.

Jack knew it was a stupid thing to do, but he couldn't stop himself from lying down on the bed next to Hiccup on top of the covers. He made sure to keep a little distance between them. He just wanted to be with him right now. Toothless lifted his head briefly and observed him with those analyzing eyes, before the cat once again curled up and relaxed.

Even though it was irrational because they were safe here in the dormitory, Jack just wanted to make sure that nothing would hurt Hiccup now.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

His mind was fuzzy, the remnants of the sleeping world slowly fading away, as his green eyes opened lazily and immediately squinted from the light. He wasn't sure if he had been dreaming or not but now reality was edging into his head, his awareness of his surroundings becoming stronger.

He blinked a few times and then rubbed his eyes with a hand. His body was sunken into the soft mattress and he felt relaxed after finally getting some rest after days of insomnia. It was like his being had been replenished.

The light streaming through the large windows made the process of opening his eyes fully quite slow. For a few moments he was wondering why it was so bright. The warmth of his body heat being trapped under the covers was pleasant and soothing, making him want to go back to sleep again. He could sense a small, warm presence lying farther up his pillow and he instinctively knew that it was Toothless.

He yawned and then rolled onto his side and blinked a few times in confusion.

Jack was lying next to him, sleeping peacefully. Blue eyes closed. Snow-white hair disheveled. A pale, slender hand gripping some of the covers.

Then it came back to him.

How Jack had been waiting for him outside the common room. How he had been too tired and worn down to keep his secrets inside any longer. How Jack had comforted him and made him feel better. How Jack had insisted to stay with him, while he got some sleep.

Apparently Jack had fallen asleep at some point as well.

He let himself just look at his white-haired friend and listen to his peaceful breathing.

Once again in their friendship, Jack had helped him deal with dark emotions raging inside him. Once again, he had been patient and understanding, never judging him. Once again, he had brought him comfort and soothed his mind. It was almost unbelievable how he always managed to do that.

He felt a little better now. More hopeful.

Was he okay? No. He needed time to be okay again after everything that had happened to him. It would be a longer process than what one talk could achieve. But…he felt happier and lighter, as if Jack had grabbed some of his emotional baggage and helped him carry it.

And…

Now that he thought about it…there was something different about the way Jack had held him, stroked his hair, whispered soothing words to him.

It was the most intimate contact they had ever shared. There was something incredibly delicate about it and Hiccup couldn't help but think that…maybe…

No.

Don't think that. Don't do this to yourself.

Jack doesn't share your feelings…and even if he did, you couldn't do anything about it, so push it out of your mind.

Hiccup wasn't the only one who had been affected by what had happened. All of his friends had suffered, he knew that. Obviously Jack was just relieved that he was still alive and wanted to help him with his problems.

He sighed a little to himself as he kept watching the beautiful boy next to him sleep. Jack looked so calm and content right now. His pink lips were a little parted and deep breaths left his mouth in an even pattern.

Maybe it had been a while since Jack had actually slept properly.

Gods, he felt like a jerk for making him worry so much about him. He really hadn't meant to do that…it was just so difficult to handle the shame…the weakness. It was much more tolerable for him to just isolate himself than to let someone in and share every horrible detail of what had happened that day. It was safe to shield himself and not let other people see the hurt inside.

But of course it had been Jack who had gotten through to him in the end. He _always _managed to get through to him. He was _always _able to calm down his troubling emotions.

He exhaled deeply and observed Jack, as the pale teen wrinkled his nose a little before his face was once again still.

He was amazing…

The way he spread fun and happiness to everyone who was lucky enough to be the focus of his attention. The way he fiercely protected anyone he cared about, never backing down no matter what the situation. The way he was open-minded and didn't judge other people just because they were different. The way he would drop anything he was doing if a friend needed his help or support. The way he kept his childish, playful side alive, awakening the inner child in others too.

He was perfection in the form of delicate pale skin and shocking, white hair. There was something very unearthly about him, Hiccup often found himself thinking. The angular jaw, the high cheekbones, the flawless pale skin and white hair, the clear, deep blue eyes, the graceful slenderness of his body. Jack was all angles and flawlessness and gorgeous hues of white and blue. Forever a child at heart with the looks of some kind of stunning winter spirit.

Was that sappy?

Whatever.

To him, it was the simple truth. No one was truly perfect but even traits of Jack's that some might label as 'flaws' were beautiful to Hiccup. Like the way his focus was easily broken to make sure he didn't miss anything fun or exciting. Or how he often asked a lot of questions and sometimes interrupted people because he had kept that childish curiosity alive that most people grew out of…the eager need to uncover things, to put puzzle pieces together, even pieces that appears fairly trivial to others.

He extended his arm and slowly reached his hand towards Jack. He let his fingertips gently flow through Jack's snowy hair, being careful not to actually touch his skin and wake him up. The white strands were like delicate feathers brushing against his sensitive fingertips. Gods, he loved that hair…it always reminded him of soft, shimmering snowflakes and glowing moonlight.

He pulled his hand back again and put it down, letting it rest on the soft covers.

Friendly touches. Glances. Daydreaming. Longing.

He would never have more than that. He would never know how Jack's lips would taste and feel against his. He would never be able to let him know just how much he meant to him.

…and that made his heart ache. He_ wanted_ more. He wanted Jack to be _his_. He wanted to be able to love him openly…and be loved by him in return.

…but that could never happen.

He let his eyes drift over flawless skin…black eyelashes fluttering slightly…dark eyebrows lowered in relaxation…a few locks of white hair resting across a pale forehead.

At least he could still have Jack around…even if they would always just be friends and nothing more. He _needed_ him to be in his life.

He sighed a little to himself.

"_þú át hjartað mitt, Snær Flekkr._ [You have my heart, Snowflake.]" he told the pale, sleeping teen softly, only receiving the sounds of Jack's even breathing in reply.

He closed his eyes and let the darkness lead him back into the sleeping world.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

TIME SKIP: A FEW DAYS LATER

It was strange how the world seemed brighter now.

So many different voices were ringing through the air of the corridor, eagerly laughing or talking. The straps of his heavy backpack filled with thick textbooks and other school supplies were digging into his shoulders. His head was throbbing from the warmth that had pressed in on him from all sides in the filled classroom he had just left. He was tired after a long day filled with classes, back aching and attention span broken.

And yet…he was happy. Because Hiccup was making progress.

Jack had gone back to classes earlier than planned. He'd actually still had a few days left where he wasn't expected to show up after everything that happened to Hiccup but…he was getting behind on everything school-related, homework and assignments had been piling up, the stack only getting bigger and bigger, and since Hiccup was doing better now and seemed to be through the worst part of all of this, he felt reassured that it was okay to go back to school. Flynn, Merida and Mavis had all joined him, while Fishlegs and Rapunzel still spent their days with Hiccup, something that also made Jack feel more at ease, since Hiccup wouldn't be alone while he and the others were in classes.

He picked up the pace, his feet swiftly carrying him across the stone floors. He was eager to meet up with his friends by their usual spot by the lake. His head was screaming for fresh air, his brain was begging for something fun and his heart was aching to see Hiccup.

Beautiful warm rays of late afternoon sunlight streamed through tall arch windows, orange and yellow beams making the stone corridor almost glow. Tiny specks of dust glided slowly through the light, dancing with hundreds of their kind.

He navigated effectively through the waves of students in the passageway, heading towards one of the exits of the large castle. The noise around him was almost unbearable and if he didn't get outside soon, his headache would quickly become a lot worse.

Through the crowd of different heads of hair, different eyes, different heights and weights and skin colors, he spotted a very familiar Viking. Even with his back turned, walking farther ahead, Jack would recognize Hiccup anywhere.

He briefly wondered why Hiccup had his satchel with him, but came to the conclusion that the brunet was probably heading towards the Ravenclaw tower to pick up some books and drawing supplies.

After all…He had made a deal with Hiccup.

Hiccup would stop isolating himself but whenever he needed a break from socializing, he would just say so. Then he could move away just a little and keep himself occupied with sketching or reading a book, while the rest of them kept talking and having fun without trying to pressure him. Then he could join them again whenever he was ready. Jack was satisfied with that compromise…this way, Hiccup could get some breaks from interacting with people when he needed it but at the same time he wouldn't be alone and they could all keep an eye on him.

He continued his quick strides across the stone floors, maneuvering between other students heading in different directions. He wanted to catch up to Hiccup and walk with him to get whatever he wanted to get from his dormitory before they met up with the rest of their friends.

Jack suddenly spotted a tall, dark-haired Hufflepuff moving through the crowd to his left. The brunet was clearly heading for Hiccup as well and he instantly felt the annoyance bubble inside him.

Oh _hell no_.

He picked up the pace and had soon gained on the Hufflepuff, so they were almost walking next to each other.

Sam apparently saw him in his peripheral vision, because he turned his head and their eyes met. The Hufflepuff's forehead furrowed. Then he suddenly grabbed Jack's arm and dragged him to the side of the corridor where a door to an empty classroom was open.

Sam pulled him through the door and into the abandoned room, where only the sounds of a few birds in a cage could be heard.

"What are you doing?" he asked Sam, unable to keep the irritation out of his voice, as he ripped his arm out of the Hufflepuff's grip.

Sam turned to stand face to face with him and the brunet remained silent for a few moments, seemingly searching his eyes for something. He didn't like this.

"Jack." Sam began to speak, his voice calm and steady. "Why do you keep trying to stop me from talking to Hiccup?" the Hufflepuff asked him and crossed his arms.

Because I love him and I don't want you trying_ anything _with him.

Yeah…he couldn't exactly say that.

"Hiccup doesn't like getting hit on or strangers approaching him. It makes him uncomfortable." Jack replied, trying his best to put up that confident and casual front.

"Oh, I see. So you're just protecting your friend?" Sam asked him and his blue eyes narrowed skeptically. He obviously didn't believe him one bit.

"Yeah." Jack shrugged. "People only approach Hiccup when they want something from him and I'm tired of that. Hiccup doesn't like it and he doesn't deserve having to deal with it all the time." Jack said, maintaining eye contact with the Hufflepuff. He was not going to back down first.

A little, amused smile appeared on the brunet's lips.

"You know…I seem to recall that you and Hiccup weren't friends at the start of the school year. Ergo, _you_ were a stranger who approached him because you wanted something from him. His time. Now you're stopping me from doing the same thing." the Hufflepuff told him with obvious disapproval.

"That may be so, but I don't want Hiccup to feel uncomfortable and you clearly make him feel that way." Jack replied and clenched his jaw. He was getting frustrated having this conversation. He felt like he was being interrogated.

"Of course I do." Sam said, which instantly made Jack feel confused. "Hiccup is shy and lacks confidence and he knows I'm interested in him. He_ always _has trouble dealing with people who like him that way. It's in his nature." Sam told him and then tilted his head of dark hair in a strangely irritating way.

"You talk like you _know_ him." Jack said and he knew he had been unable to keep away a hint of annoyance. This guy was pretty much a stranger to Hiccup and yet he made it sound like he was his friend or knew him on some deeper level.

"I'm _not_ trying to pretend I know him like you do, because I don't…but I want to." the brunet told him.

"Well, as his friend I'd like you to stop it."

Sam shook his head a little, as a smile tugged the corners of his lips upwards. Oh god, how that smile was annoying. It was challenging and condescending and it only made Jack even more irritable.

"Oh please…"_as his friend_"…I've seen the way you look at him."

What?

Oh _shit_…

"What are you talking about?" he asked, wrinkling his brow and covering up that sudden nervousness he felt inside. God, he didn't want Sam to know about that.

"Come on, Jack." Sam replied, lifting his eyebrows. "Other people might not notice it, even Hiccup hasn't noticed it…but I see it. You like him and _that's_ why you're trying to keep me away from him."

"I don't know where you get that from but it's not true." Jack denied as firmly as he could.

"Yes it is." Sam said. "And obviously you're not planning to do anything about it, so you shouldn't prevent others from having a chance."

"Look…I don't know what you_ think_ you know, but I'm just trying to protect Hiccup. He doesn't like when people approach him and he's not into guys, so if you actually care about him, you'll stop making him uncomfortable. He's been through _a lot_ lately and he's still healing emotionally, so he really doesn't need any more problems." Jack told the Hufflepuff, slowly beginning to lose his patience now.

"Calm down, Jack. I'm not going to pressure him or anything. I know he's been through…_something_ horrible. I'm just going to talk to him…and if Hiccup's not into guys then he can tell me that himself and turn me down. I'm not going to just take your word for it."

"Why not? I'm one of his best friends."

"Yes…which is_ exactly_ why you should know that people are full of surprises." Sam replied and tilted his head a little to the other side.

Jack sighed.

He had a point. Hiccup had surprised him countless times in their friendship and there were still hidden sides to him that Jack hadn't uncovered yet.

But…surely, Hiccup wasn't into guys? There was no chance…right? He would have seen some kind of sign of it…

Did Sam see something he didn't?

"Just…if you won't leave him alone, at least don't overwhelm him." he told the Hufflepuff.

He couldn't keep Sam away from Hiccup, if the Hufflepuff really wanted to talk to him but…god, this was stressful. He was planning to tell Hiccup about his feelings but now Sam was interfering. He would need to tell Hiccup_ soon_.

"Of course not, Jack." Sam told him with a small smile, as he began to approach the door. "And don't worry…I know you don't like me because I like Hiccup too but…I'm a nice guy. I don't go around blabbing about other people's privacy. Your secret is safe with me." the brunet said and then exited the room, leaving him to stand there and think about what he was going to do about this.

He stood in that empty classroom for a little while, trying to wrap his head around what had just happened.

Sam knew. He knew he had feelings for Hiccup. He was a little relieved that the Hufflepuff had said he wasn't going to tell anyone but still…it unnerved him that someone who he hadn't actually told knew about it.

He would need to figure out how to tell Hiccup, before he was going to be consumed by the stress of all of this.

Now though…he needed to head outside and meet up with all of his friends, including that brunet Viking he cared so much for.

He quickly made it into one of the courtyards, footsteps eagerly moving across soft, moist grass. He breathed in deep and reveled in the clean, chilly air filling his lungs. Then he exhaled and a content smile appeared on his lips. Fresh air at last. That always helped to soothe his mind.

He began to move in the direction of the lake, his fatigue beginning to subside from the thought of hanging out with his amazing friends. His feet carried him down one of the large hills, black shoes making imprints in the soft, blades of grass that were bendy and wet after an earlier rainfall.

Suddenly he heard the familiar voices of Rapunzel and Fishlegs coming from behind him, from somewhere behind the hill.

He quickly decided to hide and then jump out and scare them. He needed fun right now and it was always so much fun to scare Rapunzel and Fishlegs, because they were both seriously jumpy sometimes.

He quickly hid behind the broad tree trunk of a tall oak and waited for his two Ravenclaw friends to come down the small hill towards him.

"- but you know how he is, Fish…" Rapunzel's voice floated through the air.

Jack frowned.

She sounded concerned. Well that wasn't good.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Fishlegs replied. "It's just…I wish I could do something to help him, when he gets all solemn about it."

Jack instantly felt worried now. They couldn't be talking about anyone but Hiccup. Why was Hiccup solemn about something? He definitely didn't like the sound of that at all. Had something happened? Had Hiccup gotten worse again after making so much progress in the last couple of days?

"I feel the same way." Rapunzel's gentle voice said. "I just…I really hope he'll be ready to be chief one day, Fish. He would be really good at it."

"I think so too." Fishlegs agreed warmly.

What the…?

Chief…? Hiccup…?

Hundreds of thoughts at once seemed to swirl inside his head and he couldn't focus on _any_ of them as new questions continued to appear.

Puzzle pieces clicked into place in his mind.

That…_that _was what Hiccup was worried about. _That _was why he had a lot of expectations looming over him. _That _was why he rarely talked about his dad.

Hiccup was going to be the leader of a whole Viking tribe. _That_ was his future…

His head was spinning now and his breathing had become irregular, quick inhaling and exhaling making his chest ache a little.

This new information was completely surreal.

And he needed answers.

Jack stepped out from his hiding place behind the tree, revealing his presence to the two Ravenclaws.

Rapunzel and Fishlegs instantly spotted him and froze in their tracks. The blonde girl's eyes were wide in horror and she clasped one hand over her mouth. Fishlegs was watching him with a genuinely sad expression on his features.

"Oh no…" Rapunzel said.

"Jack…" Fishlegs said.

"Tell me about it." he insisted, his voice firm, leaving no room for discussion.

"I guess there's no way you could just forget you heard all of that?" Fishlegs asked, although the heavy Viking obviously knew that wasn't an actual possibility.

"No." he said curtly and crossed his arms. He wanted answers. Now. "Is Hiccup the future chief of your tribe?" he asked, the idea still completely foreign and shocking in his mind.

"He is." Fishlegs confirmed quietly, fiddling a little with one of his sleeves. "His dad is Stoick the Vast, our chief….when he dies or decides to step down, Hiccup will be our new leader." the blonde Viking explained.

Jack had already put the puzzle pieces together but hearing Fishlegs confirm it made it all _real…_and infinitely worse.

"What…?" he asked, while all kinds of thoughts were running wild in his mind. "Hiccup is…royalty?"

It was like this was a dream but…it all made sense. It all made perfect, _horrible_ sense.

Jack also knew that this effectively killed _any _remnant of hope inside him that told him that _maybe_ he and Hiccup could be together.

"Not exactly." Fishlegs said, eyes darting back and forth from him to Rapunzel.

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?"

"Chiefs aren't royalty as such." Fishlegs tried to explain, gesturing a little with his hands.

"Are they the political leaders and is this power passed down through a bloodline?" Jack asked, pretty sure he already knew the answer but…this was all completely unreal and he wasn't going to just assume _anything_.

"In some places." Fishlegs responded vaguely, seemingly a little reluctant.

"Is that how it happens on Berk?" he instantly asked, keeping his blue eyes fixed on the blonde Viking to watch any change in his expression.

"Yes, but-" Fishlegs started, but Jack didn't give him time to finish.

"Then there's not really anything to discuss." he said and then instantly spun around and headed towards the castle again with brisk steps.

"Jack!" he heard Rapunzel's voice call out from somewhere behind him. He didn't stop though. He kept going, long, impatient strides quickly covering more ground.

"Jack!" the blonde girl yelled again. "Don't go to him! He won't take it well!"

Jack ignored her.

He was angry.

Not because he felt like Hiccup owed him anything…but because it_ hurt_ that Hiccup still kept him at arm's length with something _this _massive. Of course he knew Hiccup still had things he wasn't sharing yet but…he'd thought that he had actually gotten through to the Viking…that he had uncovered all the _big_ secrets, so only the smaller, less essential ones were left.

He was wrong. So very wrong.

…and that really stung.

Did he even know Hiccup at all? He had thought he did. He thought he had collected most of the puzzle pieces but then something like this was revealed…something so…_unbelievably_ shocking and important…something Hiccup hadn't been willing to tell him, even though it was such a big part of his life and who he was.

Jack couldn't help feeling hurt and sad and angry all at the same time.

He needed to find Hiccup now. He needed to talk to him, to find out why he was still keeping him at arm's length, apparently worrying Jack might stab him in the back suddenly.

That lack of trust…it was making him hurt so badly.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

The strap of his black satchel hung heavily on his shoulder. He had stuffed the bag with books, sketchbooks and pencils so he would have plenty of things to do if he needed a break from his friends down by the lake. He closed the drawer in his nightstand where he had taken the items from.

"Ready to go down to the lake, bud?" he asked the black feline resting on his blue bedspread. Toothless meowed in response and left his comfortable position, black paws softly treading across the bed towards him.

He was about to speak to Toothless again, when he heard a very familiar voice behind him from the open door.

"Hiccup."

He instantly felt the confusion and worry rise within him. Why was that familiar voice suddenly so _unfamiliarly_…angry?

Why was Jack mad at him? His name on the Gryffindors tongue had never sounded angry before.

"Jack, what's wrong?" he asked, his brow furrowing in concern as he turned around and then observed the pale teen's tense body language.

"Why didn't you tell me you're the future leader of a whole bloody Viking tribe?" Jack asked and crossed his arms.

Shit…

"Who told you?" he asked calmly.

"That doesn't matter"

"Actually it does. I want to know who I can't trust anymore."

"Fine, no one told me, I overheard it accidentally."

Hiccup nodded slowly. "Well…what do you want me to say? It's true."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jack snapped at him.

"Why the Hel are you so angry about this?" Hiccup asked, immediately feeling himself becoming defensive. Jack was his friend and he loved him so much, but he felt attacked right now.

"Uh, let me see….maybe because one of my best friends has been keeping a_ huge_, important secret from me?"

"I'm not obligated to tell you_ everything_, Jack" he said, trying to remain calm even though the need to protect himself was getting stronger.

"Oh no, you're_ not_ going make it seem like I'm being unreasonable, Hiccup. You should have told me."

"Why?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"What do you mean 'why'?" Jack asked, eyes narrowing slightly, head shaking a little to the sides.

"Why does it matter? Would it have changed anything in our friendship?" he said, wanting to know if Jack would see him differently now. He really hoped not…

He _had _wanted to tell Jack for a long time. He _did_ feel quite guilty for keeping this from him, it was something a best friend should know about him but…the pressure and all the expectations looming over him like a dark cloud were so incredibly difficult to deal with and it was just _so_ liberating that only Astrid, Fishlegs and Rapunzel knew about it. He had been conflicted about the whole thing…wanting to tell Jack but at the same time _not _wanting to tell him…and the longer he waited to tell him, the more frightening it seemed to become.

"No, but what-" Jack started.

"So it doesn't matter." he interrupted. He was relieved by Jack's answer, even though it was obvious that the Gryffindor was getting more agitated now.

"It does matter!" Jack exclaimed. "Bloody hell Hiccup…I thought you trusted me…and I thought I knew you…but it turns out you still think I might be out to _get_ you."

Wow…that really stung. He had opened up so much to Jack despite their fairly short friendship, but now Jack thought he didn't trust him at all?

"Of course I don't think that, Jack. I trust you, but this was about more than trust." he tried to explain, not sure if it even made sense to anyone but himself.

Jack scoffed. "Sure it was."

"Would you just stop!?" Hiccup raised his voice. He was a patient guy but now he was actually losing that patience.

Jack shut up temporarily, but was observing him with a clenched jaw and lips in a thin line.

Hiccup sighed. "I don't _have_ to tell you everything Jack, and I had my reasons for keeping this to myself."

"And Rapunzel. And Fishlegs. And Astrid." Jack said, gesturing with his hands in frustrated movements.

"It's _not_ just about trust."

"You know what, Hiccup? I thought we could share really personal things with each other now…I thought we could rely on each other and let each other in but you've kept me _completely_ in the dark on this, despite how important it is!" Jack raised his voice.

"_Everyone_ has secrets, Jack!" he shouted in response, now feeling the anger rise within him.

"_Not _this kind of secret! I'm one of your best friends, you should have been able to trust me with this, so I wouldn't feel like you've been lying to me this whole time!" Jack yelled at him.

"Oh _really_? Because you just tell me everything, right!?" he shouted back. "No, you don't actually. What about that weird panic attack you had months ago, where you had me worried sick!? You told me you had some stuff to deal with and that you just needed to get back to normal, so I let you have your secrets, because I know that people don't always keep secrets because they don't trust you…but you can't even do the same for me now, can you?"

"Don't you dare do _that_. Right from the start, I've let you have your secrets! I _never_ tried to get you to talk about dragons or your childhood or your dad or any of the other things you kept to yourself. You always told me in your own time, when _you_ wanted to!" Jack exclaimed and began pacing angrily around the room.

"So what's suddenly different now, Jack?! Why are you so angry about this!?" he shouted and uncrossed his arms only to clench his fists tightly in frustration.

"Because you obviously don't trust me!" Jack replied, pacing back and forth.

"It's NOT about trust, Jack!"

"Of course it is, Hiccup!"

"If I didn't trust you, do you honestly think I would have let you anywhere _near_ Toothless, huh? Do you think I would have let you help me with my phantom pains? Do you think I would have told you about my childhood, about my strained relationship with my dad? Of course not!" he explained, narrowing his eyes a little.

"Then why couldn't you tell me? I thought I knew you now!" Jack exclaimed and threw his hands in the air in obvious frustration.

"You _do_ know me! There's more to me as a person than this!" he yelled back. He understood why Jack felt a little deceived by all of this but he did not understand _this_ level of anger from him.

"Why couldn't you tell me about it? Why did I suddenly have to find out you've been hiding this giant secret!?" Jack shouted and stopped pacing to just look at him with his jaw clenched.

Okay, that did it. If Jack wanted to know so badly, he would know _now_.

"You want to know, huh? You want to know so bloody much!? Because this place is the only place where I don't have to be the chief's son! Here I'm just me! Back home I'm constantly reminded of my future responsibilities, about how I have to become a leader, someone who not only has to be a role model to other Vikings and take care of all the responsibilities for the tribe, but who also has to make unbearable decisions that could end up losing lives! Here I can just be me, without _any _of that!" he shouted, throwing his hands around in wild, angry gestures.

"So now you know. Are you happy now, Jack?" he asked, tired of fighting and yelling and feeling cornered.

He didn't wait for Jack's reaction.

He immediately turned around and stormed off out of the door and down the corridor, his shoes angrily slapping down on the stone floor and Toothless following behind him. He clenched and unclenched his fists by his sides and scowled at nothing in particular.

He needed to cool down somewhere after this massive confrontation. He was vulnerable and exposed right now and he just wanted to be alone.

The worst part was that he_ did_ understand how Jack was feeling. He _did _feel like a jerk for hiding something this big from one of his best friends, when he and Jack had shared so many personal things with each other and had grown so close. It was understandable that Jack was hurt by it but…he couldn't help being angry with him at the same time. He had completely ambushed him a few moments ago…he had felt forced to share something so personal and he was already feeling vulnerable these days, as he was slowly healing emotionally from the torture.

The longer he walked towards the destination he had in mind, the more the frustration and sadness swirled inside him. He had never fought with Jack before…it was making his heart ache and his stomach clench horribly but at the same time the irritation was still too strong right now for him to want to try and patch things up.

Well…now Jack knew the truth…

…and time would tell if that would actually end up affecting their friendship.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

Fuck.

He _really really_ didn't want to fight with Hiccup.

His chest was heaving from all the yelling and the quick, angry breaths. He had paced around a little to calm himself down after Hiccup had stormed off and now he was standing still in the empty classroom, frozen in place, not knowing what to do at all.

He was so conflicted right now and he wrung his hands quickly to do_ something_ about his nervous energy.

He had been unbelievably hurt that Hiccup had kept him in the dark on this, but now that he had had a few moments to think about all of this, his anger had melted away. It was quickly replaced with anxiety and nausea, as he thought about how angry Hiccup had been. He had never seen him like that. Hiccup was usually so calm and collected, but he had been _furious_ when he left.

Jack still felt hurt that Hiccup had kept this from him for so long…that he hadn't been honest about that part of his life but had been hiding it instead. He would have understood…he wouldn't have made Hiccup talk about it if he didn't want to but…at least he could have known that Hiccup was a future Viking leader. That was a_ big_ thing and it was something that a best friend_ should_ know.

But in his frustration and hurt he had pressured Hiccup.

He hadn't meant to do it. He just hadn't known what to do with that horrible emotional ache and the more frustrated Hiccup grew, the more it fed his own frustration about this situation.

They had both gotten defensive and angry and now it had spiraled out of control. Neither of them were usually the temperamental type but…they had both been more emotional than usually lately, because of everything that had happened to Hiccup.

He began putting one foot quickly in front of the other and threw the door open to enter the corridor outside the room.

He needed to find Hiccup. He needed to tell him that he didn't want to fight. He just wanted them to be okay again. They were both at fault here…he shouldn't have gotten that angry and hurt because Hiccup _did _have his reasons but on the other hand…Hiccup should have let him in on this, so he hadn't felt like he had been lied to all this time.

He walked as quickly as he could through the corridors without actually running, and his blue eyes darted in all directions, trying to spot that familiar head of brown hair among the scattered cliques of students who were walking through the passageways.

It was no use though. Hiccup was gone.

Jack stopped dead in his tracks and sighed. Where could Hiccup be right now? Where would the Viking go when he was angry?

He would definitely be outside, Jack thought to himself and quickly headed towards a nearby entrance to a courtyard. He would go down to the lake to see if Hiccup was there, and if he wasn't, he would try _everywhere _else, if that was what it took. He would even go to the small forest where Toothless was, in case the Ravenclaw had needed to see his best friend right now.

He speedily covered the distance from the courtyard to some of the green slopes that led towards the massive, blue lake, ignoring a group of girls in the courtyard who were trying to get his attention. He would usually indulge anyone who wanted to talk to him, but right now, he didn't have the time or the energy. He had to find Hiccup.

He descended the large, rounded hills, swiftly moving across moist grass towards his destination. As the large, blue body of water came into view, he let his blue eyes scan the surroundings. In the distance he could see Flynn, Merida, Mavis, Rapunzel and Fishlegs sitting in their usual spot but he couldn't see Hiccup anywhere, so he began walking around the lake, knowing that Hiccup would sometimes sit down here somewhere when he needed to think or sketch – often both at the same time.

He made his way around some of the lake, past large rocks, bushes and naked trees, watching out for any sign of the Viking.

After about 10 minutes of searching, he was beginning to think Hiccup wasn't even down here.

But then he spotted him a few seconds after.

His stomach roiled with anxiety and nervous anticipation, as he saw Hiccup sitting by the edge of the lake, watching the water's surface intently. His brows were furrowed and his lips were a thin line as he scowled at the water, as if the whole world had hurt him. Toothless was sitting beside him, nudging the Viking's side gently in an obvious attempt to comfort him.

Jack was a little worried that Hiccup would be angry once he spotted him, but there was no going back. He needed to talk to him. They needed to fix this so they could be all right again.

He began slowly approaching the brunet and he immediately knew when Hiccup had seen him, as the Viking sighed deeply.

Well, that wasn't good.

When Jack was by Hiccup's side shortly after, Hiccup spoke firmly.

"Jack, leave me alone."

Hiccup was deliberately not looking at him, and even though Jack couldn't blame him for it, he still felt hurt hearing that tone of voice directed at him.

"We need to talk, Hic." he told the Viking, trying his best to just keep his voice calm and steady to show that he wasn't angry anymore.

"I don't want to talk right now. I want to be alone." Hiccup replied, still watching the water in front of him.

"I know you pretty well, so I'm aware of that, but…I just…we need to talk about this." he said. He wasn't giving up even though Hiccup was refusing to talk right now.

"Jack, I need my space right now."

"Hiccup, come on…We were both at fault, okay? I'm sorry I wasn't more understanding before. I shouldn't have gotten so angry." he told the brunet, wanting Hiccup to understand that he regretted how he acted before and that he knew it wasn't all Hiccup's fault. They shared the blame for what had just happened between them.

"I had my reasons for not telling you." Hiccup said, his lips in a thin line.

"Yeah, I know…" Jack agreed.

"And I do trust you…and I would never think horrible things about you."

"No, you wouldn't." he replied, getting more and more nervous, as Hiccup didn't seem to budge much.

Hiccup sighed deeply. "So why did you get_ that_ angry with me?" the brunet asked, now sounding calm, his face in more relaxed folds, as if his anger had evaporated.

"What?" Jack asked in confusion.

"Why were you so angry with me?"

Jack sighed a little.

Because I love you…because I was afraid you didn't trust me and I didn't know you at all…and because I know this means there's an_ even_ slimmer chance that I'll ever be with you.

"I just…sort of lost it, I guess…hearing something like that and realizing you didn't want to share something_ that_ important with me, even though we're such close friends." he said.

He still hadn't figured out _how _to tell Hiccup about his feelings and this really didn't seem like the right moment to do it.

"That's_ not_ the whole reason." Hiccup said, his green eyes now roaming across the body of water instead of staring straight ahead at one part of it.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, furrowing his forehead.

He had a bad feeling about this.

"I _know_ you, Jack. And that's not the whole reason." Hiccup explained as he lifted his head to train his eyes on him.

"Yes it is." he said, now beginning to feel quite nervous. Hiccup was looking straight at him, seemingly analyzing him right now and that was making him feel really exposed.

"No." Hiccup then said firmly.

"Hiccup, it _really _is…"

Hiccup sighed and then quickly got to his feet. His green eyes burned into Jack's skin.

"If you're seriously going to be like _that_…screaming at me for keeping a secret but not even being willing to tell me _why_, then I really don't want to talk anymore." he said and then spun around and began walking at a fast pace in the other direction, towards the castle, the black cat keeping up with his quick strides.

"Hiccup, come on." Jack protested, remaining where he was.

The Viking stayed silent and kept walking away around the lake, across the damp ground.

"Hiccup, wait!" he raised his voice.

The Ravenclaw didn't stop.

He sighed.

"Fuck." he muttered to himself.

Then he ran after him, quickly catching up to the walking Viking.

"Just wait, okay!" he told Hiccup, now walking briskly beside him.

"No, Jack." Hiccup said. The brunet was clearly intent on getting away from him right now to spend some time alone with his thoughts.

Jack stopped in his tracks and made a decision then.

There was no going back.

He would need to do the thing he was most terrified of, if there was going to be a chance to get Hiccup to listen to him.

He was going to have to be honest.

He was going to have to confess. Now.

His stomach instantly twisted and squirmed, protesting against the dangerous emotional territory he was about to walk in to. This could end up breaking him, but he would have to deal with the consequences later. Yes, this had the potential to crush his and Hiccup's friendship, but he didn't know what else to do and he was_ so_ tired…tired of pretending, tired of watching his words and his moves, tired of longing…

He briefly prayed to any deity that might hear him that this wouldn't end horribly.

He opened his mouth to call out to Hiccup, but no words came out. As he watched the Viking continuing his fast, annoyed strides towards the castle, he realized that he had absolutely no idea how to do this.

What the hell was he going to do now? Words were failing him. He had never done_ anything_ like this before. It was dangerous and completely terrifying.

He watched the Viking's back, still moving farther and farther away.

Okay. He needed to do_ something_.

He ran after Hiccup again, shoes squashing the wet grass underneath, and he quickly made it most of the way to the Viking. The brunet kept walking away briskly, not looking at him right now.

Jack was almost by Hiccup's side and he quickly covered the few remaining feet to him, the chilly winter air cooling his pale skin, a massive contrast to the nervous warmth of his rapidly beating heart.

If Hiccup wouldn't listen to him, he would _make_ him listen. He couldn't just let him walk away.

When he was finally close enough, he reached out his arms, grabbed Hiccup from behind, fingers digging into the brunet's shirt and spun him around in a blur. He pushed him backwards against a nearby tree, Hiccup's back connecting with the large oak trunk with a soft thud. Jack kept his grip firm on the Viking's shoulders, holding him in place.

He was about to start talking…to form the beginnings of some kind of confession even though he had _no idea_ how to word it and even though he was scared to death of the consequences.

But then he saw how _close_ their faces were now and_ any_ birth of words immediately died in his throat.

Hiccup's eyes were wide and full of questions, as he stared straight at him.

Jack couldn't move. He was completely hypnotized by those irises bursting with grass green color that sparkled in the sunlight. Had they always been that green?

Time was standing still. A giant forest of redwoods could have been planted, grown to massive heights and died, while they were still standing in this stagnant bubble.

Their faces were so close to each other that every time Hiccup exhaled, Jack's lips were warmed by pleasant, hot breath.

The adrenaline was shooting into his veins. His heartbeat was speeding up like he had run a marathon. His breathing was becoming erratic, quick, short gusts of air leaving his mouth.

Oh god, this was…

Hiccup was _right _there in front of him…

If he could just…be brave.

Hiccup swallowed thickly, not taking his wide eyes off him. Those green orbs seemed to bore into his soul.

The moment stretched on in tense silence. He could sense _something_ in the air. Some kind of electricity. Some kind of energy.

Neither of them moved an inch, both frozen in a mesmerizing haze. Their eyes never left each other, blue irises locked with green ones. Staring. Searching.

Hiccup's mouth opened slightly and a pink tongue licked the lips a little.

Jack's throat had gone dry. Was Hiccup silently asking him to…? Was this…?

Those lips looked so lush and soft and…god, he just wanted to…he couldn't resist it…

His pulse was racing. His head was spinning. His mind wasn't working anymore. Every rational thought in his head had shut down now. He was lost in Hiccup's wide, gleaming eyes, Hiccup's moistened lips, Hiccup's warm, intoxicating presence.

This was just too much…this was…he couldn't…he _needed_…

He blinked.

He must be crazy…

He shot forwards, put a hand behind Hiccup's neck and clashed his lips against the brunet's in an insane moment of courage and need.

Hiccup immediately stiffened in shock.

Jack's eyes slid shut.

_Finally_.

He had waited so long for this…

Thousands of sparks crackled through his entire being and his stomach tingled in the most pleasant, excited way he had_ ever_ felt. He reveled in the warmth of Hiccup's lips. They were smooth and perfect and this was _everything _he had wanted.

The brunet was still unresponsive and Jack knew he had to break the kiss, even if he was _terrified_ of seeing a freaked out look on Hiccup's face…terrified of losing him.

He mentally prepared himself to pull away and face whatever was to come.

Then Hiccup wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer forcefully, pressing their lips together harder.

Jack's heart instantly skipped a beat. Then another one.

Euphoria.

That was all he could call it.

Soft, wet lips. Thrilling shivers running through skin. Warm, sweet air being exhaled into his mouth. Arms tightly around his waist, keeping him close.

The moment Hiccup chose to kiss him back was glorious and perfect in every way. Bubbling excitement streamed through his body, making every vessel and pore overflow with affection and exhilaration. The world faded away. Nothing existed but him and Hiccup together.

Hiccup's hands began to travel up and down his back, fingertips roaming across his school uniform, digging into the fabric and the underlying skin. Their chests were pressed firmly against each other, the heat of their bodies mingling and Jack was relishing every single place they touched.

It was silent in their bubble except for the _beautiful _sounds of their soft, wet mouths smacking together eagerly, the quick, heated breaths leaving their lips, shirts being ruffled by wandering hands, his heart humming euphorically with almost delirious love and passion.

Their slightly parted lips glided over each other time and time again in warm, wet harmony. Their noses briefly brushed. Jack tilted his head more and began to press his lips against Hiccup's mouth more urgently in a passionate attempt to let_ all_ of his love and adoration seep into this magnificent, breath-taking moment.

He slid his hands under the back of Hiccup's shirt and let his pale fingers roam over the brunet's firm back and down his sides. He savored the feel of his fingertips gliding over warm, smooth skin interrupted by jagged lines when they brushed over scars. Many scars. Damaged skin. But it was perfect to him in every way, because it was _Hiccup's_ skin. The brunet shivered a little from his touch and instantly breathed more heavily, stronger waves of warmth entering Jack's mouth, as they both smacked their lips together over and over in beautiful, demanding _need._

The passion was growing stronger within him, filling his veins with fire. He reveled in the way he could feel the same desperate urgency coming from Hiccup, as the brunet kept moving his hands across Jack's back in fiery, demanding touches and met his lips with just as much greedy thirst as himself.

His hands slid around Hiccup's waist and then found their way to the brunet's hips. His fingers brushed back and forth over the protruding bones before gripping them tightly, making Hiccup release a little gasp into his mouth, as they continued to claim each other's lips eagerly, finding a steady rhythm now.

He kept his eyes shut, as Hiccup's hands left his back and began to flow through his snowy hair, tugging at white locks, stroking the sides of his head, digging fingertips gently into his sensitive scalp. The Viking's fingers in his hair instantly sent pleasant ripples through his entire body and he moved his lips against Hiccup's even more heatedly in response.

This was all his longing _finally_ being unleashed. This was his hidden feelings_ finally _being shoved into the light after so long. This was his unbearable love-struck cravings_ finally_ being sated.

He moved his fingers upwards from Hiccup's hipbones. He held a hand on one of Hiccup's shoulders, gripping it tightly, while his other hand caressed the soft skin on the brunet's neck and glided through the ends of brown locks.

Heart beating rapidly behind ribcage. Bursts of adrenaline through his veins. Delicate warm skin and soft hair tingling his fingertips. Nerve endings igniting with thrill. Heavy breathing floating between wet mouths, sharing the air around them.

Hiccup moved his hands down his back and then snaked them under his black cloak and white shirt. Warm, lightly calloused palms climbed up and down his back, the brush of slightly rough skin against his smooth back making Jack shudder in delight.

He was losing himself in the scents, the sounds, the _feel _of Hiccup. He was melting happily in the brunet's arms. He was savoring the smell of pine and warm skin embracing him. He was letting Hiccup's heavy breathing echo in his ears. He was _basking_ in the wet, heated sensation of their mouths claiming each other.

His head was swimming. He was diving in the great, overwhelming depths of love and passion and it was the most magnificent sea of emotions to_ ever_ exist.

Suddenly Hiccup jerked away from him, breaking that wonderful, perfect contact.

Just as quickly as it had begun, it was over.

Jack was panting, the taste and feel of Hiccup on his lips still present, while the intensity, the heat, the passion of the moment slowly evaporated and the world around him came back into focus.

As he took in Hiccup's wide eyes, his stomach filled with ice, dread creeping into his skin.

Fuck….

Had he done something wrong? Or was Hiccup going to freak out now?

"Wha-…what?" Hiccup said breathlessly, chest heaving, his green eyes filled with shock and confusion. The Viking was flushed, a pink tint coloring his cheeks and continuing down his neck.

He wasn't sure what Hiccup was trying to say, so he remained quiet, giving the Ravenclaw a few moments to process all of this. On the inside though…he was _brimming _with anxiety and he desperately hoped Hiccup wasn't going to panic about what had just happened.

They had _kissed_. Hiccup had kissed him back. Now that it was over, it seemed unreal…like it had happened to someone else.

He tried to steady his breathing but he continued to inhale and exhale irregularly, impatiently waiting for Hiccup to tell him what was going on in his mind.

"What...is this?" Hiccup managed to say, still a little out of breath, gesturing to the both of them.

Jack walked a few feet closer to him, as the Ravenclaw had created a quite some distance between them when he jerked away.

He knew what he had to do, but…

Bloody hell, he was so nervous his heart was in his throat. He felt stripped down…completely exposed and fragile, like a young bird that had fallen out of the nest and was now surrounded by danger. Like a person who had been pushed in front of a crowd completely naked for them to humiliate and break down.

He stopped right in front of the brunet and Hiccup was watching him with those deep eyes. Those eyes that seemed to be able to see right through his skin, his flesh, his bones.

He swallowed thickly, his throat now feeling hoarse and dry to the point of skin cracking from the inside.

"Hic…I…" he started uncertainly, observing those beautiful eyes that were currently so confused. Hiccup's brow was furrowed, creating a little wrinkle between his eyebrows, clearly conveying the conflicted emotions he must be feeling.

Jack hesitated for a brief moment.

He exhaled.

Then he pulled himself together.

There was no turning back now. Come on Jack…like North said, all you need is just some courage to tell him how you feel.

"There's something you need to know." he began, forcing himself to maintain eye contact with Hiccup, even though he was feeling so horribly exposed that he instinctively wanted to look away to shield himself. "I just…I've had these…feelings for you…for a while now." he explained quietly. He needed to tell Hiccup the truth, despite how terribly anxious it made him feel. "And I'm _sick_ of trying to pretend they're not there, when they clearly are." Oh god, his heart was pounding faster and faster. "I…I can't push it down anymore, Hic. I have feelings for you and I just…I didn't say anything for so long because I was sure you didn't feel the same way about me."

There. It was out there. He could _never _take it back.

He tore his eyes off the brunet and stared at the ground, nervously awaiting some kind of reaction.

He wasn't going to tell Hiccup just how deep these feelings were yet though…He really didn't want to scare him off right away by revealing he was in love with him.

That sickening anxiety pulsated inside him and he decided to look at Hiccup again to try and somehow decode his expression.

Hiccup's eyes had widened even more at his confession, and Jack immediately worried whether he had gone too far. Whether he had completely freaked Hiccup out. The nervous anticipation continued to swirl violently inside him, making him feel so horribly nauseous, as he waited for Hiccup to give him some kind of response. _Any_ response.

Hiccup broke eye contact with him and stared at the grass for a brief moment. Jack knew he was thinking…trying to somehow wrap his mind around all of this…so he let him have that moment, even though it was _killing_ him inside. He just wanted to know what was going through Hiccup's mind right now.

"But…how? You're…straight?" Hiccup asked in quiet disbelief, lifting his gaze to meet Jack's eyes again. He didn't seem freaked out at all, he just seemed…genuinely confused.

Thank whatever god might exist for that.

A flicker of a smile graced Jack's lips, as he observed the perplexed dragon rider in front of him.

"I thought so too…but then you came along." he said sheepishly and trained his blue eyes on his hands, wringing them a little. He didn't really want to see the shock that was bound to be evident in those green eyes.

He could feel his face burning now and he knew his cheeks must be blooming with pink.

A tiny bit of relief washed over him at the thought that he had now confessed his feelings to Hiccup after pretending for so long that there was nothing but friendship between them…

…but he was also growing more and more afraid that Hiccup would _not_ return those feelings. The extreme self-consciousness and vulnerability made him feel like running away. He had given Hiccup the power to tear him to pieces…like a thin piece of paper floating in water, where even the smallest jab could make it disintegrate.

What if Hiccup was going to reject him now? What if this would be the end of their friendship? The thought made him sick to his stomach.

But no…he had to stay strong. Maybe there _was _actually a chance.

Hiccup had kissed him back. He had been just as eager as him. That _must _mean something…right?

The silence in the air between them stretched on, nothing but a winter breeze rustling branches and a few birds chirping reaching Jack's ears. After a few moments he carefully dared to glance at Hiccup.

The brunet sighed and met Jack's eyes. This time, those green orbs seemed a little calmer.

"Jack…we've been really blind." Hiccup then said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Hiccup hesitated for a few moments, just watching him, eyes now full of insecurity. Jack could tell he was preparing himself mentally to tell him something important. Something that would make the brunet feel fragile.

"Because I sort of…have feelings for you too." the Ravenclaw admitted, as an adorable blush deepened the pink on his cheeks and he broke eye contact once again.

Jack blinked.

He exhaled.

Had Hiccup just said what he thought he'd said?

If he had thought he couldn't be happier when he was kissing Hiccup, he was wrong. The dragon rider's confession had sent his heart into overdrive, as it was beating loudly and more and more rapid, like a drum being handed out to a bunch of hyper-active toddlers.

Hiccup had feelings for him? He liked him as more than just a friend? He actually liked him? This was…this was…_unbelievable_.

He felt his worries and nervousness melt away, as a bubbly happiness and warmth took its place in his chest and stomach.

"You…do?" he asked in disbelief. He needed to hear it confirmed before he dared to truly believe it. "You…you have feelings for me?"

"Yeah…" Hiccup said quietly, still not looking at him. "I've…had them for a while." the Viking told him and pulled at one of his braids.

A few moments of silence passed between them. Jack's lips parted into a huge, goofy smile and he would be unable to wipe it off his face or quell the feeling of pure, unrestrained joy in his heart, even if he had wanted to.

"You're right…we've been seriously blind." he replied and exhaled shakily.

A tiny smile appeared on Hiccup's lips but then it quickly disappeared. The Viking began biting his lip nervously.

Jack instantly felt those sharp, horrible claws of worry and fretting sink into him.

Please don't, Hic…please don't take it back. Please don't push me away.

"Jack, I…" Hiccup said, as he trained his green eyes on him again. "We need to talk."

No. The universe was not doing this to him now. It was _not_ granting him the knowledge of how Hiccup's lips felt so right against his and giving him hope that he might actually have him, just to snatch it all away again. That was_ too _cruel.

"Okay…" he said and swallowed nervously. Oh how he hoped Hiccup wasn't going to try and pull away from him now.

"Come on…" Hiccup said quietly before he spun around and began walking towards the castle.

Jack sighed to himself, before he followed the Viking. He had no idea what to expect from this, but the anxiety was slithering inside his belly like a thick, long snake and his mind was racing, going through all kinds of scenarios of how this talk could play out.

Hopefully Hiccup wasn't going to tell him now that nothing could ever happen between them. Now that he _knew _Hiccup saw him as more than a friend, he couldn't stand the thought of not being with him.

That flame of hope inside him had dimmed but there was still light left, and he was desperately wishing that Hiccup would just believe that things could work out between them.

But now that he knew Hiccup had feelings for him too, Jack wouldn't just give up without a fight. He wanted to be with Hiccup and he would do_ everything_ he could to convince him to give them a chance.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

The chilly winter air brushed against his skin, as they walked in silence towards the castle, across the moist grass on the green hills, through one of the courtyards and into the familiar, stone corridors. Jack was trailing behind him, while he led the way towards the room of requirement, where they could have some privacy to talk. After all…that was the most private place he could think of in the magical castle. Toothless was walking quickly beside him, black paws swiftly moving across the grass.

As they made their way through the corridor, small groups of other students headed in all kinds of directions, their happy conversations and giggles ringing in the air. Hiccup hoped they wouldn't meet anyone they knew, because he really didn't want to be held up by small talk when he and Jack were about to have the most serious, vulnerable conversation they'd ever had.

The confused thoughts were shooting through his mind, as his shoes scraped against stone floors. Right now, he wasn't certain at all that this wasn't some kind of dream, because surely this couldn't actually have happened.

Jack had kissed him. He had _kissed_ him.

He had been shocked at first, completely taken by surprise and unable to do anything, but when he pulled himself out of his trance and kissed Jack back, it was _everything_ he had imagined it would be.

Exciting. Overwhelming. Intoxicating. Addictive. _Perfect._

It was like being warmed inside out by the rays of the sun, his mind being completely fried by the bursts of love, of exhilaration, of desire. He had _never_ wanted to let go. He had wanted him and Jack to keep kissing each other. He had wanted Jack to keep making his head spin, his heart stutter and his body tingle and shiver…and yet…as soon as a sliver of coherent thought entered his mind again, he knew that he _had _to let go.

They needed to figure this out, before they even _considered _doing anything more about their feelings for each other. Hiccup needed answers.

A part of him began to hope that this could actually happen, but another part was trying to be realistic to avoid getting his heart broken completely. He knew this was _not _going to be easy in any way and both he and Jack needed to consider their next move very carefully.

After walking along the old corridors for a few minutes, the hallways become more and more deserted. Jack didn't question where they were going, but perhaps he already knew. When they turned down the corridor where the room of requirement was, there wasn't a single student in sight anymore.

Hiccup thought about how they needed a place to talk away from prying eyes and the massive doors to the room quickly appeared.

He opened them, wood creaking in complaint. Then he entered the room, Jack following behind him, closing the doors again.

The room appeared as it had done the few times he and Jack had used it to hang out. It was large and warm with a big fireplace with orange flames dancing inside and the carpet, walls and furniture were mostly a mix of red and blue, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw colors. The only real difference was that instead of the usual four large armchairs, there were two spacious couches, one red and one blue.

Jack placed himself on the red one and Hiccup decided that instead of sitting across from him, he would sit down on the same couch, although on the other end of it. It just somehow seemed too strange and dismissive to place himself on the other couch, so far away from Jack. Toothless jumped on top of the other couch and curled up comfortably.

There were a few moments of awkward silence between them, as Hiccup tried to figure out how to start this. He looked at Jack, who was biting his lip and staring at one of the walls.

"Look…this is…complicated." Hiccup decided to say, just to get it out there. It was more than just 'complicated' though.

"Yeah, I know…" Jack replied quietly and tore his eyes off the wall and met his gaze. He could see the uncertainty and the insecurity in those blue orbs and it was so unfamiliar to see Jack that way. He felt like the biggest jerk on earth for making him feel so vulnerable, but he couldn't really see a way out of having this talk.

"What are we going do about this?" he asked, wanting to know what Jack was thinking.

Jack sighed and seemed to be mentally preparing himself to say something, so Hiccup gave him a few moments, despite that overwhelming anxiety streaming through his veins.

"Hic…I know what I want, so the decision is really with you." Jack admitted and broke the eye contact between them to look at his hands.

"What do you want?" Hiccup asked him hesitantly, while pulling a little on one of his braids. He was fairly certain he already knew but…he _needed_ to hear Jack say it instead of jumping to conclusions right now.

Jack trained his eyes on him again and now those blue eyes softened in that familiar way of his that always managed to make Hiccup feel weak in the knees.

"I want…to be with you." Jack told him and the words were filled with such underlying hope that it tugged at Hiccup's heartstrings.

He felt his heart beat faster in his chest in response.

Jack wanted him…he was making himself_ completely_ vulnerable right now. He was putting himself out there for Hiccup to make a decision.

He couldn't deny the overwhelming, wild happiness that was flowing through every single part of him, when Jack had just said that he wanted to be with him. Gods, he wanted to be with him too…he wanted_ nothing_ more than just that…but he needed some answers, so they wouldn't both end up with their hearts smashed to pieces.

"Jack…you know I have to go back to the archipelago when we're done here at Hogwarts…right?" he asked him. He needed Jack to understand all the implications of this, because nothing about it was simple and easy.

"Yeah..." Jack sighed.

"I need to be with Toothless and I need to protect the dragons." he told his white-haired friend with sadness in his heart. Of course he _wanted_ to be with Toothless and to keep the other dragons safe but…it was tearing him apart that that meant he couldn't be with Jack.

"I know that." Jack replied, almost a whisper now.

Hiccup exhaled deeply and closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again.

"So this…" he motioned to the both of them. "it…it doesn't fit into that…" he said, even though it was making the depression crash its horrible waves in his gut and making him feel like someone was slowly ripping his heart out of his body.

He could instantly read pain in Jack's eyes and it only made the sadness inside himself increase even more. The_ last_ thing he wanted to do was hurt him…but how could they possibly be together? If there _was_ a way, he would take it but…how could there be?

Hiccup felt his throat close up by the thought that he couldn't have Jack, even now that he had discovered Jack had feelings for him too. It was agonizing.

He looked at his hands and wrung them a little, as a few moments of silence drifted by. The heartbreaking sadness and the horrible uncertainty and nervousness were_ unbearable_.

"Hic?" Jack then said. His voice sounded less quiet and resigned now.

"Yeah?" he asked, still looking at his hands. At least that unnatural silence was gone now.

"I would like to at least have the option."

"What?" he blurted out as he lifted his head and trained his eyes on Jack again.

His white-haired friend had a sort of determination gleaming in his blue irises now.

He couldn't possibly be talking about what Hiccup thought he was talking about.

"To come with you." Jack clarified, apparently sensing his confusion.

Hiccup's eyes widened and the shock made him temporarily speechless. He_ was_ talking about that. He would actually…follow him back to Berk? He couldn't possibly be serious.

After a few brief moments he pulled himself together again.

"Are you saying that…you would _actually_ consider staying in the archipelago?" he asked Jack, still _beyond_ perplexed by this.

"If this…" Jack motioned to them both "works…then yeah…I'd pretty much follow you anywhere."

"_Why_….why would you do that?" Hiccup asked, unable to stop himself. He couldn't believe he was hearing this.

"Isn't it obvious? I want to be with you."

Hiccup let out a shaky breath. This was…unbelievable. Jack would leave his family and friends to move to a strange, dangerous place, just to be with _him_?

"But…" he started, struggling to find the right words. "I don't understand."

Jack sighed and then bit his lip and fiddled with his sleeves a little.

Hiccup watched him, still unable to fully comprehend what was happening right now. It was all _completely_ surreal.

"Hiccup…there's something I need to tell you." Jack said and his voice had gone back to brimming with insecurity.

"What is it?"

He had an idea of what Jack was preparing himself to say but he couldn't believe it until he heard the words spill from Jack's lips.

The silence that hung in the air between them while he waited for Jack's answer, made the nervous anticipation wreak havoc in his body. His heart was almost in his throat now and his breathing had become strained.

"I wasn't going to say anything, because…" Jack trailed off and then groaned and let his palms slide down his face in a frustrated movement. "Ugh…you know what? I'm sick of pretending and not be able to just be honest with you, Hic." the pale teen told him and trained his blue eyes on him again. "I don't _want _secrets anymore. I just want to tell you how I really_ feel_." Jack said, gesturing with his hands to express the obvious frustration he was feeling.

Hiccup stayed silent, the nervousness thrashing inside him more violently by the second.

"I've had feelings for you for a long time now, and they've just…been growing and growing…and…ugh, why is this so_ difficult_ to actually tell you?" Jack said and broke the eye contact between them for a brief moment and sighed. Then his eyes softened as he looked at him once more.

"Hiccup…I've been trying to push it down but…I can't do it anymore. When I thought you were going to die, I lost it…you mean so much to me and the possibility that you would die was _unbearable_. I promised myself I would find _some _way of telling you how I felt because…the thought of losing you was even more terrifying than confessing to you…and…I've tried to ignore it for so long but…I can't choose not to_ feel_." Jack told him and then paused for a brief moment, his blue eyes now intense to look at with the raw emotion shining in them. "I love you."

Hiccup stopped breathing.

Was he really hearing this?

If it wasn't because he knew it was impossible, he might have thought his heart was ready to explode from all the adoration, the love, the happiness that made it pound in his chest.

Jack was handing his heart over to him and _all_ he had to do was take it.

"You...love me?" he asked in pure disbelief. He needed to hear it again. It was everything he had hoped for, everything he had wanted since he first discovered his feelings for that amazing white-haired Gryffindor and now...now it was actually within reach.

"Yeah…I love you." Jack told him softly. "Would you…want to be with me?" his pale friend asked quietly, hopeful blue eyes burning into his skin, and in this moment Jack seemed so incredibly fragile that it made Hiccup's heart ache. Here in the silence, the overwhelming insecurity radiating off him seemed_ loud_.

His heartbeat quickened even more at Jack's question.

_Of course_ he wanted to be with him. There was_ nothing_ he wanted more than that. He wanted it so badly it_ hurt_. He wanted to just throw himself at Jack, wrap his arms around him, crash his lips against his and _never _let him go.

He wrung his hands a little.

This was_ everything _he wanted and yet he knew it was going to be incredibly difficult...impossible…

But it was just _so_ tempting to reach out and take it. To just let himself find happiness with Jack. The guy he loved _so _much actually loved him back!

But everything was so complicated…

He let his head droop a little, breaking eye contact with Jack.

He was at war with himself. One part of him screamed out to just make Jack _his _as quickly as possible. Another part yelled at him that this would end badly. That it could never actually work. That he would end up broken.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jack scoot closer to him across the couch until his friend was sitting next to him.

"Hic…" Jack then said quietly and placed a careful pale finger under his chin to tilt his head upwards so their eyes would meet. The brush of skin made tingling sensations run through him and the soft, caring look in Jack's eyes made warmth spread in his chest.

"Don't let all those negative thoughts in your head get to you…I _know_ you're thinking about how complicated everything is, but…we'll deal with all of that later. We can do it together…If you feel the same way about me…just say yes." Jack told him. "Just say yes." the white-haired teen repeated, almost a whisper, as the pale finger under his chin gently moved towards his cheek and brushed against it.

Those beautiful, deep, blue eyes held so much emotion that Hiccup was unable to look away. Jack let his arm drop to his side and he instantly missed the touch.

He was _so _close to having Jack that it was unbearable. He was _aching_ to kiss him…to hold him…to tell him just how much he loved him. To finally let all of those hidden feelings out.

…but this wasn't a fairy tale. It was real life.

Jack observed him for a few moments, before he slowly leaned in.

Hiccup's breathing caught in his throat.

Jack softly pressed their lips together. It was a brief, chaste kiss but _everything_ about it expressed how Jack felt about him and how much he wanted him to believe that this could work.

Soft. Warm. Loving. _Amazing_.

When Jack pulled away he gave him a flicker of a smile and those blue orbs now had a soft shine to them.

In that very moment Hiccup realized there had never been a choice for him. He had thought it was a matter of self-control…of being realistic…but he never truly had a choice.

His head was filled with the sound of his heartbeat. It was so loud he could swear Jack must have been able to hear it. His mouth had gone dry. This was going to change_ everything_.

"You once told me that…I could choose to be happy." he said as he continued looking into that familiar blue gaze he loved so much.

"You can." Jack replied with a tiny, unsure smile tugging at his lips.

Silence.

Blue eyes and green eyes continued to watch each other with anticipation.

"If I can have_ you_…then I choose to be happy." he told him and as the words left his mouth, his entire being was filled with warm, soft happiness. It was the most wonderful, overwhelming flood of bubbly emotion he had_ ever_ felt.

This was it. Things would forever be different…and gods, how he wanted them to be. He wanted_ Jack_.

"You…you choose me….this?" Jack asked him, his blue eyes wide with hope, lips parted in disbelief.

"Yeah. I could…I could never turn away from this."

Jack let out a shaky breath. "Hic-"

"I'm saying yes, Jack." he confirmed, wanting to crumble Jack's remaining doubts to dust. His lips transformed into a bright smile.

Jack's face instantly split into a huge, beaming grin. Hiccup had _never s_een him happier.

Jack instantly threw himself on top of him, pushing him back on to the couch and crashing their lips together. At the first brush of their warm, wet lips, Hiccup's head was already spinning again.

Jack was lying on top of him, his body pressed against his, propped up on pale arms to keep some of the weight off him. They captured each other's lips over and over and it seemed that for both of them,_ all _the things they had been suppressing for so long came pouring out in that moment, melting into fiery, feverish kisses.

Every discreet stare. Every daydream of being together. Every soft bubbling of adoration. Every tickling sensation of butterflies. Every spark of attraction. Every repressed desire. Every hidden burst of love.

Nothing was held back. The time for secrets and suppressed feelings was over. They could_ finally_ have each other.

Hiccup let his hands slide under Jack's white shirt, _craving _to touch Jack's skin again. His fingertips roamed across Jack's back, reveling in the soft, smooth sensation of the flawless skin and Jack's slender, yet taut and slightly toned body. He alternated between letting his palms gently stroke Jack's back and allowing his fingertips to press into it, gripping and holding on to Jack, _never_ wanting to let him go.

When Jack made them both slow down the pace of their heated kissing and gently let a hand slide through Hiccup's hair, sending all kinds of delicious shivers down his spine, he felt like his heart might jump out of his ribcage from the pure adoration he felt for Jack.

He leaned his face backwards a little, breaking the contact between their lips.

Heavy breathing came from both of them. Blue eyes looked down on him in confusion.

"Jack?" he asked his…_boyfriend_. That thought made so much unrestrained happiness stream through his blood that it could hardly be possible without the veins bursting. Jack was_ his_ now. That was more than he had ever dared to hope for.

"Yeah?" Jack asked breathlessly, tilting his head down, so their foreheads gently rested against each other, as their warm breaths mingled.

"I love you." he told that amazing guy who had captured his heart without even trying. He couldn't keep it in any longer. Jack needed to know that he felt _exactly _the same way about him.

"You…do?" Jack asked, letting out a shaky breath that warmed the skin on Hiccup's chin. He sounded like he was hesitant to believe it.

"Yeah…I'm pretty much madly in love with you." he chuckled, feeling completely delirious with joy right now. It was overwhelming his senses, taking over every single part of his mind and body.

Jack slowly pressed their lips together so softly in response that it was the most tender, loving act Hiccup had _ever _experienced. It was a ghost of a kiss, like Jack was trying to express his love in the most delicate way possible.

As soon as their lips brushed, he craved _more_ and he realized that he would never have enough of Jack. It was like every touch Jack left on him caused his body and soul to react in delight.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me." that beautiful pale teen whispered to him, blue eyes sparkling, as he leaned a little back again.

"I think I have an idea." he replied, a crooked smile appearing on his lips.

A tiny smile pulled the corners of Jack's lips upwards, before he lowered his head again and captured his lips once more.

Hiccup's eyes closed and he instantly let himself float away into that wonderful sensation of Jack's warm, soft lips against his. Every part of him fluttered and bubbled with exhilaration and he began to mold their wet mouths together harder, with more urgency.

He basked in the delighted shivers that ran through Jack in response and marveled when he realized that he was affecting Jack just as much as Jack was affecting him.

He tore his lips from Jack's and then planted a few soft kisses along a pale cheek.

"You're amazing…" he breathed out against Jack's soft skin.

"So are you." Jack replied and pressed his lips on his nose.

Hiccup extended his hands and gently held on to each side of Jack's jaw and pulled him down to his lips again. He wanted that wonderful, beautiful meeting of their mouths back instantly.

He continued to let his fingertips softly grip the sides of Jack's jaw, as the pale teen began to let one of his hands brush through Hiccup's hair, still resting some of his weight on his other arm.

Their mouths fitted together perfectly, the sounds of their moistened, warm lips gliding and pressing together over and over filling the silence of the room.

Hiccup let his hands slide around to Jack's back to stroke up and down a few times, before sneaking under that black school cloak and white shirt to place passionate, loving touches along that creamy skin. He loved Jack's skin against his fingertips. It was warm…soft…smooth.

The clashes of lips quickly became more eager and needy. Jack's mouth parted and he used his tongue to gently poke at Hiccup's lips. He took the hint instantly and let him in. His boyfriend wasted no time in letting his tongue glide gently across Hiccup's own and pleasant tingles rippled through his entire body in response. His cheeks burned as he melted into Jack's mouth and began moving his own tongue around Jack's. He dug his fingertips into Jack's smooth, firm back. Jack let fingers rake through his brown locks.

His usually sharp and clever mind had gone completely hazy. It was a total sensory overload and his brain was shot into silence. He was being enveloped by Jack on every single level in his being. Feeling pale, smooth skin against his fingertips. Those soft, wet lips molding together with his. Breathing in the smell of peppermint and clean snowy locks and warm skin. His mouth being warmed by Jack's hot breaths.

This was eager passion. Fierce devotion. Young love.

Hiccup was drunk on happiness. Drunk on love. Drunk on desire. Drunk on _Jack_.

Their wet tongues moved around each other in playful motions, grazing, stroking, tracing. His nerve-endings were singing with joy and thrill. Soft moans began to escape them both, but they swallowed up each other's noises.

Only Jack could make him feel like _this_.

Only Jack could overwhelm his senses to the point where_ any_ coherent thought was impossible. Only Jack could make his legs feel like they were made of water, just by looking at him in a certain way. Only Jack could send pleasant shivers across his skin just by brushing against it. Only Jack could send his heart into a stuttering madness by pressing his lips on his.

Hiccup had no idea if minutes or hours passed, as he and Jack continued to kiss, their hands moving eagerly across each other's backs and necks and arms. He had no sense of time anymore. Time didn't matter. He had lost himself in Jack's warmth and closeness long ago.

After a while their heated, urgent kisses began to slow down, becoming more loving and gentle. He softly bit Jack's lower lip, causing the white-haired boy to hum in delight and respond with a slow, maddeningly tender kiss that could only be described as soft, pure bliss.

Then Hiccup smiled into their kiss, and Jack pressed his lips on his mouth lightly one last time before pulling away just a little to meet his eyes.

"What's so funny?" the pale teen on top of him asked with an amused smile on his lips.

"It's just…this is surreal." Hiccup explained, unable to hold back a goofy smile.

It really was. Jack had kissed him…he had kissed him back…they had confessed their feelings to each other. It was something Hiccup had never_ ever_ expected to happen.

"I know." Jack smiled warmly at him.

"I never thought something like this would happen." Hiccup told his boyfriend and reached out a hand to brush against Jack's pale cheek.

"Yeah, me neither." Jack chuckled. "I had no idea you even liked guys."

"I like girls too." Hiccup explained, as he let his hand drop again.

"Really? So I should definitely keep an eye out for your fangirls?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement, as he rolled off him, so they were lying next to each other on the soft couch.

"Nah, not really…I'm only interested in pale, annoying, snow-loving Gryffindors." Hiccup replied and Jack laughed at that.

"Well…" Jack said, one of those beautiful teasing grins appearing on his lips. "_I'm _only interested in sarcastic, brainy, dragon-obsessed Ravenclaws."

Hiccup shot him a bright grin. Jack had no idea how happy those words made him.

Then a thought occurred to him and the grin slowly faded into a small smile.

"Hey…are you okay with…taking things slow?" he asked, observing Jack intently for any change in expression.

After all…this was completely new territory for both of them, and even though they loved each other, they needed to take their time with this.

"Yeah, definitely." Jack replied and nodded. "I've never…you know." he told him and a small blush actually appeared on his face, dusting perfect pale skin with pink.

Gods, he was adorable. Somehow, seeing Jack blushing was mind-blowingly cute because he was usually so confident, calm and collected. It also didn't hurt that it made Hiccup relieved that he wasn't the only one being shy and a little awkward in this.

"Not with a girl either?" he asked him.

He didn't really know what to expect from Jack on this subject because…obviously he had snogged girls before but…Hiccup didn't know if he had gone farther than that.

"No…have you?" Jack asked him, lifting an eyebrow in curiosity.

"No."

"Good. Then this relationship is going to have a lot of 'firsts'." Jack told him, as one of those bright grins parted his lips and revealed his perfect, white teeth.

Hiccup couldn't help smiling at that too. He was kind of relieved that Jack was just as inexperienced as himself in this.

"Yeah." he agreed. "And there's already been a 'first' today, since I assume you've never kissed a guy before?"

"You'd be right in that assumption." Jack replied but then got a pensive look on his face. "Have you?"

"Yeah." he said, waiting for the surprised reaction that was bound to come.

"What? Seriously? Who?" Jack asked, seeming baffled by this, just as he had expected.

"My first kiss ever when I was 12 years old…was with a boy." he explained as an amused smile tugged at the corners of his lips from Jack's reaction.

"Wow, way to hold out on me there, Hic." Jack replied with a crooked smile.

"I didn't exactly feel like handing you that kind of ammunition. You would have definitely used it against me."

"Yeah, I probably would have." Jack grinned.

Hiccup smiled fondly at his boyfriend.

He reached out a hand towards one of Jack's hands and intertwined their fingers. Jack smiled softly at him in response to the simple, yet wonderful contact.

They were lying like that for a little while, just enjoying each other's presence, before Jack broke the silence.

"Hey Hic…do you think we should tell people…about this?"

"Hmm...we can tell our friends right away but…I'd rather not have everyone know just yet." he replied and hoped that would be all right with Jack.

He didn't want all the other students at Hogwarts to know right away. He wanted them to have some time to just figure this out by themselves first…and he definitely couldn't tell his dad and the other Vikings yet either…he would have to prepare himself for that kind of major emotional confrontation first. It wasn't something he could just casually sling out during a normal conversation.

Jack nodded. "That's okay with me…We'll just keep it between us and our friends for now then."

"They are going to be shocked." he replied with an amused smile.

"Oh yeah, they are."

"Do they know you feel that way about me?"

"Yeah, they do. What about Rapunzel and Fishlegs?"

"They know too".

"Huh…we really are stupid…we should have told each other a long time ago" Jack said to him, furrowing his brow a little.

"Yeah, we should." he agreed. "But…I guess we were both afraid of being rejected and ruining our friendship."

Jack's eyes softened. "Yeah…I know I was."

"Yeah…me too." he replied and brushed his thumb over one of Jack's fingers.

"Should we tell them together? It would be kind of fun to just stun them all of the sudden." Jack said excitedly, that childish spark that Hiccup loved so much gleaming in his blue eyes.

"Yeah, sure." he said and chuckled. "I guess it would be fun to surprise them."

"It's a deal then…when?"

"Hmm…how about tomorrow after classes?" he suggested. Of course, he still wouldn't be having any classes, he still had time off, but the rest of them would have.

"Yeah, sure…if you can keep your hands off me for that long." Jack told him, blue eyes shining with mischief.

"Who said anything about needing to keep my hands off you?" he shrugged.

"Hmm, good answer." Jack replied with an amused smile. Then he reached out his other hand and began playing with Hiccup's braids, pulling at them, twirling them, swatting at them.

"What are you doing?" Hiccup asked in amusement. Jack almost seemed like a child trying out a new toy.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." Jack told him and then laughed happily.

"Seriously?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yup." Jack replied with one of those playful grins.

Hiccup shook his head, as a bright smile parted his lips. That was just…so Jack.

"I love you." he said and then leaned in and pressed his lips against Jack's pale forehead.

"I love you too." Jack said softly, as he continued to play with his braids.

He and Jack stayed in the room of requirement for the rest of the day. They skipped dinner because neither of them wanted to leave each other. They had so much to talk about. So many feelings to express. So much love to shower each other with.

They told each other how long they had had feelings for each other and were both shocked by the answer. They had laughed at their own foolishness and inability to see what was right in front of them. Hiccup felt quite bad when Jack told him that he had discovered his feelings for him when he saw Astrid kiss him and that _that _was why he had had that panic attack. However…Jack had reassured him that he shouldn't feel guilty about that. After all, there was no way he could have known Astrid would do that or that it would trigger that sort of response from Jack.

Jack seemed beyond surprised to find out that he had realized his feelings when Jack had cleaned him up after the fight he had had with McGowan and Levin and that that was why he had been isolating himself for a few days afterwards. Jack had assumed it had had something to do with the fight, so it came as a shock to him that it was actually because Hiccup had discovered his feelings for him.

Then they moved on to tell each other about their reasons for keeping their feelings hidden, what their friends had said to them throughout the whole thing and how they had both tried their best to appear normal but that it was so incredibly difficult. It was so relieving for the both of them to finally let all of those things out in the open.

Hiccup had had a brief moment of insecurity and asked Jack if he was absolutely sure that he wouldn't mind staying in the archipelago. After all…it was not just a dangerous place. It was also a completely different way of life than what Jack was used to. But his boyfriend had just told him to shut up and then kissed him lovingly to reassure him that yes…he was sure he wanted to come with him. In that moment Hiccup felt like his stomach was going to burst wide open and hundreds of those tiny Terrible Terrors were going to fly out.

They ended up talking for hours and hours, interrupting their conversations once in a while by loving, heated kissing sessions. They never ran out of things to tell each other. They could _finally_ share all of those feelings and hardships they'd experienced for so long now but kept hidden from each other.

Their last conversation before they fell asleep revolved around Jack's family. Hiccup had pulled his boyfriend into his arms and Jack was resting his head on his chest, one arm across his stomach.

Jack had told him that his family knew all about his feelings for him and that they would be ecstatic to find out that Jack had actually dared to make a move and that they were boyfriends now. Hiccup was relieved and happy to hear that. At least _Jack's _family wouldn't be an issue for their relationship.

When Jack ended up falling asleep in his arms, his face in peaceful folds, one of his pale hands clutching some of Hiccup's shirt tightly, he was overwhelmed by the realization that he and Jack could finally be together.

He lowered his head and stuck his face into Jack's snowy locks and breathed in deep, savoring those beautiful smells of peppermint and clean hair and _Jack_.

Then a fond smile appeared on his lips, as he watched the breath-taking pale teen sleeping in his arms.

He had Jack's love. He held his heart.

Things weren't going to be easy…

…but there wasn't a doubt in his mind that they belonged together.

**Author's note:**

\- This is without a doubt the chapter in this story that I've been most excited about, because we finally got to the confession! :) For that reason it would make me VERY happy if many of you who have enjoyed this story so far would leave a few words on what you thought of this chapter (be it short or long). That would just be great :D

\- Everything kind of came pouring out in the end of this chapter. Jack and Hiccup have tried to suppress and hide their feelings for such a long time that as soon as they began to open up to each other about it, they just wanted to let it all out and finally be completely honest with each other.

\- I've been asked by several people whether the story would end after the confession but no…it won't. The story goes on for a while

\- Regarding Hiccup's feelings after being tortured, I'd already decided a long time ago that he would probably fall into some self-loathing and feelings of shame, because that fits with the sort of emotional damage his past would have left him with (after constantly being told he was weak and helpless and in general just not good enough). But to be sure I didn't write something completely unrealistic I did some research on torture victims and they do often suffer from problems with shame and guilt afterwards, because it's such a humiliating, degrading experience to have all of your control taken away like that by someone who is doing awful things to you.

\- **Guest reviews:**

Pooka-spirit: Thank you for reviewing as always and for always telling me to make sure not to strain myself, that's really nice of you :)

Mythfreakwhipple: Thank you! Those were some amazing compliments you wrote to me there :) I'm glad to know you find the relationship development realistic and that you appreciate the cultural and historical elements I choose to include :) It's nice that you're so eager to get Flynn and Rapunzel together, but I can't really say for sure when something will happen there. Nice Floki reference by the way :D


	17. One second

**Author's note:**

Wow, it's almost been a month…I think this is my slowest update ever but I finally managed to get this chapter done. It has been more difficult to write than usual because 1) real life has gotten in the way and I really haven't had much energy and 2) I've actually started to brainstorm and research ideas for some original works that I want to write at some point. Don't worry though…I'm still seeing this fic through to the end…aaaaand I will probably not be able to resist writing more HiJack fics after this one is finished.

Man…I can't believe this story is over 400.000 words now. That is just…unbelievable. When I started writing it, I never imagined it would turn out to be this long. It wasn't a part of my plan at all, it just got completely out of hand, ha ha. And there's still quite a bit of story left!

Also, a friend of mine convinced me to get Tumblr, so I got that today. Feel free to follow me if you want. The name is AliceversusWonderland. There's also a link on my profile page.

Anyway…enough of my yapping. On with the story!

**~~~~ Jack ~~~~**

Small, fragments of consciousness began to encroach on his mind, slowly waking his brain from its slumber. He was in a lovely sleepy haze, not willing to open his eyes yet. His face rested comfortably against something soft and warm and he relished the snug bubble he currently found himself in.

He stretched his legs out a little, having spent too much time lying in exactly the same position. A content sigh escaped his lips.

"Jack…" he heard a very familiar voice say, invading his clouded mind.

Why was Hiccup here?

"Jack." the brunet said again.

"Mhmm." was his eloquent response. He didn't want to wake up. He wanted to keep staying in this wonderful state of being half asleep and half awake. It was comfortable and warm and soft and he didn't want reality to set in. Reality, that jerk…with its early mornings, classes and homework.

Then he felt the warm surface he was lying against shift a little under him and suddenly soft lips were gently pressed against his forehead and a strong arm was wrapped around his back.

He slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head. Hiccup was looking down at him with fond eyes and a small, soft smile on his lips.

Then it all came back to him.

He had kissed Hiccup. Hiccup had kissed him back. They had confessed their feelings to each other…and after some convincing that everything would work out, Hiccup had said yes to being…

A warm smile appeared on his lips as he continued to look into the green eyes of his boyfriend.

"Morning." Hiccup said and lifted a hand to let fingers glide through his white hair, still keeping his other arm around Jack's back. The gentle touches through his snowy locks sent pleasant tickling sensations through his skin and made his stomach flutter with affection.

Man…he could really get used to being woken up like this.

"Morning." he replied, unable to wipe that smile off his face. He was lying in Hiccup's arms, all snug and warm, and he knew for certain now that his love was returned. What feeling could ever be better than that?

He lowered his head again and let it lean against Hiccup's chest. His cheek rested on the brunet's soft shirt and his ear listened to Hiccup's heartbeat. It was a soothing sound, a steady drumming of life, and it made him melt even more into the Viking's arms.

He really wanted to go to sleep right now. Just float away into the dream world while resting comfortably in his boyfriend's embrace but he knew that wasn't possible. He forced himself to keep his eyes open.

"What time is it?" he asked. It was still dark outside so it had to be very early.

"Almost dawn…I'm going flying with Toothless now." Hiccup told him.

"Oh, okay."

He didn't want Hiccup to leave. He pretty much wanted to stay here for as long as possible but…Toothless needed to fly. He understood that, so he would have to reluctantly let Hiccup go, despite how wonderful and perfect their current situation was.

"Do you want to come?" he heard Hiccup's voice say.

Jack immediately felt revitalized, as a beaming grin parted his lips and he quickly lifted his head to meet Hiccup's eyes.

"Uh, yeah I want to come! Do you even have to ask?"

"I guess not." Hiccup chuckled.

"Let's go then!" he said and practically leapt off the couch.

Yes, he would like to have stayed here with Hiccup for much longer but now he actually had a chance to go fly on Toothless again. He definitely wasn't going to pass up that opportunity.

"Wow. That's all it takes to get you all energized? I have to remember that." Hiccup said in amusement as he got to his feet too.

"_All it takes?"_ You're offering me a ride on Toothless! Who wouldn't get out of bed…err….off couch, for that?"

"Hmm, true, I guess." Hiccup said and then turned towards the other couch, where the black cat in question was resting. "Well, bud. You want to go flying?"

Toothless instantly left his comfortable position curled up on the couch, jumped down on the ground and began meowing wildly and running around Hiccup's legs.

Hiccup laughed a little. "I'll take that as a yes….well, let's go then." the Viking said and began to move towards the door.

Well…he was in too much of a hurry for Jack's taste right now. There was something they needed to do first before anything else happened.

"Wait just a minute now." Jack said and quickly followed him.

"What?" Hiccup said and turned around to face him again.

Just as he did, Jack grabbed his shoulders and then quickly claimed Hiccup's lips. His eyes closed and their warm mouths moving against each other instantly sent his heart soaring and his stomach fluttering. He could feel Hiccup's body relax, leaning into his touch. He let his hands slide from the brunet's shoulders down to his waist and wrapped them around him tightly. Protectively. Their wet lips molded against each other again and again in a slow, steady rhythm and everything in Jack's mind went silent. Oh how he loved that silence…how everything around them seem to evaporate, like they were the only two people in existence…how he could focus on nothing but the sensitive skin on his lips tickling deliciously when they brushed and pressed against Hiccup's wet, warm mouth.

He could do this forever.

But they had a flight on their schedule.

When he pulled back, Hiccup slowly opened his eyes and their gazes locked.

"We can actually do this now, remember? I intend to take advantage of that." he told his boyfriend with a mischievous grin. He and Hiccup might not be ready for the other students at the castle to know about them yet, but whenever they were alone, he would make sure to get a taste of those lips now that he was finally able to.

"I can't say I object to that idea." Hiccup said with a smile appearing on his lips that seemed to threaten to bloom into a beaming grin at any moment. His green eyes were shining with joy and Jack couldn't control the bubbly happiness swimming through his body.

It was so fucking _wonderful _to be in love and know that your love was returned. He could burst with joy right then and there. He could have Arithmancy from morning to late night every single day for a month and still be completely unable to wipe the goofy smile off his face.

He and Hiccup watched each other in silence for a few brief moments, before Hiccup leaned in to close the gap between them once again. Their eyes were gazing into each other until the last moment before their lips brushed and Jack's eyelids made the world turn dark. Hiccup put his arms around him on top of Jack's arms holding them down in a tight grip.

The Viking began to kiss him slowly. _Painfully _slowly. With each new kiss, Hiccup let their lips graze softly before increasing the pressure just a little and then pulling back. Every nerve in Jack's lips was screaming with delight and he just wanted to grab Hiccup and smash their lips together with more force. But Hiccup kept him in place and took his sweet time to make everything in Jack's body bubble with love and need. It was maddening.

When Hiccup pulled back and let his arms drop to his sides, Jack opened his eyes again. As he took in the face of his boyfriend, he was met with a fond smile on the brunet's lips.

"You are_ not _playing fair, Haddock." he told Hiccup as an amused smile spread across his lips.

"Oh I know, Snowflake." Hiccup grinned, pupils dilated. Jack was definitely not alone in being affected by that kissing session. "Come on…let's go flying while there's still time."

They quickly walked through the exit of the Room of Requirement, Toothless fast on their heels.

It was so early in the morning that the sun hadn't risen yet. The corridors were empty and dark, only the pale moonlight through the windows making their surroundings slightly visible. Hiccup pulled out his wand and let a Lumos spell illuminate the stone hallways further.

They remained quiet through their walk along the passageways of the castle, content to simply walk next to each other in comfortable silence. Jack let out a little yawn and stretched his neck from side to side. How Hiccup was able to get up this early every day and not be ready to collapse with fatigue later in the day was beyond his ability to comprehend.

When they reached one of the exits of the castle, Hiccup pushed open the large, wooden doors and the three of them walked out into the brisk morning air. The freshness of the chilly breeze revitalized him even more and as he and Hiccup began making their way across a stone pathway and then onto green grass moistened by dew, he could feel the last remnants of his tiredness evaporating.

He breathed in deep, relishing the coolness of this cold winter morning and then exhaled slowly, his breath turning into pale fog drifting upwards into the dark sky.

Warm skin suddenly brushed his hand, as Hiccup reached out and intertwined their fingers. He couldn't help looking at his boyfriend and giving him a warm smile, which Hiccup returned. It was such an innocent contact but it spoke volumes of what they were now.

They continued walking in comfortable silence towards the small forest. The only sounds reaching Jack's ears were the wind whispering in the trees, their footsteps flattening moist grass and the chirping of birds who were already awake despite the lack of light. He briefly looked down to the side and watched Toothless trot along happily, obviously eager to get to spread his wings as soon as he was turned into a dragon again.

He let his thoughts wander as he and Hiccup kept holding hands and he savored the warmth of their skin touching. Hiccup kept his other hand raised, clutching his wand that was emitting the white light of the Lumos spell to guide their way.

It was still quite difficult to comprehend that this was actually happening. That he and Hiccup were together now. He had wanted that for so long but he had been convinced it was impossible. That Hiccup would never feel the same way about him. Now though…now they were boyfriends and holding hands on their way to the forest and it just felt right and natural in every way.

Hiccup was right though…it wasn't going to be easy. There were some serious difficulties they had to overcome…like the hostile tribes still wanting Hiccup dead…like the person who had helped McGowan, Levin and Zamora who still hadn't been found…like Hiccup's dad who might not accept this side of Hiccup.

And then…there were also the other Vikings. Jack had no idea how Vikings felt about homosexuality. Would they reject Hiccup when they found out?

He tightened his grip on Hiccup's hand a little and in his peripheral vision he could see Hiccup turning his head to look at him.

"Hic…?" he said, keeping his eyes trained on the grass his feet were swiftly carrying him across.

"Yeah?"

"About this whole chief thing…"

"What about it?"

"How does it work now that we're together?" he asked. He needed to know more about this…about the trials they were going to go through as a couple. He was really hoping the situation with the other Vikings wouldn't be too difficult, but he wasn't sure what to expect.

"Well…I guess, I don't have to worry about becoming chief anymore." Hiccup spoke softly. There was a combination of sadness and determination in his voice.

"Wait." Jack stopped walking. He kept his hand in Hiccup's and the brunet halted his steps as well. Jack lifted his head and let his eyes meet Hiccup's. "You think they won't want you as their chief just because you're in a relationship with me?"

He had only known about Hiccup's future responsibilities since yesterday, so he hadn't really had time to consider all the implications their relationship might have on that.

The Viking's face didn't really reveal any emotions. "Yeah, I'm fairly certain of that." he said and shrugged as if it was no big deal. It was though…and Jack knew Hiccup well enough to know he was just trying to be strong right now. That he was nervous about how his tribe would react. After all…who wouldn't be?

Jack could sense tiny knots forming in his gut. Hiccup was giving up the possibility of following in his dad's footsteps and making him proud…to be with him. He was well aware that Hiccup wasn't the type to actually _want_ leadership responsibilities but…that was what he was always meant to do and now his whole future had become unsure. His relationship with his dad and the other Vikings he knew could even be broken.

He needed some kind of reassurance that Hiccup was absolutely certain he wanted to give all of that up.

"Hiccup. Are you _sure_ you're okay with making that kind of sacrifice?" he asked him, balling his free hand into a nervous fist, while still clutching Hiccup's hand with the other.

Hiccup just looked at him for a moment, green eyes softening, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"Jack..." he said. "I don't consider it a sacrifice. I consider it my opportunity to be _happy_. With you."

Jack unclenched his fist and felt those tiny knots in his gut begin to untie themselves.

"I don't even know how a relationship between two guys is perceived in Viking culture?" he replied looking into Hiccup's reassuring eyes.

The small smile slowly vanished from Hiccup's lips.

Clearly, relationships between guys weren't seen as a good thing then.

"It's not approved of." Hiccup spoke, conflicting emotions shining in his green eyes. "It's seen as…a weakness. As a failure to be strong and honorable…Hopefully it will change in time, like things changed with the dragons but…right now, it's looked down on." Hiccup explained and then tore his eyes off Jack and observed the ground.

"Oh…" Jack said. So Hiccup was not just giving up the possibility of becoming chief and ruining his relationship with his dad. He was also risking becoming an outcast again, losing all the respect he had gained from the other Vikings in the last few years. Maybe he would even be forced to leave his home and all the Vikings he knew.

"I'm sorry…so your dad might not understand?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

"I'm pretty sure he won't but…let's cross that bridge when we get there." Hiccup told him and lifted his head to look at him again. His eyes were conveying the worry and sadness he obviously felt within and Jack squeezed his hand to bring him just a little comfort.

"Yeah. It's just…I'm sorry Hic. Things are a lot easier for me than for you." he replied.

He didn't have to worry about how his family would react. They would all be ecstatic that he and Hiccup were together now. The same could be said for all of his friends. He didn't have a role he had to live up to, massive expectations that had been forced down on him, a culture that was less than understanding regarding homosexuality. He and Hiccup's situations probably couldn't be more different.

Hiccup breathed in deep and then exhaled. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about how everyone back home is going to react but…in the end, the most important thing is that we can actually be together now."

Those words and the soft gleam in Hiccup's eyes when he looked at him right now conveyed everything Jack needed to know. There was no doubt about the love Hiccup felt for him.

He leaned in and pressed his lips against Hiccup's in response, still holding one of his hands. It was a brief, soft kiss but Jack savored every part of it.

"We'll deal with all of it together." he promised Hiccup when he broke the kiss, and he meant every word. He would be there every step of the way to support him no matter what happened.

"Yeah. We will." Hiccup agreed with a soft smile and the fact that Jack couldn't see any doubt in those green eyes made him feel touched.

Toothless suddenly meowed impatiently from next to them and they both chuckled in response and turned their heads to look at the black cat.

"Getting impatient huh, bud?" Hiccup asked and Toothless began to rub his black furry head against Hiccup's leg.

"Well, he didn't get to fly last night, so he probably has a lot of energy to get out."

"Yeah, he probably does." Hiccup replied. "Come on."

Then they resumed their walk towards the forest in the darkness of the very early winter morning. Jack enjoyed the refreshing sense and smell of moisture in the air from the morning dew resting on blades of grass, leaves, branches, rocks. Tiny beads of transparent water shining in the faint light from Hiccup's wand and the moon and stars.

When they reached the edge of the forest, Hiccup let go of his hand and turned towards Toothless. The black cat had sat down and was looking at Hiccup expectantly with those large, green eyes. Apparently Toothless already knew what was going to happen.

Hiccup did a quick flick of his wand and uttered the needed incantation and Toothless quickly turned from black cat to black dragon in a few moments.

The Night Fury immediately spread out his wings to stretch them and his mouth parted in a huge, toothless grin, revealing nothing but pink gums and tongue.

Jack smiled happily at the dragon and looked at Hiccup who was grinning at his best friend's enthusiasm.

"So…are you two ready to go?" the Viking asked them and Toothless instantly warbled eagerly, his bright green eyes lighting up with joy.

"I think we're more than ready." Jack told him.

"Let's go then." Hiccup replied and walked to Toothless' side before grabbing hold of the saddle and pulling himself up, placing himself comfortably on the dragon and clicking his harness into place. It was a good thing that the saddle reappeared whenever Toothless was turned back into dragon form, like clothes reappeared on people who were transfigured back into humans after being an animal. Toothless' saddle was quite complex, so if Hiccup had to take it off and on, it would take a lot of time.

Jack approached the Night Fury too and Toothless lowered his body closer to the ground to allow him easier access. Hiccup reached out a hand to help him up and he took it and grabbed the saddle with his other hand. Hiccup pulled him towards him and Jack heaved himself up using his other hand as well. He got on Toothless' back, behind Hiccup on the saddle. Unlike the last time Hiccup had taken him flying, this time he didn't have to worry about keeping some distance between them. He wrapped the harness around himself and clicked it into place, before he put his arms around Hiccup's midsection. Hiccup briefly looked back at him with a smile before turning his head forwards again.

The brunet clicked his prosthesis into place. "Okay bud. Let's fly." he then said and Jack tightened his grip around Hiccup, because he knew what was coming.

Toothless lowered his body even more before taking off from the ground at massive speed, shooting straight into the dark blue winter skies. Jack's heart leapt with thrill and shock, despite having tried this once before. His breathing was stuttering and he wrapped his arms even tighter around Hiccup. Adrenaline was swimming through his blood, making his entire being feel energized and prepared for danger.

The forest below them quickly got smaller and smaller as Toothless took them further into the skies, flying almost vertically. Jack was grateful that Hiccup had made harnesses for the saddle to keep them in place, because shooting almost upright through the sky on a dragon was crazier than any ride in the world…and way more fun than anything he had ever tried before.

When Toothless ceased his vertical climbing and began to glide horizontally through the chilly air, Jack let out a sigh of contentment and his heartbeat slowed down again. He looked down at the world below, the magical castle, the forests, the lake, everything appearing so small from up here and only illuminated slightly from the white glow of the moon and stars.

It was peaceful.

The gentle but cold wind touching his skin, disheveling his white hair, making his black cloak flap in the wind. The closeness and warmth between him and Hiccup. The sound of air brushing past them and Toothless' large, impressive wings flapping once in a while to keep them adrift. The view of the world below.

Jack felt at ease. Calm. Happy.

Hiccup placed a hand on top of one of Jacks' hands that were still wrapped around the Viking and Jack intertwined their fingers and smiled to himself.

Hiccup guided Toothless lower and they flew only a few feet above the treetops of one of the forests surrounding their giant, magical school.

Hogwarts stood proud on the cliffs next to the water, the dark building contrasting against the pale moonlight. Tall towers reached into the night sky, striving to touch the heavens and stone walls were bathed in faint warm glows wherever torches hung outside. Square and arched shapes of yellow light could be seen in various places, from the rooms where the light was still on despite the ungodly hour.

The scent of pine invaded Jack's nostrils as they made their way across the dark trees. It was a pleasant, fresh scent that he had come to associate with Hiccup.

"Hey…do you think you could do some tricks?" he asked the Viking in front of him.

"Sure…if you think you can handle it." Hiccup teased him and Jack could practically_ sense_ the amused smile on Hiccup's face.

"Of course I can handle it!" he objected.

"Okay, Snowflake." Hiccup agreed and slid his hand away from Jack's again to grab the steering rods.

He heard the sound of Hiccup clicking his prosthesis into a different position. Then they were climbing upwards into the skies again, though more slowly this time. Jack kept his eyes on the white and grey clouds drifting by in the dark heavens, sometimes gliding across the moon, veiling the white orb and dimming the pale light slightly.

They were approaching a little patch of clouds above them, but before Jack was even able to register it, Hiccup made Toothless pull up vertically and then just fall backwards through the air.

Jack held on to Hiccup tightly as they dropped through the skies. Air was rushing past him, crashing in his ears like violent waves. His hair was blowing in every direction, slapping against his skin and obscuring his vision. Every nerve in him was singed with the fire of adrenaline. His chest was constricting from the shock of his racing heartbeat.

The ground was coming closer, treetops seeming to rush right at them.

A click of a prosthesis. Black dragon wings unfolding. A sudden jerk upright, harness digging into his skin. Night Fury claws scraping at the sea of treetops underneath them. Branches rustling from the rushes of air from black wings flapping.

Another click.

Then the world was spinning. Treetops, dark skies, moon, wings were swirling in his vision like running watercolors blending together. Reality was an incoherent mess that was impossible to make sense of. His heartbeat was pulsating in his head.

A sudden turn to the right. Night Fury wings spreading out. The world was still once more. Up and down had been assigned their rightful places in his mind again.

A little nausea bubbled in his throat. The chilly winter winds tingled his cheeks and nose but he savored it.

"Are you okay?" Hiccup's voice sounded through the air.

"Yeah, just…a bit nauseous." he replied. He focused on his body still adjusting to flying horizontally again.

The Viking chuckled. "Yeah, that happens. You'll get used to it."

They glided gently through the dark skies for a little while, slowly ascending. Jack breathed in deep, letting brisk air chill his lungs. He watched the stars, hundreds of small orbs of shimmering light spread across a dark blue blanket and let their luminous presence calm his mind. Underneath massive black wings, the world was once more small and unimpressive in the dark compared to the wonders of the stunning heavens. His nausea diminished and was replaced with awe of the beautiful early morning. He clutched Hiccup a little tighter and the Viking took one of his hands off the steering rods to give his hand a squeeze. He heard Hiccup sigh in contentment and he couldn't hold back a little smile.

Toothless continued to soar through the air, while Jack was happy to just sit on his back with Hiccup and observe the breath-taking view and feel the tingles in his stomach from being so high up.

He watched the massive lake come into view in the distance. Another click of Hiccup's prosthesis could be heard and then they turned and dived straight down towards the grassy hills below. He sucked in a sharp breath. His chest ached, ribs about to be pulverized by his hammering heartbeat. Bursts of energy made his cells buzz with excitement.

Before hitting the ground, Toothless and Hiccup pulled up. They evened out and rushed across the earth, blades of grass swaying furiously from the gusts of air they left behind. They were nearing the impressive body of water ahead.

The adrenaline streaming through Jack's blood was addictive. Even the wildest rollercoaster in the world could not compare to shooting through the air on a dragon, falling through the skies, pulling up right before hitting the ground. It was fucking amazing and it was so much fun that Jack's brain could hardly process it all.

"That was wicked!" he shouted to his boyfriend, needing to express some of his joy.

"Good!" Hiccup said before laughing happily.

They swooped across the last grassy hill before they came to the large lake and began to fly across it, right above the water. He could hear water ripple underneath from the air from Toothless' wings. The dragon's claws skimmed the surface of the lake and small sprays of water left tiny chilly drops on his pale skin. It was refreshing.

A familiar click. Suddenly they pulled upwards and then backwards, making a large loop, before once again going straight ahead. Jack's stomach tingled pleasantly from the sudden movement and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Do that again!" he yelled at Hiccup, who chuckled in response before the exact same motion was repeated and Jack got to experience even more of that wonderful tickling in his body, as the adrenaline made him more and more energized and happy.

"You really like loops, huh Snowcone?" Hiccup asked from in front of him.

"Yeah! Who doesn't!?" he asked.

"Errr, a lot of people." Hiccup replied, sounding amused.

"Well, maybe they would if they were on a bloody dragon!"

Hiccup laughed at that and Jack couldn't help laughing along with him. He was deliriously happy in this moment. He was with his boyfriend, he was on a _dragon_ and he was swooping through the air.

They were nearing the edge of the massive lake, where forest surrounded the area. Jack was expecting Hiccup to make Toothless ascend so they could fly above the treetops, but apparently the Viking had other ideas as they continued to head straight for the forest.

Jack wasn't nervous. Hiccup knew what he was doing. He was certain it was going to be fun though and that made more excitement stream through him.

The thick tree trunks ahead came rushing towards them and Hiccup guided the Night Fury into the forest. They navigated around every tree effectively and all the sharp turns, jerks up and down and close proximity to the large trees made the fun bubble in Jack's brain. He savored the quick movements and the sheer speed, trees appearing and vanishing before he even had time to fully register it.

As they dived down in one swift move and flew under a massive oak branch, Jack unleashed cries of joy from the thrill of it all. Toothless warbled happily and released a small plasma blast that luckily disappeared before they flew into it. Hiccup briefly glanced back at him and grinned, before he guided Toothless to the edge of the forest and they once again ascended into the skies.

"That was great! I can't believe Toothless can actually get through the forest that quickly!" he told his boyfriend. Toothless was a massive dragon and yet when he and Hiccup worked together, he was able to work his way around all those trees, even though the space between them was very narrow.

"Yeah, he's very agile." Hiccup said and Jack could almost _hear _him smile. "Right bud?" the brunet asked the dragon and reached out a hand to pat the top of Toothless' black head. Toothless instantly made a low purring sound in reply.

They approached the castle and then flew above Hogwarts, the top of the towers only a few feet below them. Jack found himself thinking that most students inside the castle would never see their magical school from this angle and they were seriously missing out. It was both beautiful and fascinating to see the massive, ancient school from above like this, taking in all kinds of details that he had never seen before.

Hiccup steered Toothless towards the small forest where the cave was. Jack observed the Quidditch pitch coming into view and Toothless' black wings carried them past the wooden spectator towers. The pitch almost resembled an abandoned structure in a ghost town. Usually it was filled with excited people, walls of noise, colorful banners and flags but right now…it was empty. Dark. Deserted. Silent. It was a sharp contrast.

He could see the small forest in the distance, a blanket of treetops resembling a moss covered forest floor. Toothless began to descend slowly, being guided towards the clearing and the cave by Hiccup.

The Night Fury landed on the grass with a thud beneath each large, black paw. Jack let go of Hiccup and clicked his harness open, while Hiccup did the same. Then they both slid off Toothless' back.

The Night Fury's eyes were large, pupils dilated with excitement. His big, pink tongue was sticking out of his mouth, dripping a little with saliva. Toothless was looking ready to burst with joy and Jack couldn't help chuckling and scratching the dragon under his chin. The Night Fury warbled happily at that and wriggled his body, seemingly telling Jack to pet him even more. Jack quickly obliged and started to stroke and scratch Toothless down his sides. The dragon closed his eyes and low purring sounds vibrated in the black animal's throat.

Jack shook his head to himself. "You're truly something else, Toothless." he said affectionately to the large dragon. He had come to really care for Toothless by now. The dragon had a wonderful personality: loving, playful, mischievous, curious. Not to mention that he was unbelievably intelligent and fiercely protective of Hiccup, which only made the dragon even greater in Jack's opinion.

After a few minutes, Jack let his hands drop to his sides and turned towards Hiccup, who was watching him and Toothless with a soft look in his eyes. The Viking instantly covered the few feet between them, put his hands on each side of his head and brushed their lips together in a gentle kiss. Jack's heart drummed in his chest and he enjoyed the warm feel of Hiccup's lips on his.

Then the brunet pulled back enough for them to look into each other's eyes.

"What was that for?" he asked his boyfriend with an amused smile.

"For being so wonderful." the answer spilled from Hiccup's lips.

**~~~~ Jack ~~~~**

TIME SKIP: LATER THAT DAY

It had been more than just difficult to get through classes today without his friends suspecting something. As soon as they saw him at breakfast, they started to question him on where he and Hiccup had disappeared too yesterday, since they were all supposed to hang out together and why they hadn't even shown up for dinner or later in the common room. Jack just told them that he and Hiccup had had a disagreement and they needed to talk it through but that things were okay now. If he did say so himself, he was quite convincing.

It wasn't entirely untrue either. He and Hiccup _had _fought and now things were great between them again. He just casually left out the part where they had made out, he had confessed his feelings to Hiccup and Hiccup had reciprocated them. That had to wait until later. He and Hiccup had agreed to tell their friends together, so Jack just had to find some clever way of getting through the day without grinning like a moron all the time. That would definitely raise suspicions. But he could manage. After all, he was an evil genius, right?

His friends seemed content with his answers and they didn't press the matter further, most likely because everything involving Hiccup was still a little delicate, because of his recent torture and brush with death. All of their friends knew that the Viking still had some emotional healing to do and that it would take time.

After breakfast their first class of the day was Defense against the Dark Arts, where they spent half the class with repetition, practicing disarming each other effectively. Afterwards they moved on to casting the Patronus charm for the remainder of the lesson. Even though almost every student in their class had now learned how to cast a Patronus, they still needed to practice it regularly to become familiar with using such a difficult spell. If they ever needed to use it outside of school, it would be against dark creatures or fanatic purebloods and in such cases, they would be affected by stress and fear. Therefore, as much practice as possible was needed.

After class they went to the dungeons for their Potions lesson. He helped Merida survive the class as usual, assisting her in brewing the Elixir to induce Euphoria, while still managing to make his own batch as well. His red-head friend made sure to voice her complaints with the subject as usual throughout the lesson, until she got sidetracked at the end by Flynn, who insisted she was planning to use the potion on him, so he would be "too drunk on euphoria to fight off your advances, Simba".

Jack attempted to appear normal, even though it was beyond difficult, as he was practically bubbling over from the inside out with joy. His body and mind were itching to just express all that amazing happiness that filled him up. His lips wanted to curve into a goofy smile all the time, his legs twitched to speed through the hallways like a maniac and he wanted to jump around and scream and shout with joy. He couldn't wait for classes to be over, so he could be around his boyfriend again.

That wasn't in the cards though. He had to keep it together for now. Half of his mind concentrated on brewing his batch, keeping an eye on Merida and her cauldron, listening to his friends talking, chuckling at their funny comments sometimes, while the other half thought about Hiccup. Multi-tasking wasn't one of his strengths though, so sometimes he completely zoned out and his friends brought him back to reality by shouting his name or nudging his shoulder. He explained that he was just tired, which was a great lie because when he _did_ lack sleep, he had a tendency to daydream or otherwise tune the world out.

When Professor Creek was wrapping up the class and briefly told them their homework, Jack glanced around the room casually and suddenly spotted Sam sitting a few workstations away from him. They briefly locked eyes and it took _all_ of his self-control to hold back a smirk. His mouth desperately wanted to somehow signal to the Hufflepuff that Hiccup was_ his_ boyfriend now and that Sam could try all he wanted, but he would never get anywhere with him. Jack restrained himself though. Sam might be interested in Hiccup, but he was still a good guy, so he wasn't going to rub it in his face despite how smug and happy he felt in this moment.

The double Charms class they sat through afterwards went by in a blur. They practiced a bunch of different charms non-verbally and even though Jack was distracted by keeping his immense happiness under wraps, he actually did quite well in the lesson. Without a word he managed to create fire, freeze items and perform the silencing spell on Merida, much to Flynn's amusement, when the red-head couldn't retort as he threw sexual comment after sexual comment at her, while she looked ready to explode. At one point near the end, when Professor Mansnoozie was explaining an upcoming assignment, Jack temporarily floated away from reality and thought about how much he wanted this lesson to be over, because then he and Hiccup could tell all of their friends about them being together now. He found himself being grateful he didn't have to wait even longer to tell them, because he wasn't sure at all if he would be able to do that. Just getting through this one day without raising suspicion had proved difficult enough.

He and Hiccup hadn't decided on a specific way to tell their friends. They had just agreed they would wait for some kind of opening, where they could stun them. Time would tell what kind of opening that would be, but it would be so fucking great to tell them. Mavis had suddenly nudged his shoulder and he had snapped out of his daze, discovering that he was grinning like an idiot. His pale friend narrowed her eyes a little, clearly analyzing him, but he just shrugged casually so she went back to focusing on their professor. That had been a close one though.

Professor Mansnoozie ended up dismissing the class fifteen minutes early, which was quite unusual but Jack definitely wasn't going to complain. He, Merida, Mavis and Flynn quickly gathered their things and stuffed them into their satchels and backpacks before leaving the Charms classroom behind.

When they stepped into the corridor, the lack of other students around gave him an idea. His three friends were moving to head towards an exit of the castle, when he spoke and made them stop.

"Hey guys." he said. They all turned around to face him.

"You go ahead. I'm going to the bathroom." he told his three friends, when in reality he was planning to find and ambush Hiccup.

"Oh, okay. See you in a bit then." Mavis said, while Flynn and Merida nodded before the three of them turned around and began their walk towards the lake.

When they were out of sight, he began to quickly walk through the passageways towards Ravenclaw Tower. Hiccup was most likely going to be there or somewhere close to it, since he needed to stock up on books, paper and charcoal pencils, before he went down to the lake.

He smiled mischievously to himself, as his feet carried him through different stone passageways. He was going to squeeze in a little alone time before they were going to be around their friends for the rest of the day, where they wouldn't exactly be able to be _that_ affectionate with each other.

So now he was going hunting for a Viking.

**~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~ **

The lack of students around was pleasant for his mind.

His footsteps echoed through the stone hallways. Usually there were so many people around in the corridors and if that wasn't bad enough already, they were all watching him intently since he had had his near death experience. It was uncomfortable to say the least. Now though, he could walk along the passageways all by himself with Toothless strolling next to him in cat shape. He was heading towards the Ravenclaw Tower to grab some new books to bring with him when he was meeting his friends later on, in case he needed a break from socializing.

It was a good deal he had made with Jack. Isolation wasn't the way to deal with the aftermath of torture, he was well aware of that. He just hadn't known what else to do. It had seemed impossible to handle it any other way, but Jack had helped him open up and found a compromise that he could deal with.

He picked up the pace to get to the tower as quickly as possible. He really wanted to get his stuff so he could go to the lake and see Jack again. He had missed him terribly while they had been separated today. It was completely ridiculous since they'd seen each other this morning but he didn't even care that he was like some googly eyed schoolgirl. He couldn't control his emotions these days with all the love streaming through him and instead of trying to analyze it, he would rather just enjoy the happiness and hope that warmed his very core. So he had decided to savor having thoughts of Jack and how fucking wonderful he was in every single way swirling around in his brain constantly.

Of course he was also looking forward to spending time with their friends. It was great to be back among them, enjoying their company and their love and laughter. He had missed them all when he was going through his isolation. Even so, his psyche was still under repair from the damage it had recently attained. Sometimes it all just became too much for him. Sometimes it seemed like all of his thoughts, emotions and impressions couldn't stay in his head. There just wasn't room for it and he would become stressed out and getting that dreaded sense of being trapped in a corner with no escape route. It didn't have anything to do with his friends. They were loving and understanding as always. There were just moments where he needed to retreat from socializing of any kind and let himself calm down and unwind with some quiet, solitary activity like reading or sketching. To shut off all the activities, sounds, smells, ideas, views that were bombarding his mind and just focus on something simple.

So now he was going to the Ravenclaw Tower to grab some books, in case he needed to do just that.

When he turned around a corner and headed down another corridor, a hand suddenly came out of nowhere and closed around his arm, dragging him to the side. He barely had time to turn his head and register that flash of white hair, before he found himself at the side of the hallway, inside a little storage room, a closed door behind him.

They were surrounded by shelves upon shelves with different containers and boxes. Narrow beams of light streamed through the thin cracks on top and underneath the door and he could vaguely make out the angular features of his boyfriend's face. Jack's blue eyes seemed to be glistening with mischief, which really didn't help Hiccup to understand this situation at all. Even so he was just happy to see him right now, though he did kind of want some answers.

"Uh…Jack? What are we doing in one of the storage rooms?" he asked in confusion.

As soon as the question had left his mouth, Jack pounced and crashed their lips together, wrapping his arms around Hiccup's back, pulling him as close as he could possibly go. Hiccup closed his eyes instantly in response, while sudden surges of energy and raw passion crackled through his blood. He sighed happily into Jack's warm lips and his heartbeat stuttered excitedly.

Goodbye any kind of rational thought. Hello romance and teenage hormones.

Gods…how was Jack able to do this to him? He could completely banish all his rationality and control. Right now, he couldn't care less that they were in a storage room, that any minute a professor could be needing something in here and find them…because Jack was pressing their bodies together, he was holding him close, he was molding their wet lips forcefully with so much underlying craving that it matched Hiccup's own primitive need.

Jack's touches made him not give a shit about anything else. They made everything else fade away. It was addictive.

Jack's wet tongue teasingly licked his bottom lip and Hiccup's brain was an incoherent mess already. He instantly parted his lips to let his own tongue brush underneath Jack's and he felt a shiver going through his spine. His boyfriend tightened the grip on him and Hiccup threw his arms around Jack's neck and dug his fingers into the smooth, pale skin. They fused together in hot, open-mouthed kisses, wet tongues playfully twirling around each other and Hiccup could _taste_ the greedy hunger they had for each other.

Their heated breaths were warming the air all around them. Bursts of pleasurable tingles and fluttering were running through his veins. Their bodies were glued together, the warmth of their skin radiating through their clothes and despite the impossibility, Hiccup just wanted Jack _closer_.

Pale fingers traveled from his back slowly down to the hem of his shirt. They crawled underneath and slid around his waist, before gliding up and down his chest, eagerly examining every inch of the skin on his torso. The wonderful friction of Jack's smooth hands on his chest made the hairs on his neck and arms stand up in delight. He pressed their mouths together harder, earning him full access to let his tongue slide completely into Jack's mouth, caressing his boyfriend's tongue. Jack moaned into his mouth, and the sound and the vibrations from it caused Hiccup's mind to almost snap right then and there because gods, what Jack was doing to him just wasn't fair. His face burned from desire and the heated air from Jack's mouth.

He let his hands glide from Jack's neck and down his boyfriend's chest on top of the white school shirt and striped Gryffindor tie. He mirrored Jack's initiative and let his hands slip underneath the shirt to begin exploring every piece of Jack's skin he could possibly get to. His calloused fingertips moved smoothly up and down his boyfriend's chest and abdomen, feeling every rib, every dip, every curve. Jack was not just gracefully slender but quite strong and firm as well. He could definitely feel a little muscle on Jack's torso despite his lithe frame. His heart pounded in his chest from the excitement of getting to touch his boyfriend like this. If it wasn't because their hungry, needy kissing kept his mouth wonderfully busy, Hiccup might actually have drooled a little.

He kept running his hands all along Jack's upper body, not being able to get enough of it and the white-haired boy hummed happily into their wet kisses, before his touches on Hiccup's torso became more erratic and rough. Pale hands feverishly stroked his flat stomach and firm chest, fingernails pressed into his skin.

Hiccup smothered Jack's lips against his, wanting and _needing_ to taste and feel Jack as much as possible. Both of them released breathy groans, expressing how turned on they were getting. His hands found their way down Jack's sides and then onto his slightly toned back, where his fingers searched the pale skin and the muscles in eager touches.

He was in a heavy fog of wet, warm tongues, soft lips, smooth skin and hot breaths. His mind and body registered nothing but the thrill of Jack's touches and the feel of his boyfriend's skin against his own hands. Jack triggered such passion inside him that he had never known before. Every nerve in him was ready to burst with love and desire and the pure bliss of feeling so _alive_.

His hands scrambled across Jack's back, gripping onto skin and wiry muscles tightly. His boyfriend began to trail fingertips along the different scars on Hiccup's stomach and chest. The tingling touches and their frenzied French kissing pushed his mind even further into a haze. As they began to rock their hips against each other a little, he could feel that both of them had a serious_ problem_ in their trousers and it was driving Hiccup mad, biological instincts _completely_ subduing his rational, self-controlled personality.

His mind was unraveling and he couldn't do _anything _about it, because he never wanted them to stop this. On the contrary.

He wanted _more_.

Jack let his tongue glide across Hiccup's bottom lip, before they melted into each other once more, pressing warm, moistened lips together hard, like it would kill them both to hold back even a little. Jack moved his hands around Hiccup's back and upwards to his hair. The pale boy grabbed handfuls of his brown locks, let hands trail across the skin underneath, twirled strands around fingers. Hiccup pulled Jack's bottom lip between his own lips and sucked on it. He could feel Jack tremble a little in his arms and he _loved_ that he could have that effect on him. He let his lip go again and their parted lips smashed together once more, as they began to moan into each other's wet, hot mouths, the sounds only spurring them both on even more. Jack's noises were the most beautiful sounds Hiccup had ever heard.

He grabbed Jack's shoulders and pushed him backwards into one of the shelves. Jack gasped in surprise and slid his hands around Hiccup's neck and pushed their faces together with even more urgency, claiming Hiccup's lips in another deep, bruising kiss.

Hiccup broke the kiss and lowered his head to place kisses along Jack's jaw and down his throat. Shaky breaths and groans left his boyfriend's mouth and Jack's smooth hands fondled and groped every part of Hiccup they could reach. The pleasurable burning inside Hiccup only grew as he switched between kissing and sucking the pale skin on his boyfriend's throat and neck, before he worked his way to his lips again. Jack's pink tongue instantly slipped into his mouth and Hiccup savored the tingles that ran through his bones from their wet tongues sliding around each other.

Jack's hands began to stroke across his sides under the shirt, before they slowly snuck lower. Intoxicating shivers ran through Hiccup's entire body, as he felt his boyfriend's long, pale fingers softly glide between the inside of the elastic on his boxers and the skin. He dug his fingernails hard into Jack's back and they both moaned. Jack slowly let his fingers slide from Hiccup's side to his front and began to move them downwards and oh gods, this was going very fast but Hiccup just didn't care, because every single part of him had abandoned rational thought and Jack was so close to actually-

Suddenly a loud noise was heard from the corridor and they broke their kiss and froze in place. They turned their heads to look towards the door, both panting in the dark. Some mumbled curses could be heard before the sound of retreating footsteps reached them. Hiccup sighed in relief. He didn't want to have to explain why he and Jack were alone in a dark storage room, breathing heavily, their hair and clothes all disheveled.

He and Jack locked gazes. Their chests were heaving, as they stared into each other's eyes.

"I think we need to stop." Jack told him.

"Yeah." he agreed breathlessly and then they let go of each other.

"But that was…" Hiccup tried to express his emotions but failed to find any words that could describe what had just happened between them.

"Yeah..." Jack agreed, out of breath as well. It was difficult to see in the darkness, but it looked like he was flushed. Hiccup was sure that his own face was coated in pink too.

Then Jack chuckled. "I wasn't really planning on letting it go on for so long but I kind of…got carried away."

Hiccup's lips parted in a grin. "Yeah, me too."

They stood in silence in the dark storage room for a few moments, catching their breaths and trying to calm themselves down again. After all, they had to go see their friends now and they hadn't even told them they were dating yet, so they couldn't exactly show up looking all hot and bothered.

It was a good thing they had been interrupted. Despite how much he desperately wanted Jack, despite how much Jack drove him crazy with every touch, he knew that this wasn't the time_ or_ the place. Besides…they had agreed to take things slow. They had both temporarily forgotten all about that in this storage room, teenage hormones and all the suppressed attraction that was finally allowed to roam free, completely taking over. If they hadn't been pulled out of that trance they'd been in, Hiccup wasn't at all sure they would have been able to stop themselves from going further.

Without a word they both began to straighten out their shirts and run fingers through their own hair to get it back to the way it was before they got in here. Jack loosened his tie so it hung casually, but that wasn't unusual, he did that almost every day after classes.

"We should probably get going before they wonder what's taking us so long." he told Jack.

"Yeah, definitely." Jack agreed.

Hiccup moved towards the door and slowly opened it. The wood creaked in protest, as he peeked out to check if anyone was out there. Luckily for them, there wasn't a single student in sight. He quickly opened the door fully and stepped into the corridor, Jack right behind him.

Toothless was sitting next to the door and when Hiccup made eye contact with his best friend, the black cat rolled his green eyes, before getting up from his sitting position. It seemed like Toothless knew exactly what they had being doing in there.

They began to make their way through the empty passageway with Toothless trotting next to them. Hiccup's face was still burning and when he and Jack looked at each other Hiccup noticed that his boyfriend was just as flushed as he felt.

He couldn't fully believe the power Jack had over him. How he could shut his brain down completely with his warm touches, how he could make him forget every sense of logic and reason just by brushing their lips together. It was incredible and he enjoyed every single moment of it. He had never experienced anything like this before. He had never _craved _someone like that before and not just in the physical way but also on an emotional level. He not only needed Jack's touches, he also needed to just be around him, listen to his teasing and his opinions, see his smiles, watch his pranks, make him happy.

'Gods…you're completely head over heels for this guy, Hiccup' his mind told him and he really couldn't disagree with that.

They both chuckled a little as they turned down another corridor on the way to revealing their relationship to their friends. His stomach bubbled a little nervously at the thought. He knew their friends would all be incredibly happy for them and he was excited for them to know about it, but even so, he couldn't help feeling just a tad nervous.

**~~~~ Jack ~~~~**

He and Hiccup were just too good at making out with each other.

That was the conclusion he came to, as they left the magical castle and strolled towards the lake, down the hills of soft, green grass to get to their friends.

What had just happened between them in that storage room was beyond what he could describe. Yes, he had snogged other people before but this was different. He had never been in love before this. He had never wanted someone so badly before this. He had never felt someone's touch fill him with such fire and adoration before this.

How far would they had gone? He didn't know. He was acting completely on instinct, his brain being more than content to just shut up and enjoy all the lovely endorphins their make out session was releasing.

He sighed happily to himself, as he and Hiccup continued to make their way in comfortable silence towards the large, blue lake that seemed to shimmer in the distance, the rays of the sun reflecting on the still surface.

It didn't matter anyway. It had been amazing, that was the important thing. To be so passionate with the guy he loved more than anything was more incredible than any other feeling he had ever experienced.

All around him he could sense that spring was drawing near. The blue skies with only a few fluffy, white clouds lazily drifting by and the sun bathing nature in its warm glow. The way the trees were beginning to sprout new leaves. The way the wind seemed less crisp and there was a distinct scent of dirt and grass floating through the air.

After a little while, their friends came into view, all five of them sitting together on blankets in their usual spot, talking and laughing with each other.

Fishlegs spotted him and Hiccup first and apparently told the others, as they were all watching them approach a few seconds later.

"There you two are!" Mavis said with a smile, when they were standing by the blankets, looking down at their happy friends.

"Yeah, we kind of got held up." Jack said, suppressing a chuckle to not seem too suspicious. He shared a quick look with Hiccup, whose lips were curving into an amused smile.

Soon they were both sitting among their friends, engaged in eager conversation and Jack was enjoying their company immensely, despite wanting more alone time with Hiccup too. Toothless had sat down by Rapunzel and was enjoying getting scratched behind the ear. The time went by quickly and as usual they covered a myriad of different topics from strange discussions like whether the Sorting Hat could fall in love to sharing frustrations and troubles like Rapunzel getting paired up with a well-known slacker in Magical History to teasing each other relentlessly with anything they could throw at each other.

"I'm just saying there's something quite creepy about the Sorting Hat being alive and sitting on every new student's head, looking into their mind." Flynn said and narrowed his eyes as if he was a bit disturbed by the thought.

"What are you talking about?" Merida said. "It's just a hat!"

"Yeah, but it's alive!" Flynn argued. "Who knows what horrors it has seen in everyone's heads? We don't even know how much it knows about everyone. It could know our deepest, darkest secrets!" Flynn said dramatically, clutching his chest.

They all chuckled a little at that.

"Do you have many of those, Flynn?" Rapunzel asked, lips twitching in amusement.

"Tons, Blondie. And I do _not _want them spilled to everyone. That would ruin the air of mystery I have going for me."

Mavis sputtered at that, Merida snorted and Jack couldn't stop himself from grinning at that absurd statement.

"Air of mystery! Hah!" Mavis said, rolling her eyes. "You're probably one of the least mysterious people on the planet."

"Let's not say things we can't take back, Vampire." Flynn told her and shook his head, as if he was disappointed in her. "You're just envious because you're a vampire who can't even hope to achieve the same levels of mystery that I have going on."

"Well, maybe I should have a nice, friendly chat with the Sorting Hat then. Get on its good side and then ask it to reveal all of your "dark secrets." Mavis told him, doing air quotes.

"You wouldn't!" Flynn pointed an accusing finger at her.

"Oh, I would." Mavis replied darkly, rubbing her hands together. "But of course it will turn out that you don't actually_ have_ any dark secrets."

"No matter what, you won't get that stubborn hat to talk." Hiccup said.

"Is that something you _know_ or something you desperately hope, because _you're_ hiding something suspicious?" Merida asked him, raising an eyebrow.

Jack scoffed. "The only thing_ he's_ hiding under that awkward exterior is even more layers of awkwardness." he said, eager to tease his boyfriend.

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny. At least I _have_ more than one layer." Hiccup shot back.

"Ouch." Merida interjected. The others chuckled.

"I _obviously _don't need more than one, since that one awesome layer is made of enough pure magnificence to overwhelm anyone who lays their eyes on me!" Jack exclaimed dramatically and threw his arms to the sides.

"Yeah. Overwhelm them with a sudden loss of faith in humanity." Hiccup deadpanned.

"Be careful to insult a ninja, Hic. It might be the last thing you ever do." Jack narrowed his eyes, pretending to threaten him.

"For the billionth time, you are not a ninja." Hiccup rolled his eyes. "You don't even have the reflexes or the fighting skills to be a ninja."

"Oh please. I've just been pretending to be normal all this time. I joke around about being a ninja, because then none of you will ever suspect it."

"Trust me, we would never suspect it even if you had never ever mentioned it."

"Now now Hiccup, is that the thanks I get for being a masked hero, walking around the castle at night, protecting everyone from monsters and whatever might come?"

"What?!" Hiccup protested. "You don't do that."

"Of course I do. Have you ever encountered a monster in the night?"

Hiccup sighed, clearly knowing where this was going. "No."

"You're welcome, Hiccup. It's a good thing you have me to protect you." he said, one side of his lips curving in a teasing, crooked smile.

"That's not- I can't, that's just…you're not even making any _sense._ That is so- ugh." Hiccup shook his head and then crossed his arms.

Jack and the others laughed.

"I win!" Jack triumphed. "I've beaten Hiccup with my wicked ninja-ness!"

"No." Hiccup said, pretending to pout like a small child. "You've beaten me by being completely delusional. A rational person can't argue with an _insane _person."

Jack shrugged and his lips twitched a little. "Nuance."

Hiccup stared incredulously at him and Jack's lips formed into a grin.

Winning banter battles against Hiccup was hilarious and he really savored that pout on Hiccup's face right now.

"Aww, poor Hiccup." Rapunzel cooed teasingly with a small smile on her lips. "Is Jack being mean to you?"

"No. He's being mental and ready to get locked up, never to see the light of day again."

"That would never happen. No one could ever lock this up." Jack said and motioned to himself. "People would be devastated."

"People would be thrilled." Hiccup deadpanned but his eyes were shining with amusement.

"Now now, boys." Mavis spoke, as if she was a mother settling an argument between two fighting children. "Let's play nice, okay?" she teased them.

"Kiss and make uuuup~" Merida sang and the gleam in her blue eyes told Jack that she thought she had just made a brilliant teasing joke.

Well…two could play at that game. This was definitely the kind of opening he had been looking for.

He turned his head and briefly locked eyes with Hiccup, who seemed to understand what he was planning to do. He waited a few seconds, giving Hiccup time to signal to him if he had changed his mind, but the Viking only smiled at him. That was all the confirmation he needed.

"Well…if you say so, Mer." he told Merida casually and shrugged, as if it was no big deal.

Then he turned his head towards Hiccup and quickly reached out his hand to hold the brunet's neck. He pushed their faces closer, let his eyes slip shut and molded their warm lips together in a deep, loving kiss.

All conversation their friends were having around them immediately died. There was no sound but birds chirping and the breeze running through the grass and the branches.

When Jack leaned back and opened his eyes, he could see Hiccup blushing furiously. The Viking was unable to keep a goofy smile off his face though and Jack could feel his own lips parting into a happy grin.

Then he trained his eyes on his friends and savored the sight of the five of them with open mouths and wide eyes, completely speechless.

Now…_this_ was just hilarious. They reminded him of goldfish with those bulbous eyes.

A couple of seconds of silence went by. It was almost like someone had frozen their friends in time.

Merida was the first one to pull herself out of the trance.

"YES! FINALLY!" the Scot exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "It was about time!"

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!" Rapunzel chanted happily and jumped a little up and down from her sitting position, grabbing Pascal from her shoulder and holding him up into the air excitedly. "I KNEW IT!"

Then chaos erupted in their little group of friends, as everyone began talking, laughing and squealing all at the same time. Wide, excited eyes. Huge, bright smiles. Loud, eager voices. The air was filled with noise and exhilarated energy.

"- did that happen?"

"Was that where you-"

"Who made the first-"

"- would happen!"

"Whoa whoa whoa! Calm down guys!" Jack told his friends, holding up his hands in a surrendering gesture. "We can't even understand what any of you are saying."

All of their friends instantly shut up and just beamed at him and Hiccup, looking positively ready to explode with happiness. Jack felt his chest swell a little with love for their wonderful friends.

"How?! When!? Where?!" Rapunzel asked in an over-excited high pitched voice, green eyes large with curiosity, leaning forward a little.

"Yeah, when did _that _happen?" Flynn said, motioning to him and Hiccup. He was considerably more calm than Rapunzel but still with a huge grin on his face.

"It was when you two were gone yesterday? Right? Wasn't it?" Fishlegs asked them, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Yeah, it was." Jack told them and Hiccup nodded next to him.

"Oh my god!" Mavis exclaimed and clapped her hands together. "So that's why you were grinning like a moron in Charms. Tell us_ everything_!"

"Yeah!" Merida agreed. "Who manned up first and confessed?"

"I did, actually." Jack told her, a crooked smile on his lips.

"How did you do it?" Flynn asked.

"We…sort of got into a fight and then I went to look for Hiccup to fix things and I kind of…ended up kissing him and confessing to him." Jack told his friends a little sheepishly.

Yes, he was usually a confident person, not used to getting embarrassed but he had never been in love before. He had never been in a relationship before. This was completely new territory and somehow that made him less immune to the embarrassment of teasing.

"Way to go, Jackie!" Flynn said and nodded in approval. He seemed almost proud that his 'little brother' had finally taken that leap of faith and made the first move. Which he probably was.

"We're so happy for you guys!" Mavis told them, her blue eyes sparkling with joy and all their other friends immediately nodded or spoke happy words of agreement.

"I _knew_ there was something there!" Rapunzel said and clapped her hands together quickly a few times, as if she needed some way of getting the excitement out of her body.

"What?" Hiccup asked her, a puzzled look on his face.

"I just knew, okay?" she said. "I figured it out recently. Apparently Fishlegs is not the_ only_ sharp observer here." she said proudly, a slightly smug smile appearing on her lips.

Hiccup shook his head a little with an amused smile.

"Well, I told Hiccup many times he shouldn't be so sure that Jack didn't feel the same way." Fishlegs interjected, as if it was now some sort of competition between them.

"Yeah well, I pretty much told Jackie the same thing…a _bunch_ of times." Flynn said and then looked at Jack with his eyebrows raised in an I-told-you-so way.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it." Jack said, waving a hand dismissively. "You are all _clearly_ geniuses."

"Of course we are." Rapunzel grinned.

"But you're like…together now? For real?" Merida asked.

"Yeah." Hiccup said. "We're…boyfriends now." he confirmed and that blush on his cheeks only deepened.

Jack chuckled at Hiccup's shyness and threw an arm around his waist, squeezing him a little closer. Sure, he was feeling a little shy and embarrassed too, but definitely not as much as Hiccup.

"This is just…WICKED!" Merida exclaimed and jumped a little from her sitting position, wild curls bouncing.

"Yeah, this is amazing." Fishlegs told them with wide eyes.

"_Finally_ all the pining can stop." Flynn then said teasingly. "You've been longing for months now without doing anything."

"Heey!" Jack protested and then glanced at Hiccup, who seemed to hold back an amused grin. He had to punish his boyfriend for that reaction so he poked the Viking in the side with the hand he had around his waist and Hiccup jumped a little in response. Jack chuckled and Hiccup narrowed his eyes at him in a mock threatening way.

"Well, it's not like Hiccup was any better." Fishlegs said and motioned to Hiccup with his head.

"Thank you, Fishlegs." Hiccup said sarcastically.

Jack couldn't keep the smile off his face. Hiccup had already told him yesterday about when he had discovered he had feelings for him but…it just made him really happy to know that Hiccup had been pining for him just as much as he had been pining for Hiccup.

"How long?" Flynn asked Fishlegs and Rapunzel and sighed a little, as if they were three parents discussing their hopeless children.

"Over two months now." Rapunzel said.

"Traitors." Hiccup mumbled and Jack grinned at that.

"Wow, so you guys have liked each other for over _two months_ and you didn't even know?" Mavis asked. "You are _such _oblivious dorks."

"Heey, come on now." Jack objected to that statement. "It's not like any of you were _certain _that Hiccup felt the same way about me."

"Yeah, and I could say the same thing about Jack and you guys." Hiccup told Rapunzel and Fishlegs.

"Actually I was pretty sure." Fishlegs shrugged casually.

"Pretty sure is not the same as knowing, Fish." Hiccup said. "And you never told me you were 'pretty sure'. You just said I shouldn't rule it out."

"Well…it was kind of something you and Jack needed to work out for yourselves." Fishlegs said with that gleam of wisdom in his eyes that always made him seem older than he was. "But now you've _actually _talked about your feelings instead of just bottling them up inside. Is this the start of Ragnarok or something?"

"Ha ha, very funny." Hiccup deadpanned and Fishlegs grinned in response.

"So…tell us more about it? What happened?" Rapunzel said with curiosity in her eyes, resting her chin on her knuckles.

"Uhm…" Hiccup said uncertainly. He was obviously not sure how much he wanted to share with their friends about this.

"Come on, Hiccup. You have to spill it now!" Merida said and leaned back against the tree she was sitting in front of. "We need all the _juicy_ details!"

Hiccup instantly groaned and let his palms slide down his face.

Jack and the others laughed, but even though he was amused by Hiccup's shyness, he _did _feel a little heat rise in his own cheeks as well.

"What was the first kiss like?" Flynn said. "Did you give him a peck on the lips or did you go for it and slipped some tongue in?" their friend asked and waggled his eyebrows to embarrass them as much as possible.

Merida instantly burst out laughing while their other friends grinned in amusement.

"Oh gods…" Hiccup said. "Odin, save me from this interrogation."

They all laughed a little at the Viking's reaction. Jack had expected Flynn's question but it made his face burn nonetheless.

"Well, nothing's happening. Apparently Odin is a naughty guy who wants details too, Freckles." Flynn said. "So spill it!"

"Come on now, Flynn. A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell." Jack told him and stuck his tongue out.

"Good thing you're _not_ a gentleman then." Merida said.

"Hmm, good point, Your Scottishness." he replied. "Well, if you_ must_ know – sorry Hic but if we don't give them _something_, they'll never leave us alone – it was neither of those. It was…making out but no tongue."

"Rawwrrr." Flynn growled teasingly.

"Saucy." Merida and shot them an amused grin.

"Ugh." Hiccup said and shook his head, unable to will that blush on his face away. Not that Jack minded in the slightest. It was bloody adorable.

"You guys are so cute together!" Rapunzel said, holding a hand on each of her cheeks.

Hiccup shot the blonde the most deadpan look Jack had ever seen, which caused all of them to laugh in response.

"Well, you are!" their golden-haired friend replied with a smile on her lips and shrugged. "That's not my fault."

"Bloody hell, there are some girls who are going to be_ so_ disappointed inside that castle when they find out you two are _both _off the market." Flynn told them and Merida and Mavis both chuckled.

"What a shame." Hiccup said sarcastically.

"That reminds me…" Jack said. "We're not ready for everyone to know yet, so…just keep it to yourselves, guys."

Everyone nodded and hummed in agreement.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Fishlegs said. "That way you can get some time to yourselves before everyone else starts to gossip and interfere."

"Yeah, exactly." Hiccup said.

"So, I assume you two were together all night then?" Merida asked and the way her lips twitched just a little in amusement were clearly indicating what she was implying.

"You're right, Curly. Jackie definitely wasn't in his bed until very early in the morning." Flynn said and shot him and Hiccup a teasing grin.

Hiccup coughed a little. "Do you _have _to say those things?" the Viking asked, even though he clearly already knew the answer.

"Yes!" Merida and Flynn exclaimed in unison.

"You know the rule." Mavis said and winked at them.

"Yes, I _know _about your list of rules but I wasn't even friends with you guys when you made that. Why do_ I_ have to suffer?" Hiccup asked, unable to keep an amused smile away from his lips.

"Because you're our friend now, Freckles. _Anyone_ who begins a friendship with any of us automatically signs our list of friendship rules." Flynn said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, that would have been nice to know, _before_ I let Jack lead me and Fishlegs and Rapunzel into this group of mental patients." Hiccup joked and Fishlegs and Rapunzel both chuckled at that comment.

"Oh, like you have _any_ reason to complain." Jack said and nudged Hiccup's shoulder playfully, before tightening his grip around his boyfriend's waist. Hiccup smiled at him.

"And don't think you can deflect, Hiccup!" Merida said, pointing a finger at the brunet. "_Did_ you two or did you_ not_ spend the night together?"

"Fine." Hiccup sighed, clearly preparing himself for the teasing to come. "We did."

"Ooooooooh." Flynn immediately said, while Merida chortled.

"My my my." Mavis said slowly, enunciating each word for maximum suggestiveness.

Jack's lips parted into a grin and he shook his head a little to himself. He knew this was only the beginning. He and Hiccup were going to be teased relentlessly about their relationship until the end of time, so they might as well get used to it.

"Come on, I'm sure it wasn't like_ that_." Fishlegs said, doing a dismissive motion with one hand.

"Thank you, Fishlegs!" Hiccup said, shooting Flynn, Merida and Mavis a look that said 'see? Fishlegs understands it'.

"But if it _was_…good for you guys." Fishlegs then added, biting his bottom lip to keep from chuckling.

"Ugh." Hiccup said and rolled his eyes before a smile appeared on his lips.

"Thanks Fish. Or whatever you might say to something like that." Jack told their chubby friend.

"How did the whole confession thing play out?" Merida asked.

"Aww, come on. I'm not going to tell you_ that_." Jack replied.

"We want details, we want details." Flynn began to chant and Merida and Mavis quickly joined in, while Rapunzel and Fishlegs laughed. This was some kind of bloody mutiny.

"We want details! We want details!" their friends chanted and Jack looked at Hiccup, who was biting his lip to keep from laughing.

"Okay, fine! Fine!" Jack agreed and their friends fell silent, all with huge grins on their faces. "What do you want to know?"

"Did you kiss him or confess first?" Mavis asked.

"Kissed him first." Jack replied.

Merida purred in response and their friends all chuckled. Jack shook his head at their endless teasing. In their little group, teasing was a sign of love but even so…he wished it wouldn't make him blush like this.

"Then what happened?" Fishlegs asked, sitting cross legged while rocking back and forth a little, almost resembling a child wanting to hear the next part of a fairy tale.

"Uh…" Jack said and looked at Hiccup, who was smiling a little at their friends' curiosity.

"I was shocked for a few moments." Hiccup told them, stepping in to help him out. "Before I kissed him back."

"And then you made out!" Mavis exclaimed happily.

"Yes, we made out. Get over it already." Jack grinned at their friends and Hiccup hummed in agreement.

"We can't! It_ finally_ happened." Flynn told them.

"So then you told Hiccup about your feelings?" Rapunzel said, trying to get them back on track.

"Yeah…and he told me he felt the same way but that we needed to talk."

"Ouch. Brutal, Hiccup." Merida said to their Viking friend.

"Yeah, I know but things are complicated. We needed to discuss it properly." Hiccup said and Merida nodded in understanding.

"So…in the end, I managed to convince Hiccup that everything would be okay and that we could handle all the problems together." Jack explained.

"Thank goodness for that." Rapunzel said and let out a joyful sigh.

"So…where did you two stay all night?" Mavis asked.

"The room of requirement." Hiccup explained. "We had a lot of stuff to talk about."

"Sure…_"talk about". _Flynn said and did air quotes, his brown eyes gleaming playfully.

"That's code for 'making out and groping each other', _everyone_ knows that!" Merida said.

Jack smiled. Well…he and Hiccup _had_ made out and groped each other in between all the talking, so their friends weren't actually wrong about that.

"You guys are_ never_ going to stop teasing us, are you?" Hiccup asked them, even though all of them already knew the answer to that.

"Nope." Flynn said and Merida and Mavis both hummed in agreement.

When silence descended on their little group for a few moments, Jack decided it might be a good time for Hiccup to tell their friends the other secret.

"Uhm…There's actually some other news too." Jack then said and turned his head to look Hiccup in the eyes.

"Oh?" Mavis asked, now sounding concerned.

Hiccup cleared his throat. Jack let his eyes glide over their friends who all seemed to be watching them with worry.

"Yeah, uhm…I'm not really sure how to tell you guys this but…" Hiccup started, pulling at one of his braids. Jack gave him a reassuring squeeze with the arm around his waist. "The reason why Jack and I was fighting yesterday was because he sort of…discovered another one of my secrets. Something that I'd been wanting to tell him, and you guys, for a while but didn't know _how_ to tell you."

Jack looked at Rapunzel and Fishlegs, whose expressions and body language both seemed to relax, since they now realized what this was about.

"Well…what is it then?" Merida asked, tilting that head of wild, red curls a little.

"Uhmm…you know how I rarely talk about my dad and those expectations that he has for me?" Hiccup asked the three Gryffindors.

"Yeah?" Flynn said, eyebrows lowering in confusion.

"Well…my dad is kind of…the chief of our tribe, so…when he dies or decides to step down then…I'll be the new chief." Hiccup told their friends and then broke eye contact with them and looked at the grass.

Jack observed their three friends. Three pairs of eyes had widened at the same time, all staring straight at him and Hiccup. Merida's mouth hung open a little, Flynn's hand had frozen in the middle of scratching one of his arms and Mavis' black eyebrows were raised up under the black hair resting on her forehead.

There were a few moments of silence, in which their friends were obviously processing what they had just heard. After all…it was a pretty big thing. But Jack had no doubts they would be understanding.

"What?...You'll be the leader of a Viking tribe?" Mavis asked for confirmation.

"Yeah." Hiccup said, lifting his head to look at their friends.

"That is bloody brilliant!" Merida exclaimed, having pulled herself out of her shock now.

"I don't know about _that_." Hiccup said but a small smile graced his lips.

"It is!" Merida insisted, blue eyes wide with excitement.

"This is huge." Flynn said and shook his head a little to himself, as if he was attempting to wrap his mind around all of this.

"Yeah." Mavis agreed. "I don't even know what to say right now."

"Well, I just hope none of you are going to see me any differently." Hiccup told them, observing their reactions carefully.

"Of course not, Hiccup." Mavis reassured him.

"Yeah, you'll still be the same old Hiccup to us no matter what." Merida said

Flynn nodded in agreement.

"Thanks guys. I know it's probably a lot to take in but…I thought it was time you knew."

"Well, we're glad you trust us that much." Mavis said and she, Merida and Flynn all briefly had soft looks in their eyes. They all knew it was difficult for Hiccup to trust people this much, so Jack was pretty sure they all felt quite touched in this moment.

"So…how is that going to work with…you know…you and Jackie?" Flynn asked, wrinkling his forehead a little.

"It's a bit complicated…" Jack told him.

It was more than a "bit" complicated though. Hiccup might actually have to leave Berk and break contact with his dad and the other Vikings, depending on how badly they would all take the news.

"Yeah." Hiccup agreed quietly, looking over their friends one at a time. "Two guys being in a relationship is not really approved of back home, so…when I tell the other Vikings at some point, they probably won't want me as their chief anyway." Hiccup explained, as his face fell a little.

Jack understood how he felt. Well…he didn't fully understand since his family would just be happy for him but…he could imagine how nervous Hiccup must be.

"Really?" Merida asked, a furrow of disapproval appearing between her eyebrows.

"Yeah." Hiccup confirmed.

"I'm not so sure about that, Hiccup." Fishlegs said.

Jack instantly looked at their chubby friend. What did Fishlegs mean? Was there actually some hope that Hiccup could be accepted by the other Vikings, even though he was in a relationship with another guy?

"I know, Fish. You've told me that before." Hiccup said with a tiny, unsure smile.

Huh. So the two of them had had this discussion already.

"Yeah, but I still believe that." Fishlegs replied.

"Well…we'll see if you're right, when I actually manage to tell them."

"When are you planning to do that?" Rapunzel asked him, her gentle features scrunched a little in concern.

"I don't know yet. I need some time to just…mentally prepare myself for it. It's not like we'll be back on Berk any time soon anyway and it's not something I can just tell my dad in a letter, so…we'll see." Hiccup told them.

"Well, no matter what happens…we're here for you, Hiccup." Flynn told the brunet with pure, raw honesty in his brown eyes.

Their other friends all quickly nodded or uttered words of agreement.

"Yeah and I'm here too." Jack told his boyfriend and then leaned in gave him a quick but loving kiss. It was soft and warm and he wanted to kiss Hiccup senseless until he forgot all about his worries but…that wasn't really possible right now with their friends around.

Hiccup smiled softly at him, when he pulled away and they both blushed a little, since they were kissing each other in front of their friends.

"Awww." Rapunzel said and held both of her hands over her heart.

Jack smiled at the blonde's reaction.

"I still can't believe you guys are actually together now." Mavis said.

"Me neither." Hiccup told her.

"Yeah…you're a lucky guy, Hic." Jack told his boyfriend with a mischievous grin.

"Am I now?" Hiccup asked him, eyebrows raised in amusement.

"Yup. You landed all of this." Jack said and gestured to himself. He heard some of their friends chuckle.

Hiccup scoffed. "It's all a part of my elaborate scheme to finally get rid of you once and for all." he said and rubbed his hands together slowly, like he was planning something truly evil.

"Oh please, Hic. Even your dry humor can't hide the way you totally _worship _me." Jack retorted and lifted one eyebrow in a challenge.

"How can I possibly worship you? I'm not a Satanist?" the Viking said and their friends laughed at that.

Jack suppressed a grin. He wasn't going to lose this banter battle to his smartass boyfriend.

He put his face in grave folds and looked at the Viking with pity in his eyes.

"Hic…just come clean. It's okay that you see me as a god. Everyone else does too. It's not your fault I'm so glorious."

He heard Merida snort at that, while Rapunzel giggled.

"You know…the 'smug, arrogant bastard' strategy isn't as appealing as you think it is." Hiccup retorted dryly.

They both knew he was lying though. Hiccup loved it when he used that fake air of superiority when they were bantering.

"I know, I know, it's _way_ more appealing. I always think _too little_ of myself. It's my only flaw really: humility." Jack sighed.

Their friends all chuckled at that. He heard Flynn say "Riiight."

"I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's…_something_ that's not quite right about that statement." Hiccup said and hummed in thought, as if he was actually considering what it could be.

"You're right." Jack agreed. "I have no flaws. It was silly to even think that."

"I have to say…It's kind of impressive, your commitment to full on insanity." Hiccup said.

"That's not how you pronounce 'awesomeness', Hic. Get your act together." Jack told him, rolling his eyes.

Just because they were boyfriends now sure as hell didn't mean they would ever stop their condescending banter. It was just too amusing and they both enjoyed it immensely. Not to mention that it had a lot to do with the strong friendship they had formed in the first place that had led to them falling in love with each other.

The rest of the afternoon by the lake went by too quickly in Jack's opinion. Naturally, his and Hiccup's relationship was the focus of most of the conversation taking place and their friends continued their incessant teasing whenever they saw an opening.

He felt calm and content being in their presence and having revealed his and Hiccup's secret. It was great that their friends knew about them now, that they were there for them, that they understood why both of them were ready to scream with happiness. There were still keeping their relationship a secret from the other students in the castle but at least their friends knew now and could share in their joy.

**~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~**

TIME SKIP: EARLY EVENING

He always enjoyed being in the large, old library at Hogwarts.

The scent of old parchment and leather bindings spoke of the ancient origins of many of the tomes in this room. The rows and rows of bookcases stocked with knowledge was awe-inspiring, a massive collection of wisdom gathered through many years. The thought of all the things he could learn if he actually had the time to read all of these tomes was amazing, and he found himself wishing he was one of those people who had the ability read a book in ten minutes and still remember every word.

His green eyes darted across the room, searching for a particular head of blonde hair. When he didn't see it, he began to walk along the almost endless rows of tall, dark bookcases filled with tomes on every subject related to magic. There was always a special atmosphere in the old library, as if all the ancient magical knowledge floated through the very air as thin wisps of energy.

He turned his head to look down the space between every row of books he passed, taking in students who were busy writing and scribbling down notes, students who were sitting close together by small tables talking or working on assignments together and students walking around looking for specific books or putting them back to their original place.

He passed a row of bookcases where three second year students sat and studied together while talking excitedly about the new things they had learned in Charms. Hiccup smiled. It was two boys and a girl and they briefly reminded him of himself, Fishlegs and Rapunzel when they were that age.

He kept making his way through the large, old library, checking in every direction to find the person he was looking for. Suddenly he spotted her, sitting together with her two closest Hogwarts friends.

Astrid, Megan and Katie were sitting around a small, round table by one of the large, arch windows, where a little light streamed through the colored glass. They were clearly discussing homework, as they flipped through the pages of their textbooks once in a while or wrote down something on their parchment in between speaking to each other.

Hiccup began to approach them, the nervousness building up inside him. He and Astrid had finally gone back to normal after he had turned her down, and he really didn't want that to change. She meant a lot to him and the anxiety bubbled in his stomach by the thought of telling her about him and Jack. Maybe her feelings would be hurt. Maybe she would once again decide that she couldn't be around him for a while.

He clenched his hands into fists and took a deep breath, as he continued on his way towards the three girls. When he got closer, Megan spotted him and said a few words to the others, who instantly looked his way too. Astrid waved at him and he returned the gesture.

When he was by their table, his blonde friend looked at him with a warm smile.

"Hey Hiccup."

"Hey Astrid." he said, trying his best to hide his nervousness but he knew he had failed.

Astrid's smile instantly vanished and her blue eyes narrowed a bit in concern.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, practically studying him to find out what was the matter. That wasn't unusual. She'd always been quite a protective friend and her concerns for him had only increased since he was tortured.

"Can I talk to you for a minute…alone?" he asked her, briefly glancing at Megan and Katie before turning his focus back to Astrid.

"Oh. Yeah, sure." she replied and closed her textbook before getting to her feet.

"Come on." he told her and began to walk towards the exit of the library. He couldn't exactly tell her about him and Jack in the middle of a fairly crowded library, where someone could accidentally overhear their conversation.

They quickly made it through the exit and he continued walking a little down the corridor with Astrid close behind him. He opened the door to an empty classroom and went in there, holding the door for Astrid and closing it behind her.

He moved towards one of the many long, dark wooden desks placed in rows and sat down on top of it, wringing his hands a little. Astrid stepped over to him and just stood in front of him, giving him some time to collect his thoughts.

He lifted his head and met her eyes. He could see the worry in them. She was probably concerned that this had something to do with the torture.

"Uhm…I have something to tell you, Astrid…but it's not easy to say." he told her honestly.

"Okay." Astrid replied, a wrinkle appearing on her forehead. "Well…just take your time." she said and Hiccup appreciated her patience. Astrid was not the most patient person, but somehow she always managed to summon it when it came to him.

Hiccup took a deep breath.

"Okay." he said. "I know this might seem very strange but I really hope it doesn't change anything between us because…I was really happy that we were getting back to normal."

"Me too." she said before she exhaled shakily. "Gods Hiccup, you're making me all nervous. Are you in trouble or something?"

"No, of course not." he said. "It's just…" he then trailed off, still looking into Astrid's familiar, very blue eyes.

Then he sighed. He should really just get it out there.

"I'm…dating someone now. And I thought you should hear it from me first." he explained and kept his eyes on Astrid, to try to decipher any change in her expression.

Astrid was silent, just looking into his eyes for a few moments and anxiousness streamed through Hiccup's veins. He was really hoping she wouldn't be hurt.

"Oh…" she said and Hiccup was just relieved to get a reaction now. "Who is the lucky girl?"

Oh gods…this was going to be so awkward. As if it wasn't bad enough that he might hurt her, he also had to come out to her now.

"That's the thing, Astrid." he began, not sure what to expect from her once he finished his next sentence. He grabbed the hem of his shirt. "It's not…a girl."

Astrid stared blankly at him, not reacting in the slightest. That really didn't help Hiccup's nervousness. He knew Astrid would never judge him for being with a guy, but even so, it was frightening to actually tell her about this. So few people knew about that side of him.

"You're dating a _guy_?" she then asked, disbelief shining in her eyes.

He exhaled. At least she wasn't in shock anymore.

"Yeah." he said.

"Wow…" Astrid said, breaking eye contact between them to stare at a wall for a brief moment. "I did_ not_ see that one coming, Hiccup."

"I hope you're not…mad or hurt."

Astrid trained her blue eyes on him again, before a small smile curved the corners of her lips and her entire expression softened.

"Of course not, Hiccup." she said. "Really…don't worry about me. I'm okay."

"Thank the gods." he exhaled.

Astrid's smile grew a little at his obvious relief. "Can I ask who the guy is?"

"Uhm…" he spoke uncertainly, not really sure how to say this next part.

"Oh gods, it's someone I know, isn't it?" she asked and tilted her head. She practically seemed amused by that idea.

"Err…yes." he confirmed.

"Well come on Hiccup, don't leave me hanging here."

Hiccup hesitated for a few moments before deciding it would be better to just throw it out there.

"It's…Jack."

Astrid's eyes widened in surprise.

"Jack? As in…your friend Jack? Jack Frost?" she asked.

He nodded in response.

Silence hung in the air between them.

"That's…unbelievable." Astrid spoke quietly.

"Yeah, I know." he agreed.

"So, how long have you…?"

"Only since yesterday."

"Okay…and how long have you felt…?"

"For a few months now."

"Wauw. Really Hiccup, I just…I had no idea." Astrid told him and then exhaled loudly.

"Yeah, I know. Almost no one did." he replied and gave her a small, apologetic smile.

"Look, Hiccup." Astrid said. "I know things were a bit awkward between us for a while but…I really want you to be happy. So…if Jack makes you happy then…I'm on board with it." she finished and a crooked smile tugged at one side of her lips.

He got to his feet instantly and pulled her into a hug, putting his arms around her in a tight grip. Astrid seemed surprised by the sudden contact but then wrapped her arms around his back. He was so relieved by her reaction that it was difficult to express just with words.

"You're a great friend, Astrid." he told her and squeezed her a little.

"Calm down Haddock, it's not like I just saved you from death or something." Astrid chuckled and stroked his back.

"No, but I'm just so relieved you're okay with this…our friendship means a lot to me." he said, as he broke the hug and they pulled away from each other again.

"Yeah…me too." she replied with warmth in her eyes. "But make sure Jack knows that if he _ever_ hurts you, I'll hunt him down, rip off his testicles and turn them into a pouch."

Hiccup chuckled. "I'll make sure he gets the message."

Astrid nodded once in satisfaction.

"You and Jack…I still can't fully believe it."

"Yeah, me neither."

"So…what are you going to do with your dad and everyone else back home?" she asked, her features scrunched in concern.

"I have no idea yet. I'll have to tell them at some point but…I need some time first." he explained, gesturing with his hands to express his worries about that particular problem.

"Of course. I won't say a thing." she reassured him.

"Thanks Astrid. Oh and…me and Jack want to keep it a secret from the other students for now, so just…keep it to yourself."

"Sure, no problem." she agreed and nodded. "I understand."

He smiled fondly at her. She was a great friend and he truly appreciated her. He didn't know if she still had feelings for him, but even if she did, she was clearly willing to push that aside so he could be happy without any guilt. That was definitely a sign of an amazing friend.

"Hiccup? Can I ask you something personal?" Astrid then said, gripping the end of her long braid with one hand.

"Uhm…yeah, sure." he said, not sure where this was going. What did Astrid want to know?

"Do you…love him?" his blonde friend asked.

Hiccup's eyes softened. "Yeah. I do."

Astrid nodded slowly in understanding, letting go of her long braid again. "I'm happy for you, Hiccup. Really. You deserve to be with the person you love."

"Thanks Astrid." he said. "I hope everything can still be the same between us."

Astrid's lips formed a warm smile.

"It can."

**~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~**

TIME SKIP: A FEW DAYS LATER

This was too much.

The stone corridors of his magical school had never seemed so uncomfortable to him as they did these days. Yes, he never actually liked to be among people but recently the familiar passageways had gone from being somewhat unpleasant routes around the castle to being a cage in which he was studied by everyone around him.

Since the torture, he had become more sensitive to impressions. He became tired out and stressed more easily. He was still emotionally fragile in some ways, and he didn't have the strength to keep his defenses up for as long as he used to.

He had come to actually dislike walking around the castle among the other students now. Since his secret about the dragons was out, he hadn't liked the way other students stared at him and whispered about him but now…now it was worse than it had ever been. No one except his friends, Liana Hayes and the school staff knew why he had been close to dying that day and that only seemed to increase the attention directed at him. Everywhere he went, people were either openly staring at him without even trying to be discreet or glancing when they thought he didn't notice it. They whispered. They gossiped. They followed his every move.

It was almost maddening. Every pair of eyes watching him, every hushed voice clearly talking about him, every pointing finger that people thought he didn't see. It was all tearing holes in his fragile emotional shield and it was only a matter of time before he would have serious trouble handling this and he would need to get away to be alone or with his friends.

He walked past a little group of third year Slytherins, who were standing outside a classroom, engulfed in conversation. They didn't stop talking but he could feel their eyes on him, ghosting over his skin in that invasive way. He pretended he didn't notice and grabbed the strap of his satchel resting on his shoulder. Toothless kept walking along next to him, the black cat easily navigating between the moving people in the passageway.

He had gone back to classes today. He still had more time off, but he had decided that he needed to get back to normal and continue his life, despite what had happened. It had been strange to return and he had been nervous at first but now he was just slightly agitated and stressed.

His first class of the day had been Potions, which had been a good way to ease into being back, since that lesson was dedicated to repetition and they ended up brewing Hiccoughing Solutions. Afterwards he had had Herbology with Rapunzel and Fishlegs in the greenhouses. The peace and quiet and smells of dirt and plant life was calming and luckily, they didn't have to handle some devil spawn in plant form today. Both Professor Creek in Potions and Professor Cherry in Herbology had welcomed him back discreetly and told him that if he needed any help catching up to the other students, he only had to say so and they would be available. He truly appreciated that. He wasn't really the type to ask for any kind of help in school, he would just work hard until he had completed whatever he needed to do or learn, but this situation was unique. If it turned out that he did need some support at some point, it would be stupid not to take the help that was being offered to him.

He balled his hands into fists along his sides, as he briefly met several pairs of curious eyes following him. Two Hufflepuff guys stopped their conversation as he walked past to just observe him and a little group of third year girls started whispering to each other and stealing glances at him. Apparently they thought they were being subtle.

He was already sick of this. This was something deeply personal and horrible that he just wanted them to leave alone. Their staring and whispering and pointing actually made it_ more_ difficult to move on, because they constantly reminded him of what had happened.

He sighed to himself, as he continued to make his way down the corridor. He briefly locked gazes with Elsa, who was standing with her sister Anna at the side of the passageway, both of them with a few books clutched in their arms. Elsa's blue eyes were filled with sympathy and her little sister's lips twitched in a small but sad smile.

Somehow that was even worse than the curiosity. He wasn't frustrated with Elsa and Anna because he was fairly certain they had good intentions but…he really didn't want people feeling sorry for him.

He walked past them and began to look at the floor to avoid meeting more eyes brimming with emotions that he didn't want any part of.

His emotional shield was being weakened by the second. Little flakes were pealing off in a trail of broken defenses, forming small openings that would eventually grow bigger until he could no longer keep his walls up against invasive people.

His heartbeat began to speed up. His breathing had become a little strained. He wrapped his arms around his midsection as a psychological way of shielding himself and signaling to others that they should leave him alone.

The stress was increasing inside him, drumming in his heart, forming a tangled mess in his stomach, pressuring on his chest.

If he could just make it to class soon then maybe he would be okay.

Only…

…his next class was Building, Managing and Repairing Magical Objects. Which meant he had to go back to the workshop for the first time in over two weeks. The very place he was tortured and had been close to dying.

Rapunzel and Fishlegs had both offered to go with him but he didn't feel like bringing them along. That would only increase that feeling of being a victim. A feeling he did not like at all.

No. He could do this. He needed to overcome it.

He kept his eyes on the floor and walked at a fast pace through the corridor, wanting to just get away from all these people as quickly as possible. Despite his growing uncertainty about going back to the workshop, at least that part of the castle was quiet and peaceful.

His shoulder bumped against another student's as he passed a group of young Gryffindors. Their eager conversation and laughter were like a drill into his brain.

His senses were going into overdrive. Even the whispering of other students sounded loud now and even the quickest glances seemed to break big chunks off his protective bubble.

Okay…

He needed to calm down now. He was getting overwhelmed. He would get completely stressed out soon, if he didn't do something about this.

He moved to the side of the hallways and leaned against one of the stone walls. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. He tried to take some deep breaths to make that feeling of pressure on his chest disappear and to even out his breathing. His eyes focused on the floor, on some of the tiny details he could see, like small cracks and scratches. He began to block out the rest of the world and just kept looking at the floor…just kept taking in the tiny damage on it and inhaling and exhaling as evenly as he could.

Something stroked against his leg and he knew it was Toothless who was sensing his distress and trying to comfort him.

"Thanks bud." he said quietly and then continued to concentrate on his breathing.

He could feel the weight on his chest diminish a little.

"Hic?" he suddenly heard a familiar, soothing voice ask. Jack stepped out in front of him.

He blinked.

Then he lifted his head and looked into those familiar, beautiful blue eyes. Jack's forehead instantly furrowed.

"Hey, are you okay?" his boyfriend asked him.

"Uhm, yeah…" he cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Jack observed him for a few seconds in silence, those blue eyes narrowing skeptically.

"Hiccup. Come on. I can tell something's wrong." Jack told him and then placed a hand on his shoulder in a reassuring gesture and squeezed it. "Just tell me, okay?"

He hesitated for a brief moment but he knew that Jack was right. He was always right in these situations.

"I'm just…a little stressed out right now." he told him honestly.

Jack nodded slowly. "Yeah, I can tell. What's going on?"

"It's just…it's unpleasant. Being around all these people who are looking at me, talking about me, following my every move. It makes me feel…stressed and uneasy. I don't want them to watch me and gossip about me and try to figure out what happened. That's private."

"I understand." Jack told him with a small, sad smile. "But it will blow over in time. I know it's really annoying and unnerving right now but they'll lose interest again at some point."

"Yeah…I guess I just hope it will happen soon."

"Yeah, me too." Jack agreed and then sighed before he let the hand that had rested on Hiccup's shoulder drop.

Hiccup bit his bottom lip a little.

"What else is bothering you?" Jack asked him softly.

Wow…he really _did _know him too well by now, since he could pick up on such small signs and know what they meant.

"I'm going back to the workshop for the first time since…the torture." he explained. "And that's going to be…strange."

That was the best way he could explain it. Was he scared of going back there? No. Did he think he was going to have some kind of psychological break down? No. He couldn't really describe the growing uneasiness inside him. It just felt…strange. Foreign. Surreal. Unpleasant.

"Oh." Jack said, understanding appearing in those blue eyes. "Well…I'll come with you." his boyfriend told him with an encouraging smile.

"No, it's okay, Jack. You don't have to do that." the words rolled off his tongue before he even had time to properly think about it, which showed just how ingrained this way of thinking was in him.

"I _know _that, Hic but you really shouldn't be alone when you go back there for the first time." Jack argued.

Hiccup remained silent for a few moments, contemplating this. On one hand, it would be nice to have Jack there for support. On the other hand, it made him feel like a little child, who couldn't take care of himself.

But that was one of those thoughts he should push away. He needed to learn how to rely on others, when he was having emotional problems. Jack was his boyfriend now and he was the kindest, most supportive and understanding person Hiccup knew. He should really be able to trust him with anything.

"Okay." he agreed quietly.

A small but genuine smile appeared on Jack's lips. "Come on." Jack told him before he put his arm around his shoulder. Hiccup instantly took comfort in the closeness between them.

Then they walked next to each other along the corridor with Toothless behind them, while Hiccup kept doing his best to ignore the other students. It definitely helped to have Jack with him. He could focus on the pleasant warmth, the weight of Jack's arm around him, the familiar scent of peppermint. It all helped him relax and the intense feeling of stress began to fade slowly.

When the hallways became more and more deserted as they were nearing the part of the castle where the workshop was, Hiccup could feel his muscles tense up a little once again. Usually, he would relax when there were fewer students around but this time it meant that they were getting close to the workshop…and he wasn't entirely sure how he would feel when he entered that room again for the first time since everything that had happened.

Jack's arm tightened its grip around his shoulder and he turned his head to look at him, while they kept moving down the corridor. Jack gave him a small but reassuring smile. Apparently he could easily tell that Hiccup was getting a bit uneasy. A tiny, unsure smile quickly twitched his lips but then vanished.

Only a few moments after, they found themselves by the large, wooden doors to the workshop. They had stopped walking and were now just standing still in front of the entrance.

Jack had let go of him. Hiccup was watching the doors for a few moments, taking in the rich dark color of the wood and the black, metallic doorknobs.

He exhaled deeply and closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. He could do this.

He sensed Jack looking at him, but his boyfriend stayed silent, waiting for him to be ready to go in.

He extended his arms and pushed the heavy doors open, revealing the large workshop behind them. He quickly walked inside before he could change his mind, Jack following behind him.

The smell of wood and paint and metal invaded his nostrils, as he began to move across the floor towards his usual workstation. Only Liana Hayes, a few other students and Professor Cooke was in the room, all watching him intently. He tried to pretend he didn't notice but he could clearly feel his skin crawling. He briefly met Liana's eyes and gave her a small smile, which she returned, as he and Jack walked past her workstation.

She was the main reason he was even still alive. If she hadn't forgotten her textbook that day and had come back to the workshop to get it, she would have never seen McGowan and the others drag him into the room and wouldn't have found Flynn afterwards. Then he would be dead now. Such a small coincidence as a forgotten textbook had made the difference between life and death.

He had given her a note a few days ago, where he had thanked her and explained that he didn't really have the energy to talk about it but he just wanted her to know that he was grateful for what she'd done. He knew his friends had thanked her as well.

He stopped as he found himself in front of the workstation he usually used. It seemed strangely surreal to be standing here again, in this very room where something so horrible and life changing had happened. Toothless jumped up onto the workstation and sat down, watching him.

He let his eyes drift over the stone floor ahead until they landed on the spot…the exact spot, where he had been lying a few weeks ago, bleeding, writhing, screaming. The place where he had wished to die so the pain would be over. The place where he had thought about everyone he loved and how he would never see them again.

The old, sand colored stone floor had been cleaned now. There was no trace left of the horror that had occurred there. Of course he had expected that. It wasn't like the headmaster would just go "Oh yeah, let's just leave that pool of blood there, the workshop is so dull, it could use a splash of color".

So now the blood was gone. The floor had been purged of his crimson fluid…as if it had never really happened. Now the only physical evidence left was on his body.

"Hic?" he heard Jack's voice say, slicing through his thoughts.

He blinked.

Then he turned his head and looked at Jack, whose eyes were watching him intently.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"I think so." he said. The uncertainty of how he actually felt about this was creeping through him and he was trying to figure out what it all meant. He wasn't sad or on the verge of freaking out. He wasn't afraid. He was just…a bit conflicted. On one hand, it was slightly unpleasant to be back here because the smells and surroundings triggered memories. On the other hand, it felt a little empowering because he was determined to move on and the only way of doing that was to process those horrible memories.

Jack put one arm around his shoulder and then squeezed him a little, before once again letting go. They were among other students, so they couldn't be too affectionate with each other, even though Hiccup could tell Jack clearly wanted to comfort him more.

He gave Jack a small smile to try to convey that he would be okay.

He saw someone move towards them in his peripheral vision, so he turned his head and watched as Professor Cooke approached him. The middle-aged, dark haired man with the kind blue eyes seemed a bit uncertain as he walked closer. Not that that was surprising. A lot of people seemed a bit unsure around him these days, not knowing how to act around him because of his near death experience in the castle.

When the professor was standing in front of his workstation, he cleared his throat a little.

"Welcome back Hiccup." Professor Cooke spoke softly to him, a small smile appearing on his lips before fading away again. Professor Cooke was the only professor who called him by his first name, because the two of them had become pretty familiar with each other through the years. "I'm informed of what happened to you here. I just want you to know that I am deeply sorry and if you need any breaks or extra help during classes or perhaps some more time off at some point, that will not be a problem."

"Thank you, professor." Hiccup told him, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

He really was grateful for those options, even if he doubted he would use any of them. Still, it was good to know they were there, if it turned out he needed them.

Professor Cooke nodded once at him before he turned around and headed towards his large, dark wooden desk again.

"Do you want me to stay, Hic?" Jack asked and he turned his head to look at him. "If you'd like me to be here, I can skip class."

Gods, how was it even possible to love someone this much? Hiccup felt so incredibly lucky that he had Jack's love. Someone who loved so fiercely, who was always willing to sacrifice his own wellbeing for the people he cared for. Jack's offer to stay with him warmed his heart, even though he wasn't going to take advantage of it.

His boyfriend must seriously have some kind of endless box marked 'support for loved ones' inside of him, as he _never _seemed to run out of it. There was nothing but reassurance and love in those blue eyes.

"Thanks…but I'll be okay." he told him and did his best to let his determination show.

Jack nodded in understanding.

"Okay. I'll see you after class then." Jack told him and briefly reached out and squeezed his hand a little behind the workstation, so no one would notice. Their hands touching sent pleasant tingles through his skin and in that flicker of a moment, it once again struck him just how surreal it was that he and Jack were actually together now.

"Yeah. See you." he replied.

Jack just looked at him for a few moments before he leaned in close to whisper in his ear.

"I love you." the pale boy told him and the beautiful words as well as Jack's warm breath on his skin made him shiver a little.

"I love you too." he whispered in reply.

Then Jack smiled at him before he made his way towards the large, wooden doors to go to his own class.

Hiccup kept his eyes on him. When Jack had opened the doors and was about to leave, he turned his head and looked at him hesitantly. He was obviously checking that he was sure he would be okay.

Hiccup waved goodbye to him to reassure him that things would be fine. Jack smiled in response before waving back and then disappearing out of the workshop.

As soon as he had left, Hiccup began looking forward to seeing him again after this class. Being separated from Jack right now, when they had only just confessed their feelings a few days ago instantly triggered that craving inside him. The longing to be around him again.

Yes, it was incredibly clingy and pathetic but…

He was in love. And after yearning and being in pain, he finally knew that his love was reciprocated.

There was no greater feeling than that. It was more overwhelming than any surge of emotion that had ever flowed through his veins before. His body and mind was being overtaken by this foreign flood of raw feelings but he didn't want to resist it for even a second, because the way it made his heart stutter…the way it unleashed a soft contentment in every part of him…the way it filled him with hope and made him believe everything would be okay in the end as long as he and Jack had each other...

It was perfect.

He sighed happily to himself as he sat down by the workstation and waited for class to begin. He kept himself occupied by working on a drawing of Jack and Toothless, taking his time to make every detail as perfect as possible, while Toothless had laid down on top of the workstation, casually watching him and swishing his black tail slowly from side to side. He caught himself smiling like an idiot when he was taking a break and just looked at the drawing. Jack and Toothless. There were many loved ones in his life but the two of them held a special place in his heart that no one else would ever reach. He extended his arm and petted his best friend on the head, receiving a content purr in response.

In the end, his first class back in the workshop actually turned out to be quite pleasant. The other students kept to themselves and didn't try to interact with him. They seemed to be content just working on their projects. Professor Cooke informed him what sort of objects the others had been mending and building in the last few weeks, while he had had time off. Hiccup had immediately set to work on completing those tasks, so he would catch up to the others. Throughout the lesson Professor Cooke asked him once in a while if he needed help with anything, but much to Hiccup's relief, he didn't actually have any problems solving the repairing projects. At least not the ones he had managed to do in this particular lesson.

When class was dismissed, Hiccup quickly cleaned up his workstation, slung his satchel over one shoulder and left the workshop with Toothless. He was eager to be around Jack and their friends again, even though he was definitely not looking forward to walking through the crowded hallways.

**~~~~ Jack ~~~~**

"-and that's why I changed my name to Flynn Rider instead." Flynn explained to their golden-haired friend sitting next to him on the wooden bench by one of the tables in the classroom.

Jack was tapping his quill against the dark wooden desk impatiently. Hiccup wasn't here yet and he was eager to see his boyfriend again and ask him how everything had gone. Even though Hiccup had assured him that he would be fine for his first lesson back at the workshop, Jack had been a little worried throughout his own class.

His blue eyes glanced around the room, taking in the different, large cages placed all around with birds, lizards, frogs and small rodents. They sometimes used these animals when they had to practice transfiguring animals into other species. In general, Jack wasn't much for keeping animals in cages but he took comfort in the fact that they were treated well and regularly let out and petted. As he listened to the chirping of the birds, the croaking of the toads and watched the small rodents play around with each other and the lizards catching small insects that had been brought to them, he thought that they seemed happy enough.

"I see." Rapunzel's light voice spoke.

Flynn had finished telling the story of how he changed his name. It had started by Jack calling him Eugene again to tease him and this time Rapunzel had asked why he did that. Much to Jack's surprise, Flynn had actually agreed to tell Rapunzel the story. He had never willingly told anyone about it before, except for Jack, Merida and Mavis so that was very unusual.

"You can't tell anyone about this, okay? It could ruin my whole reputation." Flynn's voice said and Jack knew the statement was a combination of truth and joke.

"Ah. We wouldn't want that." the blonde said, her tone filled with underlying amusement.

"Well, a fake reputation is all a man has." Flynn told her and Rapunzel chuckled a little at that.

Jack absentmindedly kept tapping his quill against the hard, wooden surface.

"Jackie, would you stop doing that?" Flynn then asked him. "What's the matter?"

He trained his eyes on his two friends. "Nothing, I'm just…a bit worried about Hiccup."

"He'll be fine, Jack." Rapunzel reassured him. "He'll be here any minute now, then you can see that for yourself."

"Yeah, I know. I just worry too much after everything's that's happened."

"We all do." Rapunzel told him with a sad smile.

Jack spotted movement out of the corner of his eye, so he instantly turned his head and spotted his boyfriend walking towards them. Speak of the Viking. He smiled fondly at Hiccup, whose lips curved into a crooked smile.

"Hi guys." Hiccup said and they all greeted him. The brunet slumped down in the seat next to Jack and put his black satchel on the desk, before pulling out his textbook, parchment and quill.

"So…everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Hiccup told him and there wasn't anything that indicated otherwise, so Jack was satisfied with that answer. He briefly shared a look with Rapunzel and Flynn who both smiled at Hiccup's response.

"Great." he said. "So, you're ready to bask in my glory, when you see me perform a perfect human transfiguration, while you're still struggling to not turn Flynn into some sort of cat mutant?"

"Oh please." Hiccup said. "You won't be able to do that."

"How do you know I haven't already done it in another lesson?"

"Because then you wouldn't have been able to shut up about it?"

"True." Flynn interjected.

They both had a point, but Jack wasn't going to admit that.

"Pssh. Just wait and see, dragon boy."

"Oh, I will." Hiccup told him. "It's on, Snowcone."

Jack grinned at the challenge. Then a thought occurred to him.

He reached into the pockets of his robes and pulled out the letter he had received from North this morning.

"Hey by the way." he said and Hiccup watched him with interest as he handed him the paper. "My family wrote back. I forgot to tell you earlier but maybe you should just read it yourself."

Hiccup nodded and unfolded the piece of paper, taking in the letters on the page. Jack looked at it simultaneously, reading the message even though he had already read it once. North's enthused handwriting filled the entire paper.

_"JACK! MY BOY!_

_This news is wonderful! Shostakovich! You finally made move! I told you, you just needed moment of courage. _

_We are all very happy for you! Anna and Emma jumped around living room together when I shared news. Tell us more about what happened in your next letter._

_We love you and we miss you a lot. We can't wait for you to come home for Easter holidays. And you have to bring Hiccup! We will not take no for answer! We must meet him!_

_Treat each other well. You and Hiccup share special bond now. Never forget that._

_Love North._

_P.S: Here is message from Emma: FINALLY! I can't wait to meet him and to see you! I miss you lots! Hugs and kisses."_

One side of Hiccup's lips curved upwards as he finished reading the letter. Then he folded it again and handed it back to Jack.

"Your family is just…_great_." Hiccup told him with a warm smile.

"Yeah, they really are." he agreed, feeling that familiar pang in his chest from missing them. "Would you want to come home with me for Easter like North suggested? You don't have to of course, if you'd rather go home or something but…it'd be nice if you could meet them." he told Hiccup, a little heat rising in his cheeks.

He and Hiccup had only been boyfriends for a few days and he was already making plans to bring him home with him. But it didn't feel rushed at all, because they hadn't started their relationship almost from scratch, where they still had to find out so much about each other. They had already been close friends. They _knew_ each other.

"Yeah, that would be great." Hiccup said. "I'd like to meet them."

"Great!" he replied. "It's a deal."

Hiccup nodded.

"Hey, where is Toothless?" Flynn suddenly asked and only now did Jack notice that the black cat wasn't there.

"He's waiting outside, taking a nap." Hiccup explained with a smile. "Professor Hyde doesn't want pets in here because of all the other animals."

Well, that made sense. There were already so many animals in the cages in here and now they would be attempting to turn each other into animals as well, so there wasn't really a need for even more creatures.

It didn't take long before Professor Hyde arrived and class could begin. After a brief reminder of everything they learned in the last lesson, their professor set them to practice their human transfiguration again. There was still no one who had actually been able to do a full transfiguration yet, but their professor assured them that that was completely normal. Full human transfiguration was incredibly difficult, so it could take quite a while to learn. The room seemed to buzz with excited impatience, as everyone pushed their chairs away from the tables and got to their feet to pair up with their friends and begin practice.

Jack and his friends quickly went to one of the corners of the room, the place where they could have the most space to themselves.

"So…who wants to start out?" Flynn asked them and then looked at Hiccup. "You've missed some really hilarious results from the last two lessons, so maybe Jackie could start, so you can get something to laugh at."

"Heey!" Jack protested while Hiccup and Rapunzel both chuckled at the wound to his pride. Of course he knew Flynn was just kidding but still…he shouldn't just get away with that. "Well, if you're so much better, why don't you show us how it's done, Rider?" he asked his friend with a challenging raise of an eyebrow.

"I will then." Flynn agreed and shrugged casually. "Who volunteers?"

"I'll go." Hiccup said and then walked a little to the side, so he and Flynn were facing each other but with a little distance between them.

"You better focus, Flynn. I don't want dragon boy here to get stuck with paws or whiskers." Jack joked and his friends all smiled at that.

"Don't worry, Jackie. I'm an expert." Flynn told him confidently. Not that that was true in the slightest. Flynn was decent at Transfiguration but it was a difficult subject and like Jack himself, Flynn wasn't much for hardcore studying.

"Ready, Freckles?" Flynn asked the Viking who had crossed his arms and watched Flynn with skepticism in his green eyes.

"Yes, I'm ready to get some of my limbs exchanged for cat limbs." Hiccup deadpanned.

"Oh please, don't be such a pessimist already, Hiccup." Flynn said and took his brown wand out of one of the pockets in his robes. He held his arm up and directed the wand at Hiccup.

As soon as the incantation had left Flynn's mouth, they all looked at Hiccup, who hadn't seemed to change.

"Hah!" Jack triumphed. "What was that about being an expert, Rider?"

"There's _obviously_ something wrong with my wand." Flynn said.

"Not this again…" Hiccup said, making all of them observe him, as he pulled out a long, fluffy brown tail from the back of his trousers.

"Just like last time." Rapunzel grinned.

Flynn huffed. "Clearly, I just need to focus a bit more."

"Clearly." Jack said sarcastically and Flynn glared at him but with a small smile on his lips.

Flynn lifted his wand again and narrowed his eyes in concentration. He spoke the required words once more and let his arm drop to his side again.

Hiccup was unchanged.

"Tail gone?" Jack asked the Viking who nodded.

"Bloody hell, why isn't it working?" Flynn asked them.

"Ish kind of workhing." Hiccup told them and it was clear right away that he had serious trouble pronouncing the words properly.

They all looked at him with furrows of confusion on their foreheads.

Hiccup sighed and opened his mouth. Jack's eyes widened and he, Flynn and Rapunzel all stepped closer to take a look.

Hiccup's usual teeth were gone and replaced with sharp, white cat's teeth. Two long fangs stuck out from each side of the upper part of his mouth as well as the lower part. His tongue was still the right size but it looked very coarse and raspy, so Jack was pretty sure it had in fact been turned into a cat's tongue.

Jack extended his arm and let one of his fingertips touch one of the pointy fangs. Bloody hell, that was sharp.

Well…Flynn better be able to turn his boyfriend back to normal. Their makeout sessions would be a lot less pleasurable if he had to deal with sharp cat fangs and a grating tongue.

"One last try, Hiccup." Flynn told the Viking, who closed his mouth and nodded in response.

Jack and Rapunzel backed away a little to give Flynn and Hiccup some room.

When Flynn cast the spell on Hiccup the third time, the effect was actually visible right away. Hiccup had long, white whiskers sticking out from his human nose and more whiskers above his eyes. His brown eyebrows had disappeared and that made his whole face look strangely unbalanced.

Jack and Rapunzel couldn't help but chuckle a little and Jack's lips parted into a grin when Hiccup felt around his face with his hands and rolled his eyes, when he found out what had happened.

"So…my turn now?" he asked the others, after Flynn had turned Hiccup back to normal and had admitted defeat.

"Sure, go ahead." Rapunzel told him. "You can do it on me."

"Great. Go over there, Punzie." he said and pointed in front of him.

The blonde quickly moved, her long golden hair swaying down her back, before she stood face to face with him a little distance away.

Jack grabbed his pale wand from his pocket and extended his arm towards his golden-haired friend. He tried his best to focus his mind and then cast the spell on Rapunzel.

He, Hiccup and Flynn all broke down laughing, when they registered the results. The top half of Rapunzel's head and face was covered in wheat-colored fur, her long hair completely gone. Two bushy cat's ears stuck out of the fur, and the look was complete with green cat's eyes, a cat's nose and white whiskers. The lower half was still human with light skin, pink lips and chin.

It looked completely ridiculous and Jack's chest was heaving from laughing so much. Hiccup and Flynn both had tears in their eyes. The blonde girl quickly discovered what had happened and crossed her arms.

"Very funny guys." she said, trying to be strict but she was unable to keep the mirth out of her tone.

"Sorry, Punzie." Jack told her breathlessly, before he removed the spell and Rapunzel turned back into the bubbly, completely _human_ girl they knew and loved.

"That was great." Hiccup said and Flynn quickly agreed.

"I'm glad you guys are amused." Rapunzel told them with a grin.

Jack had two more tries before it was someone else's turn, so he mustered up all the willpower and concentration he possibly could and tried changing Rapunzel into a cat without any human characteristics left. The second time, Rapunzel had thick, light fur covering her entire neck, throat and all around her head except for her face sticking out, making her look like she was wrapped in some kind of cat jacket with the hood up. The third time, Rapunzel's hands were replaced with small cat paws complete with sharp claws that she could retract, while she had thick line of fur running across her forehead like some kind of cat unibrow.

Rapunzel didn't fare much better than he and Flynn had done. The blonde did some great attempts though and after two tries where Flynn had had minor parts replaced with cat limbs, Rapunzel_ almost_ managed a full transfiguration.

The last result left both Jack, Hiccup and Rapunzel gasping for air. Something in their brains burned down and they couldn't stop laughing, when they looked at what Rapunzel had done to Flynn.

Flynn was completely turned into a cat…except his head. He was sitting on his brown, furry legs on the floor, a very unamused look on his features, as he waited for them to stop laughing.

It took several minutes for them to calm down enough to actually speak. It was the funniest thing Jack had seen in a long time and every time he looked at Flynn, he broke down once more. Hiccup had seriously troubling controlling his laughing as well, and Rapunzel was actually the first to get herself under control again.

"Sorry Flynn." the blonde said, a few giggles escaping her lips afterwards. "I'll turn you back into yourself again."

"No, don't do that! Just leave him like that, he looks great!" Jack joked.

"Yes, that's a great look on you, Flynn." Hiccup agreed. "I'm sure your smolder will be even more effective now."

Jack chuckled at that, as he got some hilarious mental images in his head of Flynn trying to pick up girls while having a cat's body and a human head.

"Ha ha, very funny guys." Flynn told them, his lips twitching a tiny bit.

Rapunzel did a quick flick of her light brown wand and Flynn was restored to his human shape again, much to Jack's and Hiccup's disappointment as they were just having way too much fun teasing their friend.

"So, Hic…are you ready to give it a shot?" he asked his boyfriend. Hiccup had only gotten back to classes today and even though he had assured Jack that he was ready for it, Jack still wanted him to take it slow. He shouldn't stress himself unnecessarily.

"Yeah, I'll try." Hiccup told him, so Jack nodded and then stepped out in front of him, since he was the only one who hadn't volunteered to be experimented on yet.

"Ready?" Hiccup asked, as he lifted his wand.

"Yup. Do your thing."

Hiccup nodded and then spoke the words. The sparks left the wand and flew towards Jack. The next thing he knew all of his friends were howling with laughter.

He quickly found out why, as he looked down himself. Every inch of him seemed to be covered in white fur. He brought his hands to his face and let them glide through the soft fur that also covered the skin there, except for his eyes, nose and mouth.

"You look very soft, Jackie." Flynn teased him. "I could use a new pillow."

"I'm not going to be your bloody pillow." Jack stuck his tongue out.

"Hmf, your loss." Flynn said. "You could have had these silky cheeks resting against your fur, but whatever." his friend said as he stroked his own cheeks with a hand and Jack and the others chuckled.

Hiccup quickly turned him back to normal and Jack was quite relieved about that. It was seriously warm to have fur all over your body and he wasn't the best at dealing with excess warmth to begin with.

His boyfriend pointed the wand at him again, his features scrunched as he tried to focus. Jack was excited to see what he would be turned into now. It was always fun, although a bit unnerving too, to be transformed into part animal.

When the sparks reached him, he instantly looked down himself and tried to feel around his face and head. His friends chuckled at him.

"You've got some nice, blue cat's eyes now, Jack." Rapunzel told him.

"And some ears to match." Flynn added.

Jack let his fingertips touch the tip of the furry ears and they shivered a little in response. Then he closed his eyes and let his fingers glide over them. They felt smaller and almost completely round.

"Those eyes are kind of creepy." Flynn told him with a laugh and Rapunzel agreed.

"Yeah…I'd better turn you back to normal." Hiccup said and flicked his wand to reverse the spell. "Much better." the brunet added when Jack was his usual self again, and he couldn't help but smile fondly at that comment.

"Okay, last try, Hic." Jack told his boyfriend. "Make it count!"

"Okay." Hiccup agreed and then closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. A wrinkle had appeared between his brown eyebrows, as he seemed to gather all of his concentration.

When the incantation was spoken once again and the sparks shot into Jack, everything suddenly turned taller and taller, as he sunk towards the ground. Hiccup, Rapunzel and Flynn looked giant right now and they were all wearing happy grins, as he looked up at them.

"You did it!" Rapunzel beamed at Hiccup and threw her hands around him.

Hiccup had actually done it? He knew his boyfriend was the best of them at Transfiguration but still…

Jack tore his eyes off his friends and looked down, only to see a set of white, furry cat's paws. He lifted one of them and wiggled it a bit. Then he turned his head to look along the rest of his body. He had smooth, white fur everywhere and a long, fluffy tail that he tried to swish. It took a few tries but then he managed it.

"Well done, Mr. Haddock." Professor Hyde spoke and Jack trained his eyes on their professor, who was watching him with approval in his brown eyes.

All around them their fellow students had taken a few moments to look as well, before they returned to trying to achieve the same thing.

"Thank you professor." Hiccup replied before he focused on Jack again, unable to hold back a bright smile.

"Wauw, Hiccup. That was wicked." Flynn told the Viking.

"Thanks." Hiccup replied and then crouched down on the ground, facing Jack.

Jack instantly took the hint and trotted over to him, his soft, white paws bouncing comfortably against the stone floor. It was incredibly strange to be in this foreign body and use four legs to walk on instead of two, but it was a lot of fun at the same time to be an animal just for a little while. He could feel his small, flexible cat frame moving with ease, small muscles, joints and bones working together to create swift, elegant movements.

When he reached Hiccup, the brunet extended his arm and began to scratch him behind one of his ears with a soft smile on his face.

Wauw…that felt really good. No wonder cats were so happy when you did that to them. He couldn't help purring a little and was happy to _finally _understand how cats were able to make that sound. Even though he'd never done it before, it just seem to come naturally to him in this state.

"You look cute, Jack." Rapunzel told him happily and he chose to meow in response. It was fun to try out different sounds and movements in this form. To explore it as much as possible.

He rubbed his white head against Hiccup's arm and the Viking chuckled and began to scratch and pet him all over his head and neck.

Man, this was great. He began to understand why cats would just stroll right up to random strangers and begin to rub against their leg, so that person would start petting them. Not that Jack wanted anyone but a certain Viking petting him but still…

"Calm down, you two." Flynn told them, lowering his voice. "Unless you want people to find out about you, you should probably stop doing that before it becomes suspicious."

"Yeah, you're right." Hiccup agreed although he didn't sound too happy about that. Then the Ravenclaw got to his feet again, leaving Jack discontent from the sudden lack of wonderful contact.

He meowed grumpily to show his disapproval and his friends all grinned at him. Then he covered the few feet between him and Flynn and scratched his friend's leg to punish him.

"Ouch. Hey, it's not my fault, Jackie." Flynn said, chuckling. "You two just have to wait to grope each other until you're alone."

Hmff. That was easier said than done, but he knew Flynn was right. He decided to focus on something else and have a little fun exploring how it felt to be a cat.

He jogged towards the nearest desk, leaving his three friends staring after him. He crouched down and then set off from the floor and flew through the air. He made a perfect, elegant landing on the desk and trained his eyes on the others, who were all watching him with amused grins on their faces.

"Very acrobatic, Jackie." Flynn told him and Hiccup hummed in agreement, while Rapunzel cooed at him for being a cute feline.

He trotted along the wooden surface heading for the end of the long table. The skin pads underneath his fluffy paws were tough and yet sensitive. It didn't feel like walking on bare feet but at the same time he could sense the temperature and the texture of the old, wooden table.

He neared the end of the long desk and once again lowered his body before jumping forwards into the air towards a bookcase. He landed on top of it and took a few moments to just look over the room and all the students there. His three friends were still keeping a close eye on him, looking very amused by his eager curiosity to explore this cat form. All the other students in the room seemed occupied by focusing intently on transfiguring their friends, so they didn't really pay him much attention. He spotted Astrid at the opposite side of the room, trying to transform another student, a look of intense concentration on her face. It wasn't enough to succeed though. She only managed to turn her friend's legs into cat's legs, resulting in the poor girl falling over. Jack could relate. That had had happened to him in a previous lesson.

He walked lazily on top of the row of bookcases that were placed next to each other all along the stone wall. It seemed like a long way down due to his small shape but he wasn't worried. Cats always landed on their feet, right?

When he reached the end of the row of bookcases, he looked down. There was a tall, rounded birdcage nearby that he could use to land on and then continue to jump down on a low cupboard and then onto the floor. That could work. He felt a little bad about possibly giving the birds a shock but they were used to other animals, so they should be all right.

He prepared himself and then leapt towards it with his claws out to keep a firm grip on things. He landed on top of the metal cage. Instantly, chaos erupted among the birds inside, who thrashed all around in the cage, their wings flapping in panic, letting out screeches of terror. A large raven flew straight at him in alarm, squawking in hysteria. It banged right against the metal under his paws and the sudden vibrations caused him to slip and glide right off the cage, falling through the air.

A brief moment of panic surged through his blood. His heart hammered in his little chest.

Then something caught his fall.

Warm arms curled around him, holding him close.

He lifted his head and stared into the familiar green eyes of his boyfriend, who had taken on a worried frown.

He sighed in relief. The fall hadn't been high enough to kill him, but it could have caused some painful injuries.

Hiccup briefly looked him over and Jack assumed he was looking for potential damage.

He briefly glanced around the room and noticed all the other students staring at him and Hiccup. That was to be expected though. He had pretty much just made every single bird in that cage scream and shit themselves in pure, unrestrained fear. That was definitely something that caught people's attention.

"Mr. Overland." Professor Hyde spoke and both Jack and Hiccup trained their eyes on the tall, blonde professor. "In the future when you're transfigured into an animal…try _not _to kill off our birds through a collective heart attack and risk your own safety." the willowy man told him, his facial expression remaining neutral but his voice taking on a hint of amusement.

Professor Hyde told the other students to get back to their practicing, so a few moments after, the room was once again filled with the noises of students casting spells, talking and laughing at each other's results. The professor turned and headed towards a small group of girls, who seemed to have trouble transforming one of their friends back into human form.

Hiccup put him down on the floor and pulled out his wand. Jack sat perfectly still while the brunet did a quick movement with the wood. Then he felt himself grow taller and bigger once more, his friends turning from giants to normal human beings.

He stretched out his now human arms, while looking at his two friends and his boyfriend who were all watching him.

"Are you okay?" Hiccup asked him.

"Yeah, no harm done." Jack shrugged.

"Jackie, seriously…be more careful in the future, okay?" Flynn told him.

"Yeah, I know, I know. I kind of got carried away, it was so much fun to be a cat!" he said and then grinned sheepishly.

"You had us a little worried there." Rapunzel told him with a small smile.

"Yeah…sorry." he told the three of them, before he looked at Hiccup. "Thanks for catching me."

"I figured you might try to experiment with some stunts." Hiccup said, the corners of his lips curving.

He knew him too well.

"Yeah…I could get used to being a cat once in a while." he replied, trying to change the subject into something more fun.

"Well, next time just don't jump onto a cage filled with birds." Flynn said and shook his head.

"How was I supposed to know a _humongous _beast was going to come right at me?" Jack asked, gesturing wildly with his hands to convey how massive that bird had seemed when he was in cat form.

"It's a bird, Jack. You know…birds panic when cats come close to them?" Hiccup teased him.

Jack huffed. "Well…I assumed they would be a little startled but that they'd be used to cats. They see cats all the time in this castle."

"Yeah, but those cats usually don't come jumping down on them from above like some kind of furry ninja." Hiccup rolled his eyes and Jack couldn't help chuckling.

"Hey, at least you've finally admitted that I'm a ninja!"

"No, I didn't. I said: _like_ some kind of furry ninja. There's a difference." Hiccup argued in mock annoyance, twitching lips revealing his amusement.

"Pssh. That's not what I heard." Jack waved dismissively with one hand.

"I know. We're all aware of your selective hearing."

Flynn and Rapunzel grinned at that and Jack pretended to scowl at them.

When Professor Hyde ended the class and the four of them walked along the corridors on their way to meet up with the rest of their friends, Jack had his arm around Hiccup and kept him close. He couldn't wait for them to get down to the lake at their usual spot, where he and Hiccup could actually be affectionate with each other without worrying about other people. He agreed with Hiccup that it wasn't time yet for everyone to know about them, but it was also quite difficult and irritating sometimes that he couldn't just hold Hiccup's hand through the corridors or give him a kiss whenever he felt like it.

It would be a great day when they were finally ready to let everyone know that they were together.

**~~~~ Peter McGowan ~~~~ **

TIME SKIP: THE NEXT DAY

25 scratches. 14 patches of mold. 30 cracks. 10 dents. 27 sets of initials.

He knew these stone walls like they had fused into him and were now a part of his own being. He had absorbed every piece of information the room could give him. The cramped space of his cell seemed to grow smaller every day and he had no way of occupying his mind except thinking and observing his surroundings. He had explored every inch of his cell, had processed even the smallest detail, had counted every category he could come up with from patches of mold to the initials that were scratched into the stone in various places, telling the stories of who had been in here. Not that he could figure that out, since those initials could belong to many people, but there were a few sets where he was fairly certain of the identity of the person behind them.

His back was aching from lying on the hard cot that seemed more like a rocky terrain than a bed. He folded his hands on his stomach, as he let his eyes drift across a particularly large imperfection that resembled the shape of a bear in the stone ceiling. Above him, that frustrating light bulb hung on an exposed cord.

He hadn't seen daylight since he was brought here two weeks ago. The only light he got was from that bulb in the ceiling. The one that bathed everything in an artificial, yellow glow that made it seem like he was sitting inside on a dark night, when in reality he knew it was the afternoon.

The slamming of fists against stone walls echoed through the hallway, quickly followed by an angry shout. In the distance he could vaguely hear Andrew throwing up. Again.

Ugh. This was basically the soundtrack of his stay here: vomiting from a guilt-stricken coward and the bashing of hands against the walls by an abused weakling.

Andrew and Thomas should really pull themselves together. They were acting like small, crying children who needed someone to rescue them.

Pathetic.

Didn't they care how it made them look? Didn't they realize they were playing right into the police officers' hands?

Apparently not. They were too stupid to understand the importance of perceptions.

He wasn't. He knew that any show of weakness would be used against him. It was the law of the jungle that was applied in here: the strongest person controls the situation. He wasn't going to give the authorities even the smallest chance to gain the upper hand.

Loud, distressed moaning began to float through the air. The rage boiled inside him instantly. He wanted to smash something.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!?" he shouted, his voice bouncing off the dark walls.

He was done with this shit. Andrew needed to man up and stop being a sniffling, vomiting idiot. Thomas needed to stop feeling so bloody sorry for himself all the time and just accept that he had failed to achieve his goals and take it like a man.

The moaning didn't stop though. Andrew's tired, unhappy noises kept reaching his ears.

He clenched his fists by his sides and shut his eyes tight before opening them and staring at the ceiling again.

If it wasn't because he was physically contained in this cell, he would have punched Andrew's face in right now. He had listened to this for weeks now and if there was one thing that annoyed the hell out of him, it was weak people who couldn't pull themselves together and do whatever needed to be done to better their own situation. People who were either too stupid, too cowardly or too righteous to play the 'game' of life: to participate in all of those power plays in life that occurred between humans. Even the smallest actions and words could make a difference, could make you gain an advantage over someone else.

Footsteps on old stone floors reached his ears and he lifted his head and looked towards the entrance to his small cell. Who was coming? Usually the officers and guards didn't come by his cell at this time of day.

Nonetheless, the door swung open and two guards appeared in his little cramped space. He hadn't seen those two before. One of them was tall, slim and looked fairly young with short, black hair. The other was older, probably in his 50's, with dark bushy eyebrows, brown hair with streaks of gray and a large nose.

"McGowan. You're coming with us." the older one spoke, bushy eyebrows knitted together.

"Is that so?" he asked, as he got to his feet and eyed them skeptically.

Neither of the guards replied. The older one approached him, while pulling out a pair of hand cuffs from one of the pockets in his uniform and motioned with his head for him to put his hands forward.

He extended his arms and let the guard cuff him. He found the whole experience of being hand cuffed beneath him but if he wanted to keep playing this game and maybe eventually gain something, he had to put up with it for now.

Each of the guards grabbed one of his arms and led him out into the dark stone passageways. Their footsteps reverberated in the empty, silent surroundings, as the three of them walked along old stone floors, the gloomy hallways only being illuminated by a few light bulbs on the walls.

He was fairly certain he knew what was going on. They had told him the last time he was interrogated that that was his last chance to cooperate. Now though, it seemed they had changed their minds.

He smiled to himself after a while, when they turned a corner and headed in the direction of the interrogation room. He had read the situation correctly. Not that that surprised him.

When they reached the door to the interrogation room, one of the guards opened it, while the other tightened his grip on him. He rolled his eyes. He was in handcuffs and in the middle of a prison filled with guards on a bloody island. Sure, if there was an opportunity to escape, he would take it, but right now there wasn't.

He was led into the stone room by the other guard and was placed on that hard, uncomfortable wooden chair by the table. There was no one else in here yet but he knew why.

They were making him 'sweat'. Letting him sit here alone for a while, thinking about his situation, working himself up, getting panicked and nervous.

Someone like him doesn't get panicked and nervous. They were going to have to try another strategy if they wanted even the slightest chance at beating him.

Not that they would be able to anyway. He could see through their schemes. Through their manipulative words. Through their attempt at hiding their disgust for him.

He sat on the wooden chair, leaning back casually. He stayed silent and just observed one of the dark, stone walls.

He wasn't going to show any kind of impatience or distress. He would just sit here in a relaxed position with a neutral look on his face, waiting for someone to arrive. He didn't like to be kept waiting by anyone but right now it was an advantage to appear calm and collected. To them, it would seem like he had all the time in the world and wasn't afraid of anything they might throw at him.

Which was true. This was a game and he intended to win.

He didn't know how much time passed but if he had to guess, he would say about 15 minutes. Then the heavy, dark wooden door creaked open and a person he didn't know stepped into the room. He couldn't see their face properly due to the darkness, which was only broken by light at this table he was sitting by. Still, he knew he hadn't seen this person before. There was an air around them, he was sure he hadn't met before in this prison.

When the man sat down in front of him at the table, the dim light bulb illuminated his face. He seemed to be in his 40's, with short black hair, thin lips and a large nose. He was neatly shaved, his hair was smoothed back and he had a hint of cologne on him.

The man watched him intently in silence, blue eyes seemingly trying to analyze him. The guy didn't blink but just observed him with his lips in a thin line.

He stared back, not being intimidated in the slightest. Then he smirked.

Well well well.

This guy was definitely not a guard or a police officer. No. He had 'Ministry of Magic' written all over him. The neatly ironed black suit with discreet, narrow white stripes, the white shirt that appeared almost sparkling in its clean, bright wonder, the dark blue tie that gave the whole outfit a little splash of conservative color that achieved that balance of being discreet enough for ministry work without being a complete black and white, tedious drone without personality at all.

This guy…he could achieve something with this guy. For this man to come and see him, it must mean that the ministry was willing to offer him something in exchange for information. And if they'd decided to negotiate with a prisoner who had used the Cruciatus curse, they must have no other choice.

One side of his mouth curled upwards into a crooked smile.

A new power play had begun.

"Peter. I trust you've already figured out I'm from the Ministry of Magic." the man told him, folding his hands.

Well…at least this one wasn't condescending and thought he was some kind of blithering idiot, like the police officers who had interrogated him in the last two weeks.

"Yes." he replied, still staring into the guy's eyes.

There was no reason for him to give this one the silent treatment. After all…this was a different kind of game than what he had going with the guards and the police officers and aurors. And this one was a lot more interesting with the potential for a bigger advantage.

"My name is Nathan Wright and I work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I've been sent here to speak with you because you have vital information regarding a source in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that is connected to this torture and attempted murder that you're being tried for." he spoke calmly, not seeming affected by this situation in the slightest.

He eyed the man carefully and remained silent.

"Do you know of such a person?" Nathan Wright asked him.

"Yes." he replied. Whether he chose to divulge this information depended on what they were willing to offer him. If he decided not to share it, it would still give him satisfaction that the ministry _knew _that he knew the identity of the source but was keeping it from them, being too clever and strong to fall for any of their schemes or attempts to manipulate him or frighten him.

"I see." the dark-haired man said and nodded a few times, seemingly to himself, in understanding. "And would you be willing to share that information?"

"No." he said and tapped his foot against the stone floor twice. "Not without getting something in return."

The man sitting across from him didn't change his expression.

"I was expecting you to say that. You must be aware that since you've cast the Cruciatus curse, your position to negotiate is weakened?"

He shrugged. "I _was_ aware of that but now you _need_ something from me. The rules have changed."

Oh, how he was enjoying this. He wanted the ministry to crawl on their knees for him. They were going to give him what he wanted, unless they wished for the source to stay inside Hogwarts. Which would probably mean that the school would risk being closed.

He figured the officers had probably gotten all the answers they could get from Andrew and Thomas and had come to the conclusion that they in fact did _not_ know who the source at the castle was. That _he_ was the only one who knew and that he was the only option the authorities had for solving this case.

"I suppose they have." Nathan Wright agreed with him, calm blue eyes still observing him without any noticeable worry. "Now…Hogwarts is a vital institution in our society and we cannot have someone dangerous roaming free inside its walls. For that reason I've been authorized to offer you a deal. An offer of a reduced sentence in exchange for the identity of the source."

A flicker of a smile appeared on his lips

His silence and refusal to cooperate had paid off. They were now bending the rules to receive information from him. They were puppets and he was the puppet master. Even from inside Azkaban he was in control of the situation.

It made him feel damn good. He had proven cleverer than the authorities. They had not been able to make him give in.

He maintained an intense, silent eye contact with the ministry man sitting in front of him. The ball was in his court now and he took his time to consider his next move. He was showing this man that he was not stressed in any way. He had plenty of time to consider this proposal. He wasn't dependent on the government or anyone else to save him.

He weighed his options. On one hand, he could continue to withhold the information and revel in the power it gave him, knowing that this person was still inside the castle and no one could do a bloody thing about it and even the ministry reaching out to him would be refused, because he was stronger than them and didn't need them. On the other hand, it would be quite foolish for him to pass up the opportunity of a reduced sentence. He did not want to stay here in Azkaban forever, so this could be a ticket out of here at some point.

He had still won, even if he accepted the offer. They had given him something they would usually never give anyone, but because they were desperate and he had been wise enough to keep the identity of the source to himself, they had caved in. They had surrendered to him.

So it all came down to one single question.

"How much would my sentence be reduced?" he asked.

"If you are found guilty in the trial…instead of a life-time stay in here, you can be released when you're 60." Nathan Wright told him.

He tore his gaze off the dark-haired man and observed one of the dark, stone walls.

He did not like the idea of staying in here for 43 years but on the other hand…he could still have 20 years or so left when he got out, if he took this deal.

Still…he needed to try to push this further.

"I want my sentence reduced more than that." he told him, as he once again looked into the ministry man's unaffected, blue eyes.

Nathan Wright didn't move or blink.

"I can't offer you that, Peter. We are already in dangerous territory here. If the public ever discovered we had reduced the sentence that much for a prisoner who has performed the Cruciatus curse, there would be a scandal."

He had expected that answer. He could choose to push the matter even more, or he could move on to other areas in which he might achieve better terms for his stay in prison. He was well aware that even offering any kind of reduced sentence to someone who had used an Unforgivable curse was a very rare occurrence.

He decided to try to gain something else instead. He wasn't going to accept their offer unless they put something else on the table too.

"Well, then I want improvements in my stay here."

"What sort of improvements?"

"I know how this prison works. A lot of the prisoners in here are kept in isolation for most of the time and there isn't much to do. I don't want that. I want to be able to interact with some of the other prisoners on a regular basis. And I want to be able to come outside in the fresh air and daylight at least once a day. And I want to have a better bed and a continuous supply of books and paper and pencils, as well as a TV and games. I _don't_ intend to go insane in here."

Nathan Wright's blue eyes stared intently into his own. Peter made sure not to break eye contact even for a second. They were sizing each other up, trying to figure out how far the other would go.

And he was certainly not going to back down first. If they wanted his information, they would need to offer him something worth more than the satisfaction of keeping that secret.

"Excuse me for a moment." the dark-haired man said before he left the room.

Now he was once again sitting alone in here with only the flickering, yellow bulb in the ceiling to keep him company.

He knew what was going on. This 'Mr. Wright' had to check in with his superiors about whether it was acceptable to fulfill his demands.

He stayed in his relaxed position and waited. Patience wasn't his strong suit but he could summon it, when he needed it to achieve something.

When Nathan Wright came back and sat himself down at the table once more, the man simply observed him for a few moments, his face in neutral folds.

When he spoke again, his voice was calm.

"Well, Peter. My superiors have accepted your terms."

"I want it in writing." he told him. He wasn't stupid. If he didn't have any kind of proof of what they had agreed on, the authorities could simply deny that they had ever promised him anything.

"Yes, I expected as much." the ministry man replied. "You will have that."

"Well then…gather a team of your finest heroes." he told him mockingly with an amused smirk. "You have someone to arrest."

**~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~**

He enjoyed the emptiness and quietness of the courtyard as he sat by one of the tables, leaning over his Potions textbook, eyes darting over letters. Toothless was resting his sleek, cat's body on the table, his black fur shining in the mild sunlight. The feline's green eyes roamed across the courtyard, keeping a look out for anything suspicious, like a personal bodyguard in cat form. Hiccup wrapped his Ravenclaw scarf a little tighter around his neck, protecting his skin from the chill of the crisp, winter breeze. He savored the cold air though and he appreciated that the chilly temperatures these days kept the other students inside most of the time.

It was late afternoon and he had taken some time to himself to catch up on some of the homework he was terribly behind on. What he really wanted to do was to be with Jack but he couldn't keep postponing doing all of this work. It would only keep piling up unless he actually did something about it. That didn't stop him from regularly zoning out, because he was thinking about his wonderful white-haired boyfriend and what he might be doing right now.

He sighed to himself as he read the same paragraph all over again, because his eyes had taken in the words the first time but his brain had failed to understand the meaning, as it was busy showing him images of a certain pale Gryffindor and making him long to be near him.

Man…he would probably have done twice the work by now, if it wasn't because his boyfriend had invaded his mind. Being in love was seriously distracting. He couldn't stop thinking about how much he wanted to feel Jack's lips against his right now, how he wanted to hold him, banter with him, watch him laugh, see his blue eyes sparkle, let his wonderful childish, playful spirit make him feel happy and warm inside.

'When did you turn into such a sap, Hiccup?' his mind asked him.

"Shut up and let me be happy." he mumbled to himself.

It was surreal how one second could turn everything upside down.

The second Jack chose to kiss him changed things between them forever.

The second he chose happiness with Jack over the expectations and responsibilities looming over him changed things between them forever.

One second is all it takes.

He scribbled down a few notes on the parchment about the paragraph he had now finished reading again. Toothless stretched out his cat limbs and yawned before he curled up on the wooden surface.

"Hiccup!"

His head instantly turned to the side to see Flynn running towards him. Toothless jumped down from the table. He quickly shut his book and got to his feet.

"What's going on?" he asked, immediately concerned by Flynn's urgency.

Flynn stopped in front of him, breathing heavily from running, holding his sides.

"I was told by headmaster Lunar to get you. They've found the person who helped McGowan and Levin and Zamora." his friend explained.

Ice ran through Hiccup's veins.

This was it. Now he would know who inside this castle wanted him dead. Who had assisted those three boys in torturing him. Who had some kind of connection to the hostile tribes back home.

"Who is it?" he asked, anxiety bubbling in his stomach.

"I don't know. They didn't tell me." Flynn shook his head, an apologetic look on his face.

"Lead the way." he told Flynn, trying his best to remain calm.

Flynn nodded and whirled around to walk towards one of the entrances to the castle. Hiccup quickly stuffed his book, quill and parchment into his satchel, slung it over his shoulder and followed Flynn at a fast pace, Toothless hurrying along beside him.

He and Flynn began their quick walk down the corridors, moving as fast as they could without actually running and drawing attention to themselves. This was a private matter and they didn't want anyone to find out what was going on.

Hiccup's mind was clouded by scattered thoughts, as they made their way towards their destination. He was really hoping there was some kind of reasonable explanation for why the person had helped McGowan and Levin get inside the castle. There was a very big risk that this person was someone he had had_ some_ kind of contact with through the years, whether it was just a few words exchanged in a class or working together on an assignment or one of the people who had sought him out after his secret about the dragons came out. That thought made the uneasiness grow inside him. It was surreal that he had probably talked to this person at some point.

Corridor after corridor, staircase after staircase seemed to appear and disappear almost in a blur, as his feet carried him across the floor beside Flynn, while he was trying his best to somehow prepare himself for what was to come, even though he knew he couldn't.

By the end of the corridor they were now walking through, Hiccup spotted Professor Bunnymund and Professor Mansnoozie standing in front of the Transfiguration classroom, obviously standing guard. Next to them, headmaster Lunar was telling them something Hiccup couldn't hear.

He increased the tempo and Flynn and Toothless both kept up with him. When they were finally by the three professors, headmaster Lunar trained those wise, green eyes on him.

"Mr. Haddock. I am truly sorry for this horrible situation." his headmaster told him. "As headmaster I should have been able to prevent this. I promise you I will increase the security measures for the castle even further after this."

The professor's voice was calm but Hiccup could hear the underlying sadness in it.

He breathed in deep and then exhaled.

"Can I go in?" he asked, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"Mr. Haddock…I'm not certain that is a good idea. We should discuss this first." his headmaster said.

"Look…I want to see this person for myself. I want to look them in the eye and ask them why they did this to me." Hiccup explained. This wasn't just some random idea he had gotten into his head. This was something he needed to do.

Professor Lunar hesitated. "I would recommend that you bring either myself or one of the other professors in with you."

"I would like to go in alone." Hiccup said calmly.

Headmaster Lunar's green eyes observed him for a few moments in silence.

"As you wish." his professor then agreed. "The authorities are on their way as we speak, so you will not have long before they will need to transport him to Azkaban for interrogation."

Hiccup nodded. So it was a him. He deliberately avoided asking the professor who it was, since he would see for himself now.

"Hiccup, are you sure you should go in alone?" Flynn asked him with concern in his brown eyes.

"Yeah. I'll be okay. It's not like the person still has their wand or anything, right?" he asked headmaster Lunar.

"Of course not." the headmaster confirmed.

Hiccup nodded and then looked at Flynn again.

"Go find Jack and the others and tell them." he told his friend who immediately nodded, spun around and began walking down the corridor at a fast pace.

"Toothless. Stay here." he said to the cat, who instantly hissed in discontent.

"Yeah, I know you don't like it. But I'll be okay." he reassured his best friend. Toothless watched him skeptically but then sat down on the floor in acceptance.

Hiccup turned towards the doors and exhaled deeply as he mentally prepared himself to open them and discover who had assisted in his torture. Who didn't mind the idea of him getting hurt and killed. Who had some part to play in the problems back home with the tribes.

His eyes slid shut for a brief moment before they slowly opened again. Then he reached out his hands and pushed open the massive doors. The wood creaked in protest.

He hurried inside the classroom with the dark wooden tables and the many cages filled with small animals. He closed the doors behind him. Only then did he lift his head and train his eyes on the person in the room.

One second can turn everything around.

His breath caught in his throat. His heartbeat quickened.

No.

No no no no no.

This was wrong. This was all _wrong_.

He was frozen in place, unable to move in any way. He stared at the person in shock, unable to say or do anything right now.

This didn't make sense. How could this be true? Why would this happen?

In the middle of the large stone room with the high windows and the mahogany desks, on a dark wooden chair sat a person with their hands tied behind their back.

On a dark wooden chair sat someone Hiccup had thought was a good person.

On a dark wooden chair sat someone Hiccup had talked to and laughed with several times in the last couple of years.

On a dark wooden chair sat someone Hiccup had come to like.

On a dark wooden chair…

…sat professor Cooke. His favorite professor.

One second can change everything.

**Author's note (edit):**

A few people have asked me why the ministry don't simply approve the use of Veritaserum (truth serum) on McGowan to get him to spill the beans. There are several reasons why I have chosen not to do that. First of all, J.K Rowling herself has explained that Veritaserum does not work in the same way on everyone. It is best used on the weak and unsuspecting and some witches and wizards can actually resist the effect. It is unreliable and therefore it can't be used to prove innocence or guilt, truth or lie with certainty. Second of all, after the war where Voldemort was defeated, I would find it very likely that the ministry of magic would be very occupied with applying a new, more humane way of doing things to re-create trust between the magical community and the ministry and to avoid "bad seeds" to thrive and spread corruption and other horrible behavior inside the ministry. Voldemort and his followers were able to infiltrate and overtake the ministry, where they used horrible methods to achieve their goals, such as registration of muggleborns, unpleasant interrogation methods, murder and so on. So it makes sense that the ministry would want to follow a new path after the war with more focus on humane methods as well as more control on what goes on in places like Azkaban, because let's face it: the way the prisoners are treated there is equal to torture. I don't care what horrible crimes they've committed: keeping prisoners in isolation in tiny cells with nothing to do for years while the dementors slowly suck any happiness they have out of them, making them relieve the worst moments of their lives constantly IS torture. It makes them slowly go insane and death would be more humane than that. In that aspect, the ministry of magic (even before Voldemort infiltrated it) is no better than the people they have imprisoned. It would be vital as a part of re-creating trust between the population and the ministry to show them that they are NOT the same as Voldemort and his death eaters...that they are civilized and that they can be trusted again now that Voldemort is gone. Using Veritaserum on someone IS coersion and that would not fit into this new strategy. Imagine someone giving you a potion that forces you to tell them something you don't want to tell them. It might not hurt physically but it's an invasion of privacy and a violation of human rights that doesn't belong in this new reality in the post-war society. There is no longer a war going on that can justify suspending the rules because it's a matter of life and death. So those are the reasons I chose not to do that.

**Guest reviews:**

No-Name: Thank you for those great compliments, I'm glad you're enjoying the story :)

Lyss: You don't ever have to apologize for missing a review, I'm just glad to get your long, awesome reviews at all :) As always, you've made me happy with your wonderful words and it's great that you feel content after reading the last chapter. I'm glad to know you agree with me that Hiccup's torture and near death experience was to an extent necessary and that you enjoyed reading the POV's of McGowan, Levin and Zamora :)

Pooka-Spirit: Thank you for that :) I'm glad to read you became emotional by the latest chapter, that must mean I'm doing something right, he he.

Oreo275: Thank you for that wonderful review, I really appreciate the kind words about my writing style. And I'm glad to know you look forward to each new chapter so much.


	18. The Beast

**Author's note:**

So...here I am, back again. I hope you guys will enjoy this new chapter.

* * *

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

"You…" Hiccup whispered. His eyes had widened.

The professor's gaze fixed on him.

"You." he repeated and exhaled shakily. He shook his head in disbelief. "How could you do that to me?"

"I didn't want to, if that makes you feel better." the professor said, breaking eye contact to observe the floor.

"It doesn't." he said through gritted teeth. His fists clenched by his sides.

Professor Cooke didn't respond. He just sat there in the chair and did nothing. It didn't help all of that frustration and hurt and anger that was building up inside Hiccup at a dangerously fast pace.

"Why?" Hiccup asked and much to his regret, his voice sounded small and fragile rather than angry.

He wasn't going to leave this room before he had an answer to this question. He needed to know what could make someone he had trusted and liked turn against him like this. He couldn't think of_ anything_ that made sense.

"It's complicated." Professor Cooke told him, as he lifted his head and met his eyes. He had that annoying look on his face that people often had when they uttered that phrase. The look of calmness that seemed to signal, that they had some kind of secret knowledge, that was too deep for the other person to understand.

Well, if he thought Hiccup was going to settle for that pathetic answer, he could think again.

"I don't care how _complicated_ it is." he said, narrowing his eyes and taking a few steps closer to the sitting professor. "You_ will_ explain it to me and you will explain it _now_." he dug his hand into one of his pockets and clutched his wand tightly.

"They probably should have taken your wand."

Hiccup scoffed. He pulled his hand out of his pocket again. "If I wanted to kill you, do you honestly think I would need a wand to do it?" he replied and glared at the dark-haired man in the chair.

"No." the professor softly spoke.

"No." he confirmed.

Professor Cooke sighed and even that exhalation of air was making the hostility grow inside Hiccup.

Every act. Every word. Every expression. It made an angry beast stir inside him, scraping its sharp claws against his insides, threatening to crumble his self-control.

"I wasn't lying when I said I didn't want to. You've always been my favorite student, Hiccup. I've always liked you and seen something of myself in you." Professor Cooke told him.

The softening of the professor's eyes made Hiccup believe his words. But that didn't appease the beast inside in the slightest.

"Well, I can think of a_ rather_ big difference between us, since you apparently don't hesitate to participate in torture and murder." he snapped.

"I had a debt to pay." Professor Cooke said. "You merely happened to be a part of that debt."

There was that air of calm again. It pissed Hiccup off. It was like the professor in front of him was distancing himself from what he had done. Like Hiccup wasn't a real person but some kind of commodity to be exchanged to gain something. Like it had all been a simple trade.

"What kind of debt could you _possibly_ have with the tribes? You're not even from the archipelago." he asked, gesturing wildly with his hands to express just _some_ of his frustration.

The silence that suddenly enveloped them was unnatural. All Hiccup heard was the sound of his angry, quick breathing and his heartbeat pounding in his head. He and Professor Cooke held each other's gazes.

When the professor spoke again, the implications of his words made Hiccup's stomach twist painfully.

"Er þú víss? [Are you certain?]"

Air left his lungs, like he had been punched in the gut.

"You…you speak old norse?" he asked quietly, trying to wrap his head around this new revelation.

"Yes."

"You're from the archipelago?"

"Yes."

Hiccup shook his head, staring at the professor sitting in front of him. How the Hel had he missed this? This wasn't just a few puzzle pieces he had overlooked.

"Why do you have a debt with the hostile tribes?" He pressed his lips together in a thin line.

"It's a long story." the professor sighed, blue eyes drifting from Hiccup to the nearest stone wall.

"I. Don't. Care." Hiccup spoke, the anger boiling more violently in his chest by the second. "You _will_ tell me."

"I didn't have a choice." Professor Cooke said, as his gaze fixed on Hiccup again.

Those words did nothing to soothe Hiccup's anger. Those words were a coward's defense.

"There's _always _a choice." he replied, refusing to accept that answer. "You could have said no."

"Then they would have killed me." Professor Cooke replied and shrugged. That casual gesture deepened the impression Hiccup had that the professor had convinced himself that his actions had been justified. To him it was probably reasonable. He had probably warped the entire thing in his mind, made himself believe that it was some kind of self-defense.

"Yes, they probably would have." Hiccup agreed. "You would have made your choice and you would have died with dignity instead of trying to kill someone else to pay off_ your_ debt." he spat. His jaw clenched tightly.

"It's just so easy for you Hiccup, isn't it?" the professor shook his head. The act seemed condescending.

"What's easy for me?"

"To be such a defender of morality, when you have never experienced desperation." Professor Cooke told him.

The burning rage in his chest intensified. The beast inside him threw itself wildly against the edges of his mind, scratching and howling, begging to be let out.

"You think I haven't experienced desperation?" Hiccup said. "You're_ wrong_. But I would _never_ trade someone else's life just to save myself!"

"No, you probably wouldn't." the professor agreed. "But I value my life and I don't intend for it to be over just yet."

"Well, now you can live your precious life in Azkaban." Hiccup said.

"I suppose." Professor Cooke said softly. His blue eyes seemed to have a certain acceptance in them.

"Why didn't you come to me for help?" he demanded to know. "I could have helped. You could have stayed on Berk for as long as you wanted!"

Professor Cooke shook his head. "No. That was never a real option."

"Why?" Hiccup crossed his arms.

"You're still young and naïve, Hiccup. You might have been willing to let me stay on Berk, but I doubt your father would have. He's an experienced warrior, it's not very likely he would risk increasing the tension with the hostile tribes and potentially endangering his people just because of a stranger and-"

"I think I know my father better than you do." Hiccup interrupted. "And even if he disagreed, I could have convinced him. I would have done all I could to protect you!"

"Maybe you would have. Maybe you could even have convinced your father. But even if I had moved to Berk, I would still be living the rest of my life in fear and paranoia, constantly looking over my shoulder and worrying that some day they would get to me. And don't be naïve, Hiccup. They have connections. They_ could_ get to someone in your tribe."

"Then why am I not dead yet?"

"There's a big difference between convincing someone to hand _you_ over and to hand me over. You're the chief's son, the one who created peace with the dragons, you have significant meaning to the tribe. I'm just a stranger. Not everyone would agree that it's in your tribe's best interest to protect a stranger, risking even more wrath from your enemies. A lot of the Vikings on Berk have experienced war before. They know how horrible it is."

"This is all just speculation!" Hiccup said. "You could also have lived out the rest of your days in peace on Berk, being protected by my tribe."

"Maybe I could have." Professor Cooke agreed. "But I couldn't take that risk, Hiccup. I want to live but I _don't _want to be sick with worry every day, constantly fretting that something might happen any minute. That I might be captured and tortured or killed. That's not a real life."

Air left his lips in an aggravated huff. "So instead you decided to sell me out? You coward."

"Not all of us can be brave people. Some of us are scared to die." Professor Cooke told him. Hiccup picked up on the underlying chiding and his nose wrinkled.

"You think I believe you're a coward because you're scared to die?" he sneered. "No. Being scared to die is natural. You're a coward because instead of telling me the truth and coming to me for help, instead of living a more inconvenient and risky life yourself, you chose the easy way out. You chose pain and death for me so nothing in your own life had to change!"

"It was the only solution I could see."

Hiccup took a few deep breaths. He had to keep it together. He couldn't let himself be overcome by the rage. He needed answers.

"If you didn't trust me and my tribe to protect you, why didn't you go to the authorities then?" he asked, trying his best to keep his voice steady.

"I couldn't do that when nothing had happened yet. They weren't going to set aside resources to protect me from something that may or may not happen. I was on my own with this, Hiccup."

Hiccup watched him for a few moments in silence. The calmness of Professor Cooke's eyes and voice, the dismissive body language, the weak, warped arguments. It all pointed towards one thing: that he had no regrets about what he had done to him. That he truly believed what he had done was necessary, that it was justified to keep himself alive by paying with someone else's life.

"You're not the man I thought you were." Hiccup said and clenched his bottom lip between his teeth.

"No. I suppose I'm not." the Professor agreed but didn't seem too bothered by that fact.

"And don't try to deflect anymore. Tell me what kind of debt you have with the tribes and why. _Now_."

He was done with patience. The time for answers was now.

"It's a longer story."

"Then start talking."

Professor Cooke sighed and waited for a few moments. Then he spoke and Hiccup paid attention to every single word, trying to determine if it was the truth.

"I lived in the archipelago when I was younger. My dad was a trader traveling from island to island on a regular basis. He had many connections and acquaintances but we never belonged to a tribe ourselves. We didn't have much but we managed to turn over enough profit to get by." Professor Cooke explained. "Have you ever heard of the Blood Ravens"?

"Yeah. They were invaded and wiped out." Hiccup said, wondering where this was going. He tried to summon some patience to hear this explanation out. The Blood Ravens had all been killed by one of the hostile tribes, due to a long lasting grudge between the two tribes. It was a testament to the brutality of those particular Vikings. It was said they enjoyed battle more than any other Vikings.

"Yes. I was there when it happened." Professor Cooke said, eyes glazing over. "I had come home from Hogwarts for the summer. I was 13. We were on the island, trading with the Blood Ravens and one of them was unhappy with his trade. He accused my father of cheating him, which my dad denied. They threw us in a cell, awaiting a trial to determine who was right. That same night a dragon attack occurred. The entire island was bathed in flames and roars. When one of the walls to the cell was smashed in, my father and I tried to escape. But he only managed to take a few steps outside before a Monstrous Nightmare burned him. There was nothing left of him at all. The flames had consumed everything." Professor Cooke said, sadness creeping into his voice, eyes turning to the floor.

A pang of sympathy shot through Hiccup's chest but he quickly pushed it down.

"I quickly scrambled back into our cell, pushing myself into the nearest corner, trying to hide as much as possible, just waiting for the dragons to leave. Eventually they did but I was still too afraid to move. It was a good thing I didn't, because shortly after the dragons had abandoned the island, the Blood Ravens were invaded. Apparently, their enemies had waited to attack until the Blood Ravens would be most vulnerable. I stayed in that spot. I heard clashes of weapons, screams, flesh ripping open...when everything quieted down hours later, I was hoping the invaders would leave without seeing me." Professor Cooke explained and Hiccup already had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"But of course I wasn't that lucky. The leader found me along with several of his men. I assume you've heard the name Ivar the Bonesmasher?"

"Of course I have." Hiccup confirmed, unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice from being asked a question with such an obvious answer, when he just wanted to cut to the chase. He doubted there was a single person in the entire archipelago who hadn't heard of Ivar the Bonesmasher and not just because he was a tribe leader, but because he was well known for his ruthlessness, especially his treatment of his enemies. He had earned his nickname from his tendency to break as many bones in his prisoner's bodies as he could without them dying first. It was said he enjoyed the cracking sound and that he wore the ribs of the first person he ever killed in his belt. Whether those last things were actually true or just rumors, Hiccup didn't know, but the fact was that Ivar the Bonesmasher was a feared man and for good reasons.

"His men hadn't spotted me hiding in the ruins of the cell but Ivar is an attentive man. He found me and since the objective was to leave no one on the island alive, he was about to kill me. He drew his sword and grabbed me. I panicked and screamed and writhed to get away but it was no use. In my panic, I accidentally made his sword disappear right before his eyes. He let go of me and was quiet for a long time. Then he made me a deal. He would let me live and supply me with enough gold, clothes and other necessities to get by. In exchange, I would finish my education at Hogwarts and be at his disposal whenever he wanted it until he decided my debt was paid. Needless to say, I agreed." Professor Cooke said. His shoulders slumped.

"So…you've been at his disposal since you were 13 and he only wanted you to do something _now_?" Hiccup asked, finding that very difficult to believe. He wanted answers but he was unsure if Professor Cooke was being truthful or trying to manipulate him.

"No." the professor said. "I've done plenty of things for him through the years. Using the Hogwarts library to gain knowledge on magic he wanted to know more about, buy stuff from the wizarding community for his tribe's wizards and witches and such…a lot of minor things."

"Until a few weeks ago." Hiccup said. He ground his teeth together.

"Yes. He told me to let him know if you made any enemies that he could use against you. When McGowan and Levin were expelled, he said I had to offer them a deal. Then I would let them into the castle and inform them when you would be alone and then my debt would finally be paid off, since it was a big risk for me to take. Then I could do whatever I wanted. If I refused, he would take my life." Professor Cooke glanced at him before directing his attention to his knees.

"So why didn't you leave when McGowan and the others were arrested?"

"If I had left right after something like that, it would only have raised suspicion. I stayed behind and laid low because then I wouldn't be a suspect. I expected McGowan to be clever enough to keep his mouth shut, but apparently the ministry have offered him something he couldn't refuse."

Hiccup thought about the professor's words. It seemed plausible. It _would_ have appeared strange for him to leave after the torture. That raised another question though.

"Why are you confessing to me now? You could deny the whole thing and it would be his word against yours." he said, watching the professor's expression attentively for any change that he could decode. He was more than aware that he could be trying to manipulate him.

"Once they begin to dig into my past, they will find plenty of connections to the archipelago and the tribes there and that, along with McGowan's testimony and the fact that I obviously don't have an alibi will be plenty of evidence to convict me. So what does it matter if I give you some answers now?" Professor Cooke explained. There was a level of defeat in his blue eyes that gave Hiccup the impression that he was telling the truth.

"Did you only come to Hogwarts to teach because of me?" he asked, holding in a breath.

"Yes." Professor Cooke said and hesitated for a few moments before speaking again. "I've always been good at building and fixing things and when Hogwarts decided to issue a new class that relied on that skill, Ivar demanded that I get the job, so I could keep an eye on you."

Hiccup exhaled. Everything about his relationship with Professor Cooke had been a lie right from the beginning.

"Then why wait two years to do something?"

The professor squirmed a little on the chair. "I had to avoid becoming a suspect, so I had to be here for a while before I did anything. And the right opportunity had to come along too."

Hiccup sighed.

Yes. He had handed them that opportunity when he had fought McGowan and Levin.

"So you put your faith in McGowan and Levin…"

"I knew none of them were particularly intelligent, but I expected them to be clever enough to get away with it…but they managed to mess up something that should have been _so_ simple." Professor Cooke said, furrowing his forehead the way he did when he was disappointed in a student.

"Yeah, it must be _such_ a burden for you that I'm still alive." Hiccup said, every word dripping with venom. His feet carried him towards the nearest stone wall and then back again, as he began pacing to get some of the restless, angry energy out of his body.

"It wasn't personal." Professor Cooke said, as if he was stating something obvious. Something understandable. Something relatable.

The rage shot out its long, pointy claws, ripping through his veins and flesh, tearing into anything it could reach in blind fury.

He whirled around and stared straight into Professor Cooke's eyes.

"IT WASN'T PERSONAL!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" he screamed and slammed his fist down on one of the tables next to him. A loud bang against the wooden surface. Pain through his hand.

"As I said…it wasn't personal." Professor Cooke spoke. The calmness only fueled the anger inside Hiccup even more. It made him want to strangle him with his bare hands.

"It wasn't personal." Hiccup repeated the words in disbelief. "Silly me. How could I possibly have thought it was personal that you tried to kill me?" he told him, every word like acid burning through skin, his hands gesturing angrily in the air.

"_I _didn't try anything."

"No." Hiccup said. "No! You_ don't_ get to pretend your hands are clean just because it wasn't _you_ stabbing me and cutting me and casting the Cruciatus curse. You are just as responsible as they are!"

"All I did was let them into the castle and tell them when you'd be at the workshop alone. That's not the same as torturing you or trying to kill you." Professor Cooke replied and his lips tightened.

Hiccup shook his head quickly. His chest was heaving from the anger weighing down on him.

Professor Cooke had convinced himself that he just did what was necessary and that he wasn't really to blame because he hadn't been present when it happened. He was using physical distance and desperation as a defense for his actions.

"You played a part in it and no matter how much you want to deny it to convince yourself you're still a decent person, the_ fact_ is you didn't mind letting _me_ pay for _your_ deal!" he yelled, eyes narrowed in disdain.

He had no other outlet for his rage than the sheer volume of the words leaving his mouth and the venom and disgust he wrapped every syllable in.

He was shaking a little now. Tears stung in the corners of his eyes. The fury was overwhelming. It was infecting him. It was making him lose control over himself.

"It was survival, Hiccup." Professor Cooke told him. Despite the hint of reluctance that told him the professor hadn't actually wanted to do it, there wasn't an ounce of regret in his voice.

He began pacing around the room again, looking anywhere but the professor sitting in the chair. He tugged at his hair, brown strands pulling at the skin underneath. He scratched his arms hard, leaving thin red lines across his skin from angry fingernails.

The worst part wasn't the anger. He could handle anger on its own. He could even handle red-hot rage on its own.

This was something different. It was _hurt_. Vulnerability. Broken trust. Someone he cared about had offered him as some kind of sacrificial lamb.

It was unforgivable. Devastating.

He froze in his tracks, snapped his head to the side and focused on the traitor again.

When those familiar, blue eyes gazed into his once more, the roar of the rage inside him was deafening, drowning out any rational thought. The anger burned in him like a dragon's flame.

He kicked a nearby chair with the force of all his hurt behind it. In his peripheral vision, Professor Cooke flinched. The chair flew through the air, landing on the floor with a crash, legs breaking off, sliding across stone before lying still.

Rest in peace, chair.

The doors opened with a loud creak and professor Bunnymund's head appeared, eyes scanning the room. When he was content that nothing dangerous was going on, he shut the door once more.

Hiccup's quick, furious breathing was making his lungs ache. He knew he had to put his rage back into its cage.

His eyes slid shut. Soothing darkness. Deep breaths in and out. Fists clenching and unclenching, clammy with sweat.

Anger slowly ebbing away to a level he could control. A level that didn't threaten to make him break Professor Cooke's kneecaps or slam his face into the wall until he was an unrecognizable mess of blood and bruises and broken cartilage.

Self-control. He could do this.

His eyelids lifted, revealing the source of his misery and fury again. Professor Cooke was observing the floor. He appeared more tired than anything else; half-lidded eyes, the corners of his mouth sagging. In this moment, he seemed older than usual.

It was probably exhausting to be involved in a murder plot. Not that Hiccup had any sympathy in him to give.

The scorching infection inside him had been contained. Searing rage was banished by the cold of unyielding disdain.

"So…"

His voice was ice. His eyes were hard with the chill of a blizzard. "I guess this is it."

"Look, Hiccup. I'm sorry for what you had to go through." the professor told him.

"No." Hiccup said. There was no room for discussion or forgiveness. "You don't get to say you're sorry. You don't deserve to feel better about yourself just for saying a few words. What you did…it can_ never_ be erased. You'll have to live with it for the rest of your life, just like _I _have to live with it."

His breathing had become strained again and he was fighting the anger's determination to be let out into the light once more. He blinked away the few tears invading his eyes.

The professor didn't reply but just trained his eyes on the floor again.

Hiccup turned around and headed for the door. He was done with this. He couldn't stand to look at him for even a second longer.

He got the answers he needed. Now he had to find some way to live with those answers.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

The fretting, nail-biting silence in the corridor was putting Jack on edge.

His stomach churned as he walked back and forth between two of the stone walls. Hiccup was in that room right now with whoever had assisted in the torture and attempt on his life and Jack couldn't keep still until he saw his boyfriend.

He had tried to get in there. He really had. Professor Bunnymund and Professor Mansnoozie had kept him out, despite his protests. Jack didn't like the idea of Hiccup being alone with whoever had betrayed him _at all_, but he didn't have a choice at the moment.

He wasn't alone in being frustrated by that.

"Ugh, why can't you just let us in there?" Astrid asked Professor Bunnymund, gesturing wildly with her hands. "We're his friends!"

The Australian professor was unaffected by her angry outburst. "That doesn't matter, Ms. Hofferson. Only Mr. Haddock was allowed to go in there. Headmaster Lunar asked us specifically to keep all others out until the authorities get here."

Astrid groaned and threw her hands in the air before stomping to the side of the corridor. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, her lips in a thin line.

The exact same frustration was bubbling inside Jack. Neither him nor his friends had taken it well that they weren't allowed in there. He and Merida had even been close to trying to force their way through.

He let his eyes drift over his friends, as he continued his impatient pacing. Fishlegs' eyes darted from person to person constantly, while he sat on the floor, leaning against a wall. Rapunzel and Flynn stood together, the blonde girl with Pascal resting in one of her palms. Mavis and Merida sat together on a wide window sill below one of the large arch windows. Merida's eyebrows were drawn together and one of her feet was tapping impatiently on the stone beneath it.

Jack wasn't sure how much time passed, as he kept pacing back and forth, waiting for Hiccup to come out of that room, so he could get some answers and be there for him. He fiddled with his sleeves, gripped his wand in his pocket, wrung his hands,_ anything_ to keep himself busy and express the nervous energy that flowed through him.

When the wooden doors creaked as they opened, everyone's heads snapped towards the sound. Hiccup appeared in the hallway.

Their eyes locked. Jack could see the tiredness, the hurt, the barely restrained rage hiding in those green irises. It was a myriad of intense emotions melting together and he was unsure what the best way to handle it would be.

He slowly stepped closer to his boyfriend.

The Viking was frozen, just watching him approach.

For a moment, Jack feared Hiccup was going to storm off. That he was going to use his usual approach of dealing with things: isolation. He was half expecting him to run away any minute, and attempt to bottle all of this up inside.

To his surprise, he managed to stand right in front of Hiccup without him moving at all, except turning his eyes towards the floor. Toothless was rubbing his head against Hiccup's leg, meowing worriedly.

"Hic?" he asked softly, desperate to help in any way he could.

Hiccup lifted his head. The shine in the green eyes told Jack that his resolve was crumbling.

He slowly extended his arms towards Hiccup. He just wanted to hold him, to keep him close and comfort him.

Hiccup didn't move. It was like someone had taken away all his energy and willpower.

Jack pulled him into a warm embrace and began to slowly stroke his back. Hiccup hesitantly put his arms around him and leaned his face on Jack's shoulder and he could feel the Viking's breath warm his shirt and skin.

"It'll be okay." he whispered to his boyfriend and let a hand softly glide through the brown locks. "I'm here."

Hiccup tightened his grip around him in response, as if he was afraid those words weren't actually real.

"Who?" Jack asked softly, needing to know who had hurt the person he loved.

The word that left Hiccup's mouth resulted in gasps and cursing from their friends and fiery rage to coil dangerously in Jack's stomach.

"Cooke."

Jack sucked in a breath. He clenched the fist that wasn't stroking Hiccup's back. He was certain the knuckles turned white.

Professor Cooke, of all people? A person Hiccup had actually had a connection with, had actually spent a lot of time with?

He stopped stroking Hiccup's back and squeezed him, holding him close. It made him feel a little better, because as long as Hiccup was in his arms, he could control the situation. He could comfort him and protect him.

He couldn't believe Professor Cooke was involved in this. He had desperately hoped the person wasn't someone Hiccup had actually known. That his boyfriend would catch a break after everything he had been through.

But no. Instead, the universe had decided Hiccup should have his faith in people broken even more. Someone Hiccup had cared about had helped someone hurt him and try to kill him. What kind of emotional damage would that leave?

He knew their friends were watching them, despite standing with his back to them and he wondered if it was making Hiccup uncomfortable. They only wanted to help, but he knew Hiccup was fragile right now, so their attention might not be what he needed.

"Do you want to get out of here?" he asked and planted a kiss in the Viking's hair. The soft strands tickled his lips. He tightened the grip around Hiccup protectively.

"Yeah." Hiccup said, almost inaudibly into his blue hoodie.

"Okay." Jack replied and slid his hand into Hiccup's. His boyfriend lifted his head and then took a step back, breaking their embrace.

"We'll see you guys later." Jack told their friends who all nodded slowly without saying anything. The concern was evident in their tightened lips, their crinkled foreheads, their caring eyes, but they understood that now wasn't the time to talk about all of this. Clearly, Hiccup needed some peace and quiet first, before he would be ready to discuss it with all of them.

Jack was going to make sure he got that. He was going to make sure Hiccup got _anything_ he needed. As his boyfriend, it was his job to protect him, to comfort him and support him and that was exactly what he was going to do.

Why would Professor Cooke do this to Hiccup? That was the question that kept gnawing at his mind, as he and Hiccup headed towards the room of requirement to get some privacy. Toothless followed them closely, his black paws swiftly moving to keep up with them. Jack kept his boyfriend close with an arm around his shoulder and shielded him from the students passing them by in the corridors. Whenever he glanced at Hiccup, the Viking just stared ahead blankly.

All of this just didn't make sense. Professor Cooke had always seemed like a decent person and he liked Hiccup. He always complimented his skills, they often talked and laughed during class and they seemed to have many things in common. Why would he play a part in Hiccup's torture and near death experience?

Hiccup had the answers he needed but he knew he had to be patient.

When they found themselves in front of the familiar wall, the large wooden doors to the room appeared shortly after. Jack wasted no time in flinging them open and getting him and Hiccup inside, so he could comfort his boyfriend without worrying about prying eyes and people overhearing their conversation.

Hiccup slumped down on one of the couches and sat in silence, staring into nothing. The anger Jack had seen in his eyes when he came out of the classroom after having talked to Professor Cooke had dimmed.

He sat down next to Hiccup and Toothless jumped onto the couch and placed himself on Hiccup's other side. The black cat watched the brunet with large, worried eyes.

The silence was tense and the longer Hiccup remained quiet and avoided eye contact, the more concerned Jack became.

Despite this, he gave Hiccup his space. He would speak when he was ready and Jack was not going to push him. The situation was delicate enough as it was.

The room of requirement seemed darker than usual, the stone walls closer and more confining. Maybe it was his gloomy mood that made the room seem less inviting. Even the flames in the fireplace appeared less lively and the warmth from them seemed faded. He fiddled a little with one of his blue sleeves.

"Jack?" Hiccup said. His voice was tired. His green eyes were glazed over.

"Yeah?" he asked softly, watching Hiccup's face for any change in his expression.

"Do you think you can ever truly trust another human being?"

The words were careful. Hesitant. Wrapped in years' worth of solitude and broken trust. Hiccup's suffering was like sharp nails jabbing straight into Jack's heart, tearing through the soft tissue within.

"Yeah…I really believe you can." he replied, trying his best to hide the sadness building up inside him. "I trust _you_ completely." he added and he really hoped Hiccup still trusted him in return, despite how much his faith in people had just been shaken.

Toothless crawled into Hiccup's lap and began nuzzling his black, furry head against Hiccup's chest. The Viking leaned forward and put his arms around Toothless, hugging him tightly and burying his face in the cat's soft fur. Hiccup and Toothless sat like that for a few minutes and Jack had no doubt that it was soothing for Hiccup's mind. Toothless was always a calming presence for Hiccup but right now…when Hiccup had just had his trust in people damaged once again…the closeness of his animal best friend was probably what he took most comfort in. Toothless had human-like intelligence but he wasn't capable of those selfish hidden agendas and that deep greed and ambition that people were often guilty of. The traits that led to betrayals and horror. Hiccup could count on Toothless to never turn on him and in this moment, as Hiccup clung to Toothless, holding him as close as possible, it seemed like the Viking desperately needed that reassurance. Needed to remind himself that he had a bond that would never change with another creature.

Jack was conflicted as he took in Hiccup's and Toothless' embrace. He was grateful for Hiccup's bond with Toothless but he was also afraid that Hiccup no longer trusted _him_ as much as he used to. That thought made his heart ache and he knew he needed to ask. He needed to know where they stood.

"Hiccup…Do you still trust me?" he said and his voice sounded small, revealing his insecurity. He had to know, no matter how devastating it would be if Hiccup said no. He had to know if he had to start all over again to earn Hiccup's trust. He would do whatever it took but there was no denying that it would hurt.

Hiccup exhaled deeply into Toothless' fur and then lifted his head. The black cat sat still in the Viking's lap and Hiccup stroked him slowly.

"Yes." Hiccup almost whispered, eyes still focused on Toothless.

Jack let out a shaky breath. Relief washed over him.

"But I trusted him too." Hiccup added quietly.

Jack sighed a little. He understood how Hiccup had to be feeling right now. He was questioning his relationships with the people he cared about, the people he knew, because he had_ thought_ he had known Professor Cooke and yet that traitor hadn't hesitated in playing a part in Hiccup's torture and near death.

He scooted closer to Hiccup and put an arm around his shoulder. He wanted to give his boyfriend some kind of comfort. Hiccup didn't react but just kept petting the black cat in his lap. Well…at least he didn't pull away or flinch.

He leaned against him and planted a gentle, careful kiss on his cheek.

The three of them sat in silence for a few moments, nothing but the sound of their breathing and the crackling fire to be heard in the large, stone room. The flames in the fireplace cast shadows across Hiccup's face. Jack kept his arm around him and waited patiently, despite the nervousness inside him. He wanted answers on why Professor Cooke had done this and what exactly Hiccup was thinking right now. He wanted to know how he could help him move on.

When Hiccup turned his head to look at him, Jack noticed the wet shine in those green eyes.

"I don't know what to do with this." Hiccup spoke softly.

"I know." Jack replied and rubbed Hiccup's shoulder. "But I'm here for you. Just talk to me."

"Someone I trusted handed me over to be tortured and murdered." Hiccup said, shaking his head to himself. "How can I stop that from making me doubt _everyone_ I know?" he asked and bit his bottom lip. Hiccup rubbed his eyes and refused to let any droplets fall. Jack briefly wondered if Hiccup had ever let himself cry openly in front of anyone, or if it was one of those things the Viking had always suppressed and waited to do until he was alone.

A sad smile appeared on Jack's lips. "I know this is one more dent in your ability to trust people, Hic, but…just try to focus on those who have _proven_ themselves to you. Words are easy. Actions aren't. Rapunzel, Astrid and Fishlegs have been your friends for years without wavering, your dad and Gobber have always tried to protect you even when they didn't understand you and they only made things worse, Flynn and Merida and Mavis haven't hesitated to be there if you needed it, they've kept your secrets and they haven't shied away from defending you, just like they would defend me." he explained. "And I…I love you more than I ever thought was possible and I hope I've proven to you by now that you can trust me with _anything_."

"You have." Hiccup told him and then sighed. "I'm sorry, Jack. You don't deserve this. You've been there for me right from the start. You've _never _betrayed my trust."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for. Anyone who's experienced what you have would probably start to question how they can trust other people from now on." Jack told him. "But just know that you _do_ have people who love you and would do anything for you."

Hiccup shook his head to himself. "Thanks, Jack." He said and then chuckled sadly. "I seriously don't know what I've done to deserve you."

Jack's chest constricted. His heart was swelling with love and sadness simultaneously.

He cupped Hiccup's face and leaned in. He pressed their lips together softly.

"Don't talk like that, Hic." he said, when he pulled away. "I don't like hearing that self-loathing in your voice."

"I know." Hiccup said. "I'm just…struggling right now."

"Yeah." Jack agreed. "But don't let this ruin everything for you. I know it's hard but you need to hold on to the trust you have with me…and with the others."

Hiccup nodded stiffly. "Yeah…and I _want_ to do that." he said. "This is the worst part of all of this…that it's affecting how I see everyone else in my life. I _know_ I can trust you and the others but...I have this uneasiness inside me and I don't know when it will go away." Hiccup explained, gesturing with his hands in frustration. Toothless shifted in Hiccup's lap and brushed his furry head against Hiccup's stomach. The cat curled his black tail protectively around the Viking's arm.

Jack nodded. "You just need some time, Hiccup. It won't make it all go away but it'll get better." he said and squeezed his boyfriend's shoulder. "Trust me?" he added with a small, hopeful smile, looking into Hiccup's green eyes. They were still a little watery.

A tiny smile appeared on Hiccup's lips and his eyes softened. Jack's muscles relaxed and he exhaled. He knew that look.

"I trust you." Hiccup said quietly.

The words were simple. Short and to the point. But Hiccup's eyes revealed the emotional depth behind them. There was no doubt in those green irises. There was only love and hope. The love Hiccup had for him. The hope he had that Jack would never break his trust.

Jack swore to himself that he would do_ anything_ to avoid hurting Hiccup. That he would do his best to bring him love and laughter and joy every day instead. That was a promise most people would probably make about their loved ones but it was all the more important when it was about a person whose trust in people was already limited.

He took one of Hiccup's hands. Their fingers intertwined, warm skin brushing. He let a pale thumb move back and forth over one of Hiccup's fingers in soothing motions. Toothless leaned against Hiccup's chest, tail still wrapped around the Viking' arm as a comforting, safe gesture.

"Are you ready to talk about it?" Jack asked him.

"Yeah…" Hiccup said. "But I'm not sure how to start."

"Did he tell you why he did it?"

That was the crucial part in all of this. Professor Cooke's motivations would determine just how deep the betrayal ran.

"He had a debt with the hostile tribes. They demanded he settled it by helping them get rid of me."

Jack stopped breathing for a few seconds.

"What? He was willing to let you be tortured and murdered to settle a debt _he_ had built up?" he asked.

Hiccup nodded. Jack clenched the hand that wasn't comfortably brushing Hiccup's fingers.

It was a good thing he couldn't get access to Professor Cooke right now. If he could, he might not be able to hold himself back from beating him to a pulp or hexing him from the rage that boiled inside him. The rage that was not just a product of his anger but of sadness as well. He hadn't known Professor Cooke very well but Hiccup had trusted him. Had practically considered him a friend.

"That's just…I can't even…" Jack said, unable to find the right words to express just how angry and shocked he was by this revelation.

Hiccup nodded slowly in response, apparently understanding what he was trying to say.

"How could he do that to you?" he said to him. "Why didn't he try to get help? Go to the authorities or something?"

That was the moment where Hiccup began to explain everything. He told him about how Professor Cooke was actually from the archipelago, how he had been found and spared by Ivar the Bonesmasher in return for being at his disposal, why he didn't go to the authorities or Hiccup for protection, how he couldn't accept a life of paranoia and fear, so he had chosen to sacrifice Hiccup's life instead to gain his freedom. Jack held his hand throughout, brushing over fingers with his thumb and squeezing it reassuringly. He didn't say anything but just listened and let Hiccup take as many breaks as he needed to explain everything.

"Would those tribes even have gone through that much trouble just for one person?" Jack asked when Hiccup had finished telling him about everything Professor Cooke had said. He was trying to wrap his head around this load of shocking information he had just been told but it was more than just difficult.

Hiccup shrugged. "They might have. They're quite…insistent on getting revenge on anyone they feel have wronged them. And debt is taken very seriously in Viking culture but…we could have helped him. If he would have just told me about it, I'm sure I could have protected him. He could have stayed on Berk for as long as he wanted..." Hiccup told him. The words were brimming with sadness and frustration.

"But he couldn't live with the paranoia and fear?"

"No." Hiccup said and then sighed. "To be honest…it seemed like he was reluctant to leave his comfortable life here, when he could just trade my life and be done with his debt and the hostile tribes once and for all."

Jack scoffed. "I can't believe I thought he was actually a good person."

"You weren't the only one he fooled." Hiccup said, brushing a palm over his face. "I feel like an idiot."

"Don't." Jack said. "He fooled everyone here. No one would have thought he was capable of something like that."

"No, but…I let him get close to me. I liked him." Hiccup said. "That just makes all of this worse." His gaze had lowered to Toothless once more and he let his free hand glide through the black fur.

"But why now?" Jack asked. "Professor Cooke has been here for almost two years."

"He needed to avoid becoming a suspect, so he had to build up a certain image first…and they also had to get someone who would do the actual…killing...so they waited until an opportunity came along…which I gave them, when McGowan and Levin got expelled."

A sigh escaped Jack's lips. All of this was surreal.

"This is so messed up." he said and shook his head.

"Yeah." Hiccup agreed. "I just…he always seemed like such a good person. We've talked and laughed so many times through the years and he's helped me with a lot of different projects and…it's just…everything was just a lie. There was an agenda behind all of it."

Jack took in Hiccup's words.

It was probably one of the most dangerous things about human beings. The ability to pretend, to manipulate, to make someone believe you are a different person than you are. To put on the mask of a friend and lure them into a false sense of security, before you strike and reveal your true motivations. Despite the evolved intelligence such a thing requires, there was something very primitive about using other people for your own gain. About being conscious about the hurt you're going to inflict but doing it nonetheless for selfish reasons.

"There's always more." he said, holding Hiccup's hand a little tighter. "And that's not always a good thing."

"No. It isn't." Hiccup said quietly, eyes focused on his lap, where Toothless still rested, the cat comforting his friend with his presence.

Jack's eyes drifted across the subtle sprinkle of freckles on Hiccup's nose and cheeks, the little scar on his chin, the long strands of brown hair swept across his forehead, the slightly parted lips that inhaled and exhaled, breathing life into the Viking's body.

A soft warmth bloomed in the pit of his stomach. He could have lost Hiccup that day he was tortured but his boyfriend was alive. He was safe.

The instinctual need to soothe Hiccup's pain grew inside him. He would let his love and support wash over Hiccup, drowning his misery and self-loathing in warmth and closeness and loving words. And there was a kind of comfort no one but him could bring Hiccup. Something_ only_ Jack was allowed to do, as Hiccup's boyfriend.

He rested a hand on Hiccup's jaw, stroking the skin gently with his thumb, before he leaned towards him. They gazed into each other's eyes until their lips met and Jack's eyelids slid down, bringing that soothing darkness that made his senses focus on nothing but the tingling, warm sensation of Hiccup's mouth.

It was repeated gentle brushes of lips, nothing more. Soft. Loving. He relished the closeness and hoped their affection for each other would calm Hiccup's mind.

They moved their lips together in a slow, steady rhythm. This was not about passion. It was expressing a deep spring of emotions that words could not sufficiently portray. Jack was not the poetic type, not one to put things into grand metaphors or abstract concepts, but he knew no amount of syllables strung together could adequately convey what he could _feel_ in these soft, devoted grazing of lips.

He brought a hand to Hiccup's neck and let his pale fingers stroke the soft skin, as his other arm wrapped itself around Hiccup' back. His fingertips sensed the tension leave Hiccup's body. The Viking's muscles relaxed and he melted into Jack's arms and lips.

Their mouths separated. He gently pushed Hiccup downwards onto the couch and the Viking lay down without any questions. He placed himself on top of Hiccup, resting most of his weight on his elbows and legs. Hiccup watched him, eyes appearing calmer than before, as if Jack had managed to make at least some of his pain evaporate. But there was still hurt behind the shades of green.

His mouth curved into a small smile, before his lips met the tip of Hiccup's nose. He tilted his head and began to press his lips softly along one of Hiccup's cheeks. Then the other. His lips found Hiccup's brow, his chin, the sides of his head, his ears, kissing every inch of skin slowly.

He dipped his head and began leaving a trail of light, feathery kisses down the warm skin of Hiccup's throat. His nose grazed along the skin, brushing over the dampness lift by his lips. Pleasant tingles ran through his head, when Hiccup's fingertips raked through his snowy locks, showing his appreciation for his affection. When Jack reached the collarbone, he pressed his face gently against it and inhaled the familiar scent of his boyfriend.

He lifted his head and his fingers quickly rolled up one of Hiccup's white sleeves. He turned his boyfriend's arm and lowered his lips to the skin once more, beginning a new path of kisses.

He wanted every airy brush of lips he placed on Hiccup to purge him of a fragment of his pain, until it made him forget just how much he was hurting.

He carefully kissed along the Viking's palm, the taste of salty skin on his lips. He slowly worked his way towards Hiccup's fingers and when he reached the calloused fingertips, the rough skin tickled his lips pleasantly. He flipped the hand over once more and pressed his lips lightly along every knuckle. Then he gave the other arm and hand the same treatment.

Afterwards he pulled himself upwards to Hiccup's face and planted a tender kiss on his lips, before he wrapped his arms around Hiccup's neck and slumped down on him. One of his hands rubbed the side of his boyfriend's head in soothing circles, while he nuzzled into Hiccup's neck, nose brushing against the ends of brown locks. He could hear the sound of Hiccup's relaxed breathing and feel his chest rise and fall evenly. Jack sighed against the warm skin.

"How do you always manage to _do _that?" Hiccup asked.

"What?" he asked, twirling a few brown strands around a finger.

Hiccup shook his head a little. "No matter how shitty everything is…you can always make me feel better."

Jack smiled against his boyfriend's neck. He was relieved he had been able to soothe him. "Good…you do the same for me."

Hiccup merely hummed in reply, bringing a hand to Jack's neck, fingers gliding across the sensitive skin.

"I'm just so relieved you're safe, Hic. That things didn't…turn out even worse." he told Hiccup as he slid off him to lie down next to him instead. He reached out an arm and grabbed the hand Hiccup was resting on his stomach.

"Yeah…but we're not out of the woods yet." Hiccup sighed. "Everything is still messed up."

"Yeah." Jack said. "What do you think will happen now back in the archipelago?"

Hiccup was quiet for a few moments, looking at the ceiling.

"I'm not sure. I'm going to tell my dad about what Professor Cooke has told me…and then I'm going to beg him not to start a war."

"You think he would do that?"

"Usually he wouldn't but this is…different." Hiccup said vaguely.

"How?"

"It's…" he started hesitantly. "An attack on a chief's son is pretty much the same as declaring war. When you put that together with the tension we've had with the hostile tribes for so long now and the fear my dad must have about future attacks on me, I'm not sure if he'll be able to contain himself and try to find a peaceful solution or if he'll gather our allies and prepare for war." Hiccup explained. He kept watching the ceiling, but in those green eyes, Jack could see the worries and the fatigue weighing Hiccup down.

The nausea roiled in his stomach from just thinking about the implications of a war. He couldn't stand the thought of Hiccup being involved in that…of Hiccup potentially dying or getting injured or losing someone he cared about. And if Hiccup ever went to war…then Jack would follow him. What would happen then? What sort of things would he see? What horrors would they both be exposed to?

No. Those thoughts were too horrible. They had to avoid a war. They just had to.

"He can't do that." Jack said. "You have to convince him war is not the answer."

"I know." Hiccup whispered, his eyes half-lidded from tiredness.

It was clear that he was exhausted. This emotional rollercoaster must have completely drained him. And even though Jack wanted to talk more about what a war in the archipelago would mean, they could talk about that later.

Jack rolled onto his back, leaning his head against the armrest. "Come here." he said softly and pulled Hiccup closer. The Viking was soon lying on his side next to him, his head on Jack's chest and an arm across his stomach. The soft pressure of cat paws weighed down on Jack's legs, as Toothless walked lazily up his body. When the cat reached Jack's abdomen, it curled up right next to Hiccup's hand. The feline rested his head on top of the hand and Jack quite enjoyed the warmth from the ball of fur.

He let his fingers glide through Hiccup's hair in slow movements. The Viking sighed into his chest and Jack watched him with a small smile on his face.

"I love you." Hiccup spoke, his eyes closed.

Jack would never become tired of hearing those words.

"I love you too." he said and pressed his lips on the brown hair. "Get some sleep, Hic." he told his boyfriend and squeezed him a little to convey to him that he was safe here. That it was okay to let his guard down completely and drift off to sleep.

"Mhm." Hiccup agreed. He sounded like he was already on his way into the dream world. That was good. It didn't matter that it was still the afternoon. Hiccup could use the rest after everything that had happened.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: THAT EVENING

"He said what?!" Astrid exclaimed and clenched her jaw.

The room of requirement was warm and snug, illuminated by the soft glow from the lit fireplace. Long shadows danced across the massive stone walls, moving according to the rhythm of the crackling flames. They were all sitting on pillows close to the warmth of the fire, their faces bathed in the orange light. They had retreated in here to be absolutely certain they had complete privacy to discuss this.

After being comforted by Jack and sleeping for a few hours, Hiccup had decided to speak to their friends after dinner. He knew they were all worried sick and he didn't want to prolong their concern. He also knew it would probably help him process all of this to talk about it with them, even though he knew it was going to be difficult. But at least Jack's comfort had made him feel stronger than before.

So he had explained almost everything that had went on between him and Professor Cooke in that room. How the professor was actually from the archipelago, the story of how he built up a debt with the hostile tribes and what his motivations were for helping them.

"He said it wasn't personal." Hiccup repeated, anger instantly stirring inside him from reliving those words. He had no idea what to do with all of his unresolved rage. The frustration still flowed through his veins and he was unable to let it out because the source of it was long gone. He stroked Toothless who was curled up in his lap.

"That is just…" Merida started, nose wrinkling in disgust. "fucking unbelievable! He helped someone torture you and try to kill you to get rid of _his own problem_ and he said it wasn't personal? How does that make any kind of bloody sense?" the Scot shook her head and threw her hands in the air.

"It doesn't." Hiccup said. "Except to him. He told me he didn't want to do it but…he didn't feel sorry about it either. He was only sorry he was caught. That much was clear to me."

Jack laced their fingers and squeezed his hand. Hiccup's anger was subdued a little.

"How can someone just stab a person who trusted them in the back and not even regret it afterwards?" Rapunzel asked and shook her head to herself, eyes focused on the fireplace.

"I think…he's convinced himself there was no other way. That he needed to do this to survive and because he wasn't actually the one doing the torturing and trying to kill me, he thinks that somehow makes him more innocent." Hiccup tried to explain, conveying his impression of the situation. He could never be certain though, if Professor Cooke had manipulated him or if he had understood his motivations correctly.

"He's a coward." Astrid spat. "He should have just come to us and we could have helped him."

"I told him that too but…he didn't believe my dad would risk even more tension with the hostile tribes and he said he didn't want to spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder, getting eaten alive by paranoia."

"So the solution was to help them torture and murder you?" Astrid said, narrowing her eyes.

Hiccup sighed. "In his mind it was. That way he could live the rest of his life without being afraid someone would suddenly show up for revenge."

"How are you so calm, Hiccup?" Flynn asked him. "Why aren't you angrier about this?"

"Trust me." Hiccup said, pressure building in his chest from being reminded of his rage. "I'm angry all right. I just…don't have an outlet for it right now and I don't want to take it out on you guys."

Toothless stirred at the words and licked his hand with his raspy tongue in a comforting gesture. Jack squeezed his other hand reassuringly. Hiccup scratched Toothless behind the ear, before he gave his boyfriend a small smile.

Jack and Toothless would probably never know just how much he appreciated their love and support. They meant more to him than he would ever be able to express and were both special to him in a way that no one else could ever be. The love he held for the two of them were of very different kinds but had the same fierce, unrestrained devotion.

"Maybe you could use a training session soon?" Fishlegs offered. "Blow off some steam? Get the frustrations out?"

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, that might help. Thank you, Fish." he replied.

It _would_ be a good way of releasing some of his anger and Fishlegs was a tough fighter. He could handle the aggressions he needed to express.

Fishlegs nodded with a smile on his lips.

"I still can't believe Professor Cooke would do that." Mavis said, tucking a lock of black hair behind one of her ears. "He always seemed like such a nice, decent person."

"I think all of us are having trouble believing it." Jack said.

"Yeah." Hiccup agreed. "I just keep thinking there must have been _some_ kind of sign that I missed…just…_something_ that indicated things were off."

"If there was, no one noticed it." Rapunzel said softly, stroking Pascal who was sitting in her lap.

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah…"

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Hiccup." Flynn said, a wrinkle between his lowered eyebrows. "You couldn't possibly have known."

"Yeah." Fishlegs quickly agreed. "You can't blame yourself for this."

"I know. It's just hard not to." he explained and scratched his neck with his free hand. He knew he shouldn't blame himself but it was difficult to accept that someone had gotten so close to him without his suspicions being raised in the slightest.

"I hope Professor Cooke gets a life-time stay in Azkaban." Merida said, scowling at one of the walls.

Hiccup's gaze moved towards the swaying flames in the fireplace. "We probably shouldn't count on that."

"What are you thinking?" Fishlegs asked.

Hiccup exhaled, listening to the breaking and snapping noises from the fire eating into the logs, his eyes staring into hypnotizing, frolicking flames.

"There's not enough evidence to get him a life-long sentence." he began to explain. "There's McGowan's testimony, his connections to the archipelago, my testimony and the lack of an alibi during the time it all happened. That'll get him a long sentence…but not life, I'm pretty sure of that."

He heard Astrid huff in discontent. "You're probably right but it's not fair. He knew what they were planning to do to you and he still helped them."

"Yeah…but it's not up to us what's going to happen to him now." Jack said and there was a sharp edge to his words that conveyed his annoyance with that fact.

Hiccup forced himself to tear his gaze away from the mesmerizing fire. "No, it isn't. There's nothing more we can do now." he said. Toothless' warm, black tail brushed back and forth across his arm.

"Except that you still need to testify, Hiccup." Merida said. "How is that going to happen?"

"Well…" Hiccup said. "Professor Lunar has told me that I've been allowed to record a testimony so I don't actually have to show up for the trial for McGowan, Levin and Zamora. You know…because of the very…personal nature of it…and because they were caught in the middle of the act. So maybe I'll be allowed to do the same thing with Professor Cooke. At least I hope so…"

"Yeah. That would be the best way." Jack said. "But me and Flynn still have to show up for McGowan's and Levin's and Zamora's trial to talk about what we saw." he said to the rest of their friends.

"Yeah, but that's not a problem." Flynn said and did a dismissive motion with one hand. "We'll make sure to explain every single thing, so nothing will be left out."

Hiccup nodded. He was glad he didn't have to be there himself. He really didn't have the need to look those boys in the eyes again and be reminded of how they had taken all of his power away from him. He also didn't need to hear testimonies and explanations that spoke so unbearably clearly of what he was seen as: a victim. No. It was a relief that he didn't have to go through that.

"Do you have any idea when it will be?" Rapunzel asked.

"No." Jack said. "They haven't set a date for the trial yet."

"I hope it won't be too bad." Hiccup said, eyes drifting from Jack to Flynn and back again.

"No, Hic. Don't worry about it." Jack told him with a small smile. "We'll be fine."

"Yeah, of course." Flynn agreed with his usual air of confidence. "And it won't all be awful…at least we'll get to see the ministry of magic."

Jack hummed in agreement and gave him a smile.

Silence filled the room of requirement, the sounds of the snapping flames and his own breathing the only thing he heard. His eyes darted across his friends' faces. They all appeared to be either deep in thought or not knowing what to say right now. He pulled on one of his braids.

"There is something else…" he told them, eyes taking in the stone floor.

Jack's grip on his hand tightened. He knew what this was about and was showing his support. It was incredible how such a small gesture could warm Hiccup's heart.

"What?" Rapunzel asked.

"I think it's time you all knew…what happened that day." Hiccup said, a little moisture forming on his palms.

No one spoke. The air around them was heavy with tension. Hiccup didn't have to look at his friends to know their reactions. They were all concerned and eager to support him. On one hand they wanted to know what had happened, on the other hand it would be terrible to imagine the horrible details.

But this was something he needed them to know. And now he was finally ready to talk about it with someone besides Jack and Toothless.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and mentally prepared himself. Jack's hand slid out of his and began stroking his back slowly. Toothless nuzzled against his chest.

He opened his eyes and focused on his friends, his gaze drifting across their faces, one by one. As he expected, they were all watching him with worry evident in their eyes but no one wanted to pressure him so they kept quiet, waiting for him to speak.

He focused on the soothing feel of Jack's hand gently stroking his back, calming him.

Then he spoke.

In the dim room of requirement only illuminated by the bright, crackling flames, he told his friends everything. How he had been ambushed, what they had told him, what they had done to him. He didn't look at them but kept his gaze locked on either the warm fire or the dark stone floor, finding eye contact too overwhelming when he was revealing something this personal and difficult. As he explained what they had done to him, how they had cut him and beat him up and cast the Cruciatus curse, he heard gasps and swearing and angry muttering coming from his friends.

When he told them how it had made him feel powerless, weak and ashamed, he had to take a few breaks once in a while to gather his thoughts. His heartbeat had sped up and his bottom lip was sore from him chewing on it.

This was something he needed to do but it was draining to actually share those intense feelings. Jack gave him support throughout by either stroking his back, squeezing his hand or brushing fingers along his arm and his boyfriend's affections helped to keep him determined to open up to their friends. He really needed to learn how to lean on others and his friends were all more than willing to be there for him. The least he could do was to tell them the truth about what had happened.

"And...then everything went dark and the next thing I knew, I woke up in the hospital wing." he finished explaining, sinking into silence after having been the only one to speak for a long time now.

The lack of voices in the room stretched on. Hiccup gave his friends some time to process all of this, but the nervousness of sharing something this emotional had his stomach roiling unpleasantly.

"Hiccup…" Rapunzel's voice said, almost breaking.

"I can't believe they used the Cruciatus curse on you…" Flynn said quietly.

Only then did he lift his head and meet his friends' eyes. Rapunzel's, Fishlegs' and Mavis' eyes gleamed with tears in the light of the fireplace. Flynn had pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them, his eyes narrowed and eyebrows lowered in concern, while Merida and Astrid concealed their sadness behind clenched jaws and tense shoulders, even though their soft eyes revealed their true emotions.

When he stared into Rapunzel's large, shining eyes with a small, sad smile on his lips, it became too much for his friend. She flew from her sitting position and flung herself at him, arms tightly keeping him close, a head of blonde hair resting on his shoulder. Toothless was squashed between them but apparently it didn't bother the feline.

He put his arms around Rapunzel and when he could feel her tremble, he knew that she was crying softly. He rubbed soothing circles on her back and shared a sad look with Jack.

"I'm sorry." Rapunzel choked out, words muffled by his shirt.

"Don't be sorry." Hiccup told her. "I know it's a lot to take in."

Rapunzel pulled out of his arms again. Her large green eyes were brimming with tears and droplets had left wet trails down her cheeks. He brushed her tears away with his thumbs and smiled at her.

"I'm okay now." he said to cheer her up a little. It wasn't completely true but he _would _be okay at some point.

She nodded and sniffled. Then she leaned back and sat in front of him, cross-legged. She grabbed his hand and let her slender fingers brush over it.

Fishlegs got to his feet and slowly covered the little distance between them. He stood beside them for a few awkward moments, before he sat down next to him and put a large, heavy arm around his shoulder, squeezing him tightly.

"We're here for you no matter what, Hiccup." his Viking friend told him.

"Thanks Fish." he said with a fond smile, looking into Fishlegs' teary eyes.

It wasn't long before everyone else left their comfortable positions on the pillows on the floor too to give him hugs and reassuring words. Even Merida, who wasn't much for public displays of affection, pulled him into a tight embrace and promised him that if anyone ever hurt him again, she would hunt them down and hex their bits off. He chuckled a little into her wild, curly hair.

When they had all calmed down a little after being so emotional, Jack scooted closer and put his arm around his waist, leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Even such a simple contact from Jack made his heart thump happily.

"I'm proud of you, Hic." he whispered.

He smiled softly in response. "Thanks…this wasn't easy but...it feels good that everything's out in the open now."

Jack nodded and their friends all observed him with warm smiles on their faces, seeming grateful that he had told them everything that happened, despite how terrible that day had been.

They continued to stay in the room of requirement until curfew was approaching. None of them spoke more of Hiccup's torture and near death experience but chose to focus on happier topics. Hiccup found that it was just what he needed. In between all the chaos and the sadness and hurt, still being able to laugh and have fun with his friends left him more hopeful about his current situation. He couldn't let himself be consumed by his worries and demons. He had to keep focusing on the good things, on the things that made him smile and laugh and feel warm inside.

And he was lucky he had such wonderful people in his life, who would always be able to help him do that.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

TIME SKIP: THE NEXT DAY

The fresh air had cleansed his head from the terrible headache a full day of being inside had given him. It had been a long day in more ways than one. Jack, Hiccup and their friends had had their minds full of worries about the future, of thoughts about war and death and betrayals, finding it difficult to completely concentrate on classes when they had so much looming over them. Hiccup worked through his classes as usual but he drifted off into his own thoughts more than usual and there were moments when his smile faded and there was a second of sadness, before he regained his composure. Jack had the same problem. He tried his best to be his usual cheerful self, but once in a while the worrying got to him and he zoned out and got lost in his own head and all those horrible worst case scenarios he was imagining.

Their spot by the lake was enveloped in an unusual but pleasant quietness. The lack of wind left the branches and leaves in the trees undisturbed and the surface of the lake still and clear as a mirror. A few lone birds sang in the forest around them and it was not shrill, high-pitched noise but a calming, mellow symphony.

The weather seemed warmer than usual due to the wind's absence. A grey sheet of clouds covered the skies, hindering the sun's rays in reaching the ground. To Jack, the surroundings appeared dimmed today: the colors were muted, the sounds were lower and the fresh scents of spring were faded.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" he asked Hiccup.

"Yeah…" the Viking nodded, folding the piece of paper and stuffing it in a pocket in his school robes. "It's the right thing to do."

As Jack looked into those green eyes, he found no doubt in them. Hiccup had already made up his mind, so he would support his decision.

"Are you sure Zamora didn't know about it?" Flynn asked Hiccup, a concerned furrow between his eyebrows.

"Yes." Hiccup said. "He was trying to talk McGowan and Levin out of killing me. It was clear that he didn't know the plan."

Merida scoffed. "What did he think they were going to do to you?"

"I don't know…" Hiccup replied and bit his lip. "I'm guessing he must have thought they were just going to beat me up or injure me in some other way."

"Idiot." Merida shook her head.

"Yeah." Hiccup agreed. "But he doesn't deserve to spend decades in Azkaban. It's different with McGowan and Levin. They knew all along what was going to happen."

Jack hummed in agreement. From what Hiccup had told him about all that had happened that day, it wouldn't be justice if Zamora received the same punishment as McGowan and Levin. He had been a part of it and he deserved to spend time in prison, but at least he hadn't helped them attack Hiccup with the intention of torturing him and killing him. That made a difference.

"It's just…why would they lie to him?" Rapunzel asked, gripping a long lock of golden hair tightly.

"I don't know. Maybe they thought it was the only way to get him to cooperate." Hiccup shrugged.

"That would make sense." Jack said. "McGowan and Levin already got their asses kicked once when they tried to attack Hic, so they probably thought they needed one more person."

"Do you think it will make a difference that you're writing that letter?" Fishlegs said.

"Yeah, definitely." Hiccup nodded. "I have no reason to want to help any of them, so the Wizengamot won't doubt that I'm telling the truth."

Jack couldn't argue with that. In the letter, Hiccup was asking the Wizengamot for a shorter sentence for Zamora, in light of his uninformed role in everything that had happened. He would have no motivation to do that, if Zamora hadn't in fact been unaware of what the plan was.

A sad smile appeared on Fishlegs' lips. "I hope you're right. I never liked Zamora, he's a git, but…I can't imagine being lied to in that situation. Suddenly finding yourself in the middle of torture and murder, when you never wanted any part of that. He must be falling apart right now."

Hiccup nodded solemnly and green eyes glanced ahead where Toothless was napping in the grass.

Jack couldn't help the surge of pity that spread through him. Zamora had wanted to hurt Hiccup and just for that, Jack had the strong urge to bash his face in. But he hadn't wanted to torture or kill him and now he was being accused of those things and had to go through a trial, as McGowan's and Levin's equal. Because of that, he actually felt a little sorry for him.

"Well, it might not be that bad for him. Now Hiccup is writing that letter and Jack and Flynn can explain the whole thing in their testimony, so maybe they will let him off easier than McGowan and Levin." Mavis said with a reassuring smile.

"Let's hope so." Hiccup said. "I wouldn't feel better if he had to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban." he explained and turned his head to look at Jack.

The tiny, strained smile on Hiccup's lips and the emotion in his eyes told Jack he was conflicted. And why wouldn't he be? He was writing a letter that would most likely get one of his tormentors a highly reduced sentence. Sure, Zamora hadn't had the same horrible intentions as McGowan and Levin but he had still been a part of it. He hadn't defended Hiccup, because he was afraid. Instead, he had let Hiccup suffer. So even if Hiccup was doing the right thing, Jack definitely understood why he would feel conflicted about it.

"At least the conditions have improved in Azkaban." Rapunzel said. "I mean, obviously it's still horrible to spend years in there, but it's better now than before the war."

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, that's true." he said, eyes turning to the grass. A worried crease formed on his forehead.

"Hic…after you write that letter, there's nothing more you can do. You're trying to help Zamora, which is _way_ more than anyone could ask of you, so after that…it's up to the justice system." Jack told his boyfriend.

"Yeah." Hiccup agreed and sighed. "I know. I need to push it away."

"Well…let's move on to something less depressing to help you do that, shall we?" Flynn asked. "It's no use to keep talking about it, when we can't do anything."

"Yeah." Hiccup said with a small smile and the rest of them uttered words of agreement.

"Now, Hiccup…there's something I've been meaning to ask you." Flynn said with an air of fatherly authority over him.

"Uh-oh." Jack said, as a smile creeped onto his lips. He knew that whatever this was, it was going to be bad news for Hiccup, because Flynn had that teasing gleam in his eyes and that whole fatherly attitude was also definitely a sign of mischief to come.

"What exactly are your intentions with our Jackie?" Flynn asked.

And there it was. Shit, it was even worse than Jack had expected. His smile transformed into an amused grin.

"Err…what?" Hiccup asked, a wrinkle of confusion between his eyebrows.

Flynn rubbed his chin, as if he was in deep thought. "What are your plans for the future? How are you going to provide for him? What about children? Are you going to wait with the shagging until you get married, like a decent, morally righteous guy?"

Merida and Mavis both put their faces in serious folds, playing along with Flynn's charade, only revealing their amusement through tightened lips and sparkling eyes.

Hiccup coughed and his eyes darted from Flynn to Merida to Mavis. "Uh…"

"Hey, I don't need someone to 'provide' for me." Jack objected. "I'm not some little kid or a damn housewife."

"Hush, Jackie. The grown-ups are talking." Flynn said in a soothing voice, as if he was a child ready to throw a massive tantrum.

Jack rolled his eyes but couldn't keep the smile off his face. This was just bloody typical.

"You need to think about these things, Hiccup." Mavis said, stepping in and matching Flynn's fatherly authority with a certain motherly chiding. "We can't just leave our Jack in the hands of the first guy that comes along. We need to make sure he gets a stable life. And I mean…dragon-riding Viking? Is that even a profession?"

Jack and the rest of their friends chuckled. He looked at Hiccup. The Viking was watching Mavis in disbelief, eyebrows raised at that statement.

"Well, he'll be chief someday." Merida pointed out. "Then he'll be able to provide for our dear Snowflake."

"Hmm, true." Flynn agreed. "So financially, the future looks okay…we can accept that."

"Yes. But what about marriage?" Mavis said and trained her eyes on Hiccup.

"Yes, what about that, Hiccup?" Merida asked him. "We want to protect the Snowflake's virtue." she explained, her serious expression transforming into a teasing grin.

"Come on guys." Jack smiled brightly. "You're being _such_ bastards right now."

"Didn't I say 'hush' before, Jackie?" Flynn asked, one hand raised in a calming gesture.

Jack shook his head in amusement. His friends were enjoying this way too much.

"I'm not planning to propose to him." Hiccup deadpanned to get their friends to drop it. Jack knew that definitely wasn't going to happen.

"Hmf." Mavis said and frowned. "I can't say we're too happy about that, Hiccup. We want grandchildren soon, after all."

Jack's lips curved into a smile. It was a good thing Hiccup already knew about their relentless teasing, so he didn't take all of this seriously.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that 1) we_ just_ started dating 2) neither of us can get pregnant and 3) you're not Jack's parents?"

Merida scoffed. "1) You need to move quickly, you're already 17. I mean come on…you're going to get old soon! 2) You can always adopt and 3) We have so much wisdom and love that we might as well have custody over Frosty. AND 4) we expect at least three children and that they'll be named after us." she said and motioned to her and then Mavis and Flynn, who both nodded instantly in agreement.

Jack chuckled at that. His friends were absolutely mental. Completely bonkers. They were perfect candidates for a life-time stay in an insane asylum. And that was one of the things he loved the most about them.

"That's definitely _not _a part of the plan." Hiccup said, biting his lip to avoid laughing.

"You're just digging yourself deeper, Hiccup." Flynn said and shook his head, pretending to be disappointed. "We're not sure we can give our blessing to this relationship, unless you turn this around."

Hiccup sighed, an amused smile gracing his lips.

"Bloody hell guys, are you planning to scare Hic away with all that talk about marriage and kids?" Jack grinned.

"I'm used to hearing about marriage and kids from my dad." Hiccup shrugged. "It's going to take a lot more than that to scare me….but those three _do_ have _serious_ boundary issues." he said and gestured to Flynn, Merida and Mavis.

"Pssh, we do_ not_." Merida said, waving a hand dismissively.

"Yeah, you do." Jack said and chuckled.

"Like you wouldn't be doing exactly the same thing if the situation was reversed." Mavis told him and stuck her tongue out.

Jack scoffed. "I'm way too nice, I would never do that."

He would _definitely_ do that.

"Yeah right." Mavis said sarcastically. "So…the last crucial thing to interrogate you on, Hiccup…" She rubbed her hands together as an evil smile appeared on her lips.

Jack saw Hiccup's eyes widen a little, as the Viking realized where this was going. Apparently, Hiccup was not used to talking about _that _subject. Jack couldn't help but grin, despite how embarrassing this was going to be for both of them.

"Yes." Flynn continued, where Mavis left off and turned to Hiccup. "Are you going to protect Jack's virtue until you're married or are you planning on bonking each other before that?" he asked, narrowing his eyes skeptically, like a protective father interrogating his young daughter's new boyfriend.

Hiccup had a small coughing fit. Fishlegs and Rapunzel chuckled, while Merida, Flynn and Mavis kept their serious expressions in place, despite struggling to keep from laughing.

"Okay guys, maybe that's enough." Jack said, pressing his lips together to attempt to avoid smiling too much. He should at least _try _to help his boyfriend out here.

"We haven't gotten an answer yet, Jackie." Flynn said and snapped his head towards Hiccup dramatically.

Hiccup hid his face in his hands. "Err…" he said, his voice muffled by his palms. "That's kind of…private?"

"Okay, so you're planning to do some bonking before marriage. Got it." Mavis said, and she, Merida and Flynn all abandoned their serious faces in favor of huge grins.

Hiccup lifted his head again and rolled his eyes. "Ugh…you guys are pure evil."

Merida gasped and clutched her chest. "How can you say that, Hiccup? We're merely looking out for Frosty's best interests."

"Oh please." Jack told them. "You are _not_. You're just using any opportunity you can find to tease me and Hic."

"Can you blame us?" Flynn asked and waggled his eyebrows. "There's so much wicked teasing material here!"

"Yeah, it's a bloody gold mine." Merida said.

Jack shook his head. His friends were hopeless but he would never get tired of the teasing between all of them.

"So what do you say, guys?" Mavis asked Flynn and Merida. "Can we accept Hiccup as Jack's boyfriend or do we need to interfere?"

"Accept him! Accept him!" Rapunzel urged them with a wide, happy smile.

"Hmm…well, financially it looks pretty good." Flynn said.

"Yeah, but on the other hand, he seemed very unwilling to name their children after us." Merida pointed out.

"That's true." Mavis said. "He definitely loses points for that."

"Oh for Odin's sake…" Hiccup sighed.

"And also, he's clearly not willing to wait with the bonking until marriage. Definitely loses points for that too." Flynn said.

Hiccup groaned and a pink tint had invaded his cheeks.

"Since when did _you three_ become such defenders of virtue?" Jack asked them and rolled his eyes.

"Uh, since always!" Merida said as if it was obvious.

"Yeah, we're clearly some of the purest, most morally righteous people around." Flynn said, holding his hands over his heart.

"That's just _not_ true." he replied. "Anyway…you better accept Hic as my boyfriend or I'll run away and hate you forever and never speak to you again!" he exclaimed dramatically, trying his best to sound like an angry teenage girl.

His friends all laughed at his impression.

"Hmm." Mavis said, eyes towards the sky to seem like she was deep in thought. "Well, I guess Jack _does_ seem to love him."

"Yeah, he does." Merida nodded. "I _guess_ we could add some points for that."

"Okay, Hiccup." Flynn clapped his hands together once. "It seems you've actually been accepted as Jackie's boyfriend."

"Don't I get a ribbon or something for that achievement?" Hiccup asked sarcastically.

Mavis eyes widened in mock excitement. "Yeah, maybe a pink one with lots of frills!"

"Okay, never mind, I don't need a ribbon." Hiccup quickly said, seeming quite disturbed by that thought.

Jack laughed at Hiccup's reluctance towards that particular color.

"Come on Hiccup, pink would suit you!" Rapunzel teased him.

Hiccup scoffed. "Vikings don't wear pink, Rapunzel. Ever."

"I have to agree with Hiccup on that one." Fishlegs smiled.

Rapunzel sighed, as if Hiccup and Fishlegs were completely hopeless. "You're not the most adventurous bunch when it comes to style, you know."

"Yes, we know." Hiccup said. "Dress sense isn't one of the things we're known for."

"No, you're more famous for being drunk, violent giants with huge battleaxes who have just as much appetite for blood as that mental devil plant we had to handle in Herbology the other day." Flynn said, narrowing his eyes at the memory of the plant.

Jack smiled. Whenever he heard about the kind of insane, aggressive plants his friends had to handle in Herbology, he became very grateful that he had chosen not to continue with that particular subject.

A flicker of a smile appeared on Hiccup's lips. "I know you're just kidding but seriously…a lot of people actually believe that."

"I know." Flynn said. "That's what makes it so much fun to joke about."

"Well, at least that 'mental devil plant' isn't aware of peoples' misconceptions of it." Fishlegs said and twiddled his thumbs.

"I'm not so sure about that one, Fish." Hiccup said. "It was seriously pissed off about _something_."

"Yeah, what was Professor Cherry even thinking, bringing another bloodthirsty piece of flora?" Flynn asked.

"She _does_ seem to have a preference for the more dangerous plants." Fishlegs said.

"Definitely." Mavis agreed, raising her eyebrows. "I still have red marks from its teeth."

"Me too." Hiccup said.

"I really like Professor Cherry but sometimes I still wish we had Professor Longbottom back." Fishlegs said. "He really knew his stuff and he didn't have a preference for the angriest plants."

"That's true." Hiccup agreed.

"Yeah." Flynn said. "Although it _was _pretty annoying to constantly hear the sound of girls sighing and seeing them making googly eyes at him in every single Herbology lesson."

"Yeah, I remember that…" Jack said. "I've never seen a teacher get _that_ much attention from the girls."

He had a brief flash back to those classes, back when he still had Herbology. The girls were all whispering and giggling about their professor and many of them got bitten or got skin scrapes from the plants, because they had trouble concentrating. There wasn't any other teacher at Hogwarts that had that effect on the female students. It was quite amusing to watch but after a while, it got old.

"Rapunzel had a huge crush on him." Fishlegs said, lips curving in a teasing smile, as he looked at the blonde.

"I did not!" Rapunzel protested, eyes widening in mortification.

"You totally did." Hiccup said and shook his head at his friend's protest. "You blushed every time he talked to you or even looked at you for more than a few seconds."

Rapunzel sighed in defeat, cheeks turning pink. Hiccup and Fishlegs both chuckled.

"Well, she wasn't alone." Jack said. "The Vampire over there was pretty infatuated with him too."

He clearly recalled how Mavis would get all distracted by watching their teacher, instead of actually paying attention, so he often had to pull her out of her thoughts and bring her up to speed.

Mavis hummed. "Well, it's not my fault he was handsome."

"Have you seen pictures of him when he was a kid?" Flynn grinned. "Someone showed one to me once. I swear, I've never seen puberty be_ that_ nice to anyone…except maybe Freckles over there." he said and motioned to Hiccup.

"Can we not talk about that?" Hiccup said warily. The way Hiccup was eying Flynn told Jack that his boyfriend was aware that this could lead into teasing territory.

He smiled. It was amusing how reluctant Hiccup was to discuss his change in appearance. He definitely hadn't gotten used to the idea that people found him attractive now and any reminders of it left him all awkward and flustered.

"Why?" Flynn asked innocently. "You should be proud you were able to pull a Neville Longbottom."

They all shared a laugh.

"Is that an actual expression now?" Hiccup asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm certainly trying to make it one!" Flynn said happily. "You guys should all start using it too."

"I'm in." Merida grinned.

"Yeah, me too." Mavis said. "That man could show me how to re-plant a Mandrake _any_ day."

Laughter left all of them and echoed in their surroundings. They quickly moved on to teasing Rapunzel more about the massive crush she had had on the previous Herbology teacher that she still refused to admit to.

They stayed by the quiet lake for the rest of the afternoon, talking and laughing, enjoying each other's company. It was a pleasant change from the emotional havoc that had been swirling inside all of them today.

Despite the worries and fears hanging over them, Jack took comfort in the sense of normalcy that afternoon by the lake brought. Even though the hostile tribes were still out there, threatening Hiccup's safety, even though a war might be brewing in the archipelago, even though Hiccup's tormentors hadn't been convicted yet, he found a small sliver of peace and happiness in their friends' joyful faces, the familiar teasing banter between all of them, and Hiccup's amused smiles.

It was familiar. Comforting.

So many things seemed to be changing all around them lately but luckily some things stayed the same.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: THAT EVENING

It was strange how the mind was able to hold so many conflicted emotions. Strings of different feelings had created an intricate web in his mind that he couldn't untangle.

He sighed as he flopped down on his bed. Toothless jumped up next to him and nudged his head with his furry cat face. He petted his best friend, stroking him and scratching his neck. Toothless purred and leaned into his touch.

Hiccup's eyes found the dark ceiling and stared at wooden beams running across stone. Toothless cuddled up against his side and his fingers glided through the soft, black fur.

He was furious with Professor Cooke, hurt beyond words by his actions and yet he felt pity towards him. He hadn't chosen to be indebted to the hostile tribes, he had just been a scared child. He had however chosen to make Hiccup pay for that debt.

He was immensely grateful for Jack's support and yet it made him sad and concerned because it reminded him that he was putting him in danger.

He didn't want to let the hostile tribes get away with what they had done to him and yet he would do anything to avoid a war.

It was a strange swarm of emotions. A whirlwind of anger, sadness, guilt, hope, confusion. Sometimes it almost seemed impossible for one person to feel this many different things all at once and yet it was happening to him.

It was intangible. Out of reach. There was something unnerving about feeling contradictory emotions and whenever he tried to analyze them, to grab onto these emotions and figure them out, they simply slipped through his fingers.

A tapping noise broke his train of thought and he snapped his head towards the window. His father's large, black owl was sitting outside with a letter in its beak. He left the bed and quickly opened the window to let the bird in. He gently took the letter it had and stroked its feathers a few times.

"Thanks." he told it and it watched him with brown eyes before it hooted and simply took off into the skies once more.

He unfolded the note, as he sat down on his bed. Toothless placed himself next to him and looked at the letter as well, despite not being able to read it.

He quickly took in the runes written on the paper. Much to his surprise, it was not a letter from his dad but from Gobber.

Apparently, the meeting with the leaders of the hostile tribes had not gone well. No one had been willing to admit to trying to hurt and kill him, but Gobber and his dad were both convinced they were all lying to avoid a declaration of war from Berk and its allies. Normally he wouldn't be completely convinced by his dad's judgment on this particular matter because first of all, his dad could be rather blind when it came to Hiccup's safety, because he desperately wanted to protect him and second of all, he wasn't always the best at reading other people. Gobber however, had always been a sharp observer, able to sense when something was off, so if he was certain they were lying, Hiccup would believe that. He already knew that Ivar the Bonesmasher was responsible, but he still didn't know for sure if the other two hostile tribes were in on it too or if that single tribe was acting on its own.

He sighed to himself as he folded the note and put it in his pocket.

In the past, they had tried to hurt him and capture him and Toothless in the archipelago, but he had never thought he would be in danger here at Hogwarts as well.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes for a few moments.

This was such a big escalation that war might be inevitable. He would do everything he could to avoid that, but in the end it wasn't something he alone could control.

His eyes opened and he slumped down on his bed again. Toothless nudged his side with his black head and Hiccup scratched the feline's neck to reassure him.

The thoughts began to swirl in his head.

Was this in fact the start of a war? Would he and the other teens on Berk be forced into the kind of violent conflict they had been trained for almost their entire lives but always wished they could avoid?

People would die…dragons would die…he might even lose people and dragons he loved.

He put a hand on Toothless' side and pressed him against his own side protectively.

Then his thoughts turned to Jack.

Life in the archipelago had always been dangerous but this was different. He was a target to eliminate and the hostile tribes would probably not hesitate to use any means they could to get to him. They were well known for their brutality.

What if Jack got hurt somehow?

He would never be able to forgive himself. He had dragged him into this by agreeing to give their love a chance. It would be his fault if something happened to him.

How had everything become so messed up? All he had wanted was to make peace between the Vikings and the dragons. To end the war that had been raging on for centuries. He had expected some of the tribes to be very skeptical. In fact, he had expected all of them to be skeptical. But he had been certain he could convince them if he let them see his bond with Toothless for themselves.

And for most of the tribes, that had been enough. Sure, it was a long process to get the Vikings to actually trust the dragons but at least they had agreed to try and to stop killing dragons. For three of the tribes though, none of it had been enough. They refused to see the dragons as anything but savage beasts who had killed and raided Vikings for so many years that it was impossible to put the hatred behind.

And now his wish to end a war between the Vikings and the dragons might have sparked a war between the Vikings themselves.

The horrible irony…he wanted peace but got a potential war instead. How could he protect Jack from that?

He sighed. The nausea was building up inside him just from the thought of losing Jack or someone hurting him. He loved him so much it would break him if he ever lost him or if Jack was subjected to something horrible at the hands of his enemies.

He sat up and made a decision.

He needed to see Jack. To talk to him.

He got to his feet and hurried towards the door. Toothless followed him.

He knew where he could find Jack right now, so he headed towards the library. Normally his boyfriend wasn't exactly eager to spend time there, but Hiccup knew he had an assignment with Merida that they had to work on.

After walking through several quiet, abandoned corridors and up staircases, thinking hard on what he would say but still having no clue, he and Toothless reached the familiar entrance to the Hogwarts library.

He made his way through the rows of bookcases and it didn't take him long to locate his boyfriend, who was sitting with Merida by a table, working together on their assignment, flipping through pages in their books and writing down notes on parchment.

He stopped in his tracks and watched Jack and Merida for a few moments. Jack twirled his quill between two fingers, as his eyes drifted across a page in his book.

Was this really the right thing to do? Wouldn't he just make Jack worry by telling him about this? He really wanted to talk to him, but…he didn't want to cause him any distress.

'Hiccup, seriously.' Jack's voice sounded in his head. 'Don't be an idiot.'

He sighed.

Of course the Jack in his mind was right. Jack was his boyfriend. He had to let him know when he needed emotional support, just like he wanted Jack to lean on _him_ if he had problems he needed to talk about.

Okay…

He could do this.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

The Hogwarts library was not Jack's favorite part of the castle. He appreciated the large collection of knowledge stored in those seemingly endless rows of dark bookcases but the large room was often stuffy. Specks of dust from old books and parchment floated through the air, warmth emanated from the students and there was never an open window.

Jack preferred the outdoors. The fresh air and nature were nourishment for his brain and helped him focus. Places like this with warm, stagnant air, surrounded by dark stone walls was almost suffocating for him.

"Ugh, why is it so difficult?" Merida said and smacked her face down on her Potions textbook with a thud.

He chuckled. "Come on Mer, it's not that bad. And you have me as your partner!" he said to cheer her up.

The two of them had decided to work on the Potions assignment today, when they actually had some spare time. They had only been studying for about half an hour but Merida was already letting her hatred for the subject break her focus.

"Hmmf." came the muffled reply from the Scot currently resting on the textbook. She lifted her head. "I guess you're right."

Jack smiled at her and trained his eyes on his book again. At least he was really good at Potions, so it probably wouldn't take them too long to get the job done.

He spotted movement in his peripheral vision so he turned his head and saw Hiccup coming towards them. Usually Jack would smile whenever he spotted his boyfriend but Hiccup appeared tense, hands balled into fists, lips in a thin line.

Something was clearly wrong.

"Jack?" Hiccup asked, as he came to a halt in front of their table.

"Yeah?" he said. "Is everything okay?" he quickly added. It obviously wasn't, but he wanted to cut to the chase. He didn't like the way his stomach seemed to squirm nervously.

"Can we talk…alone?" Hiccup asked him, eyes darting over Merida until they returned to focus on him.

"Yeah, of course." Jack nodded and left his chair. "Let's work on this again tomorrow, Mer." he told the Scot, who let out a sigh of relief.

He quickly pushed his book and quill into his backpack and slung it over one shoulder.

"You got it, Snow Queen." Merida said, lips curving into a smile.

He gave her a quick wave, before he turned around and followed Hiccup.

The two of them left the library with Toothless behind them. Hiccup led him into the empty corridor outside the library and a little further down the passageway until they reached the currently abandoned Charms classroom.

Hiccup closed the large wooden door behind them, before he turned to face him. The Viking shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

Jack placed himself on top of a dark wooden desk and observed his boyfriend's nervous body language. He really didn't like this. So many horrible and unpredictable things had happened lately, that he feared what else might occur.

"So…what's bothering you?" he asked, hoping to find out as quickly as possible.

Hiccup hesitated. He pulled on one of his braids.

Okay. This was clearly something that was difficult for Hiccup to say. Jack remained quiet and let him take his time, even though the nervousness was slithering unpleasantly in his gut.

"Jack…I'm afraid."

Jack blinked.

Those were not words he had expected to hear. They were simple but the meaning behind them was anything but. He suddenly understood why Hiccup was anxious. This was hard for him. He wasn't used to admitting to people when he was afraid of something. It was a deep vulnerability, he was exposing now and even though Jack was worried, he also felt grateful that Hiccup had chosen to open up to him with this instead of just keeping it inside.

Jack tilted his head. "What are you afraid of?" he asked softly.

A sigh left Hiccup's mouth. Green eyes darted across stone walls, dark wooden tables and chairs and cupboards with supplies before focusing on him again.

"I'm afraid…" Hiccup said. "that you'll get hurt because of me. That I've dragged you into something that will somehow put you in danger." he said, scratching one of his arms in short, anxious movements.

Jack exhaled. Understanding washed over him. "Because of the hostile tribes?"

Hiccup nodded slowly. "Jack…they want to kill me. I don't know what else they're willing to do. I just…I_ can't_ have them hurt you."

Jack smiled softly at his boyfriend. Hiccup was scared he couldn't keep him safe, just like he had been miserable when Hiccup was tortured, because he hadn't been able to protect him. He could relate to his boyfriend's fears.

He slid off the table and was standing in front of Hiccup a few seconds later. Hiccup observed him with those intense, green eyes, uncertainty shining in them. Jack grabbed one of his hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He held on to it and enjoyed the touch of warm skin.

"Hic." he said, looking into his boyfriend's eyes. "I _chose _to be with you. I knew what I was getting into. And I'm willing to take whatever risks there might be."

He meant every word. He would take on warring tribes, homophobic Vikings, wild angry dragons and anything else that might be thrown at them, as long as they could be together.

Hiccup's eyes softened. "Are you scared about what might happen?"

Jack scrunched his face in thought. Was he scared? When he thought about it, there was only one thing about it that truly frightened him.

"I'm scared something might happen to _you_." he said.

He wasn't afraid of dying or getting injured. What he _was_ afraid of was losing his loved ones or someone hurting them. Hiccup's torture had been a nightmare unfolding before his eyes and he would do _anything _in his power to prevent something like that from ever happening again.

Hiccup nodded with a small, somber smile.

He gently put his arms around Jack's back and drew him closer, into a hug. Jack's arms wrapped around Hiccup and he rested his head against Hiccup's shoulder. The Viking buried his face in his white hair and breathed in deep, before he exhaled and left a tender kiss on top of it. Jack smiled a little and squeezed him closer.

"You would be safer if you weren't my boyfriend." Hiccup mumbled. He sounded almost regretful for actually saying the words but somehow needing to get that thought out there.

"Yes, I probably would." Jack agreed and then pulled out of the hug. "But then we would both be unhappy. Is that better?" he asked. "No, it isn't." he answered his own question, staring into Hiccup's eyes with determination.

There was no way he was ever letting go of this love between them because of safety. He would choose happiness over a risk-free life any time and Hiccup needed to understand that.

"I know." Hiccup agreed. "I just…I need to keep you safe." he said and it seemed like he was mostly saying it to himself.

A small smile appeared on Jack's lips. "I know the feeling, Hic. We'll keep each other safe."

Hiccup nodded in acceptance, but his body language was still tense with worry. Jack knew his brain was probably overwhelming him with all kinds of worst case scenarios.

He wanted to make Hiccup's worries drift away, at least for now. To distract him and make him forget his troubles. And he knew exactly how to make Hiccup's brain shut up.

He slowly leaned in and pushed their lips together. His eyes closed. He kissed him slowly and tenderly, savoring the familiar feel of his warm mouth.

Hiccup put his arms around his waist and pulled him closer, so their chests were pressing against each other. Jack's hands found Hiccup's back and began stroking across his school robes, feeling the soft fabric against his palms.

The slow, shifting movements of their wet mouths against each other and their tight embrace, warm bodies close together, made Jack's heart pound rapidly behind his ribcage. The muscles in Hiccup's body seemed to relax, tension fading away, as they both gave in to the moment and temporarily forgot the troubles looming over them.

Jack's hands crept under Hiccup's white shirt and black cloak and his fingers trailed paths across the warm skin, brushing over the many bumpy scars on the Viking's back. He adored the feel of Hiccup's skin against his smooth fingertips. One day, he would have to actually _see_ those scars. _See_ his boyfriend's entire body.

That thought made the excitement stir inside him. Hiccup pressed their lips together harder in response to his touches and slid his hands under Jack's shirt, fingers digging into the pale skin on his chest. Jack hummed in satisfaction into their kiss, reveling in the passion he could feel from his boyfriend. He felt wanted. He parted his lips and Hiccup wasted no time in letting his tongue slip into his mouth. The slippery tongues glided around each other, the sensation creating wonderful sparks through Jack's body. His fingertips crawled from Hiccup's back around his waist and upwards across his stomach and chest. He relished the toned yet lean body of his boyfriend and craved to uncover more of it.

He had an idea. He gently pushed Hiccup back towards the large, wooden desk behind them, without breaking their wet, passionate play of tongues. Hiccup stepped backwards slowly, guided by him, until the back of his legs hit the table. Jack put a hand on each of his shoulders and pressed down. Hiccup followed the movement and sat down on the desk. Jack broke their kiss and pushed him backwards, leaning over him. When Hiccup was on his back on the table, Jack quickly placed himself on top, so he was lying on him. Hiccup watched him with an amused smile that Jack quickly removed, when he grabbed the sides of Hiccup's head and smashed their lips together hard, eager to get back to where they were a moment ago.

Hiccup seemed more than happy about that. The Viking sighed in contentment against Jack's parted lips, before he kissed him back with equal force.

Their open-mouthed kissing quickly grew more intense, moistened lips melting together, tongues swirling, flicking against each other, licking along lips. Jack was completely engulfed in demanding touches, Hiccup's body underneath him, the scent of pine and skin, slick, hot tongues playing with each other.

And lying on top of Hiccup only made the excitement and passion inside him build up faster. It seemed even more intimate than before.

The sounds in their passionate, intoxicating cloud were noisy against the silence of the large, old classroom. Their strained breathing, their mouths smacking together in heated wetness, the hums of delight and groans of desire.

Hiccup's fingertips brushed through his snowy locks, grazing the sensitive skin underneath and sending lovely trembles through him. Jack shifted his weight, so he rested most of it on one arm while using the other to snake his hand underneath Hiccup's shirt. His palm caressed his boyfriend's collarbone before moving further down, gliding across ribs towards the abdomen. When his fingers briefly slid across Hiccup's navel, he smiled mischievously into their kiss and jabbed a finger into it. Hiccup's body jerked. The Viking broke their kiss.

"Hey!" Hiccup protested, scowling at him.

Jack chuckled. He loved it when Hiccup looked like a pouting child. "I'm in charge here, Hic. You just have to put up with it." he teased him, breathless from their intense kissing.

"Oh really?" Hiccup said, just as out of breath, raising an eyebrow.

"Definitely." Jack stuck his tongue out. He leaned his head down and buried his face in Hiccup's shoulder.

When he pulled back, Hiccup narrowed his eyes a little and Jack could tell he was in fact_ not_ going to put up with it.

Hiccup wrapped his arms tightly around him and then rolled them both over gently, so he was on top. The hard wooden surface of the table dug into Jack's back but he couldn't care less, because the feeling of his boyfriend's body pressing down on him was wonderful.

"Maybe this is better then." Hiccup said, a crooked smile on his lips. Jack grinned teasingly in response. He didn't mind the switch.

Their chests rose and fell against each other, quick breaths leaving their mouths. Hiccup's pupils were dilated and the depths of those intense green eyes gleamed with want. Hiccup usually had so much self-control, so seeing him like this…with that look on his face…Jack couldn't help being delighted that he could make Hiccup give in like that.

Hiccup smiled at him and grabbed each side of his face, before he dipped his head to let their lips meet again. Jack's eyes slid shut, lashes fluttering, as Hiccup's mouth pressed against his.

When Hiccup shifted his body a little, Jack was taken back to their make out session in the storage room, when he could feel the bulges in their trousers against each other.

The sensible thing would be to pull back now. To stop themselves before their desire for each other became insufferable and needed to be sated somehow. Jack had no idea when they would be ready to actually take the next step in their relationship but this was definitely_ not_ the place for that. God, why did they have to make out in such _stupid_ places like storage rooms and classrooms?

But he couldn't control himself. He couldn't say no. Not when that meant he and Hiccup would stop kissing and touching each other. How could he ever say no to this? His mind was clouded. The love and desire surging through him were so powerful, it was impossible to suppress them.

So instead, he did something stupid. Something that would only make it even more difficult to stop this, but his body was begging him to do.

He bucked his hips upwards against Hiccup's.

Hiccup sucked in a breath before he claimed his whole mouth again in a deep, forceful kiss. His boyfriend had taken the hint and began moving his body against Jack's, grinding their hips together through their black trousers.

Jack exhaled shakily into his boyfriend's mouth. He grabbed Hiccup's neck with both of his hands. His pale fingers burrowed hard into the skin, expressing the intense urges creating chaos in his body, making him lose every ounce of control over himself.

The friction between them was slow, sweet torture. Unbearable and addictive all at the same time. Jack couldn't hold back his shallow breathing and the groans and gasps pouring from his lips, because this was even more amazing than what had happened between them in the storage room. Hiccup was no better than him. The Viking's breathing was strained and he released hums and breathy moans into their demanding kisses.

Jack could listen to those sounds for days.

The heat between them was almost becoming intolerable. The hot breaths spilling from their mouths, their bodies rubbing together, giving off the warmth of their skin and deepening the passion raging inside them. Every inch of Jack's body felt blazing and his brain seemed scorched, completely unable to take in anything but the sensory overload that was his boyfriend. His hand glided down Hiccup's neck, fingers tracing through brown locks slightly moistened by sweat. A few wet beads rested on his own neck too.

Jack tore their mouths apart before he took Hiccup's bottom lip between his teeth and bit it gently. He flicked his tongue against Hiccup's mouth and pressed their warm lips together again. One of Hiccup's hands slithered underneath his clothes and warm, rough fingertips rubbed all along his side feverishly, while Hiccup kept grinding their hips together. The calloused hand on his soft skin, the delicious friction of their bodies and Hiccup's desperation to touch him as much as possible made wonderful tremors ripple through his entire body.

He pushed Hiccup's white shirt up a little. He wished he could see that stomach but he was_ not_ willing to stop the assaults he and Hiccup were launching on each other's wet mouths. He let a hand sneak under the shirt and quickly found those two long scars on the Viking's stomach. He stroked his palms across them, feeling the protruding, damaged skin against his pale hands. He'd have to ask Hiccup soon how he got those.

Hiccup's hand moved from Jack's side to his upper torso. The rough fingers slid across his collarbone before gliding downwards and reaching his stomach. Hiccup's hand grabbed his skin and dug fingers into his flesh, keeping the same rhythm he was pushing their bodies together with, creating pleasurable waves that shoved away the last remnants of sane thought in Jack's head.

He let his hands wander everywhere he could reach on Hiccup, touching so many places he had never thought he would get to touch. His fingers slid around Hiccup's waist and down onto his ass, gripping it tightly whenever Hiccup rolled his hips. His boyfriend moaned into his mouth, the sound vibrating pleasantly and Jack loved that he could make Hiccup sound like that.

Beads of sweat clung to their necks. Tongues coated in hot saliva slipped around each other. Moans were consumed by heated mouths. The weight of Hiccup's warm body rested on top of him. Their bodies rubbed against each other eagerly.

Jack let the intensity of all his emotions fill him up. The craving to have Hiccup. The soft sensation of loving him so much, he could almost burst. The excitement of the two of them making out this heatedly in an abandoned classroom at their school.

Then the door to the classroom slammed shut.

They both froze in the middle of a kiss. They tore their lips apart and whirled their heads towards the sound.

Professor Mansnoozie was standing by the door. The small, mute professor with the spiky, golden hair tapped his foot against the floor in a stern gesture, but his lips were twitching, revealing that he was actually more amused than angry.

Shit.

Well, this effectively killed what Jack had going in his trousers.

Hiccup quickly pulled himself off him and got to his feet. "Oh gods…" the Viking said before he let his palms slide down his face.

Jack chuckled and sat up on the table. "Uhm…whoops?" he shrugged and grinned at the professor.

In this moment, he was grateful for his ability to laugh off almost anything. Unlike Hiccup, who seemed about ready to explode from an awkwardness overload.

Professor Mansnoozie motioned with his head towards the door to tell them that they should get out. Then he crossed his arms, a crooked smile appearing on his lips.

They didn't need to get that message twice. They both hurried out of the classroom, passing the small professor, who shook his head at them. Toothless trotted after them.

Hiccup closed the door behind them and sighed. Jack grabbed his arm and pulled him along down the corridor, before slinging his arm around his shoulder as usual.

"There's no bloody privacy in this castle." Jack said and chuckled again. "We keep getting interrupted."

"Yeah, but it's our own fault." Hiccup smiled and shook his head. "We should really start snogging in more private places. You know…_not_ storage closets and classrooms."

"Good point." Jack agreed.

Then Hiccup's smile faded and he groaned. "Ugh. I can't_ believe _Professor Mansnoozie saw us doing that. Thank the gods he's not my professor anymore. I'm not sure I could survive having to see him in classes now."

Jack's smile transformed into a huge grin. "Yeah, well _I_ still have to see him in Charms. Good thing I'm not as awkward as you."

Hiccup nodded. "Well, I guess it could have been worse. At least Professor Mansnoozie is always so nice and laid back."

"Yeah, he's great. Think about this: it could have been Professor Keller."

Professor Keller was the strictest professor in the castle and he liked enforcing rules, never letting anything slide. It also didn't soften Jack's opinion of him that he taught his least favorite subject: Arithmancy.

"If that was the case, we would definitely have gotten like a month's detention." Hiccup said. "The most embarrassing detention in the history of Hogwarts." he chuckled.

"Yeah." Jack agreed with a smile.

"Let's just hope he doesn't tell anyone or our secret will be pretty short-lived." Hiccup said.

"He's not exactly the talkative type." Jack shrugged, one side of his lips curving upwards.

Hiccup furrowed his forehead, before a grin appeared on his lips.

"Did you just…make a mute-joke?"

"Yeah, it was pretty good, right?" he grinned.

"Not really."

"Pssh. Like you could do better."

"I totally could."

Jack took his arm off Hiccup's shoulder and shoved his boyfriend's head to the side with a hand.

"Hey!" Hiccup protested, a grin parting his lips.

"You deserved it, Haddock. No one mocks my mute-jokes."

"Well, maybe you should work on your material, if you don't want to be mocked."

"Maybe you should shut your cakehole, Clumsy Foot."

"Making fun of a one-legged person? That's so low, Snowflake. I'm disappointed in you." Hiccup shook his head, his face in grave folds.

"Pssh. Don't make yourself sound all handicapped. You might never be able to catch up to _me_, but you're just as fast as the average person."

"I'm just as fast as you are, even with_ one_ leg." Hiccup said, raising an eyebrow in a challenge.

"Is that so?" Jack asked, a mischievous smile on his lips.

Then he pushed Hiccup into the wall and took off running down the corridor as fast as he could, unable to keep his loud, happy laughter from spilling out of his mouth. Behind him, he heard Hiccup start to run after him, shoes slapping down on the stone floor.

"I'll get you for this, Snowcone! You've unleashed the wrath of a Viking!" Hiccup yelled.

"You'll have to catch me first then, Slowpoke!" he taunted him, knowing that he had a great head start.

"Toothless, get him!" he heard his boyfriend tell the black cat. A loud meow of agreement echoed through the passageway.

Oh shit.

Jack sped up, his legs carrying him as fast as possible across the stone floor, walls flying past his eyes in a blur. Now he wasn't just running from Hiccup but from a bloody dragon in cat shape. His heart drummed quickly in his chest and his breathing was erratic from running, laughing and the adrenaline of being chased.

Even as a cat, Toothless proved a lot faster than Jack and when he dared to glance over his shoulder, the black cat was right behind him.

"Ahhhh!" he yelled and laughed, trying his best to run even faster but failing.

Suddenly the sting of cat claws was in his back and he tumbled down on the floor on purpose, yelling "Oh the pain! The horror!"

Toothless released him and he rolled onto his back. The black cat jumped onto his chest and stood there, very close to his face, staring him down menacingly.

"Hiccup! Tell your beast to spare me!" he yelled dramatically and held his hands up to cover his face. "I'm too young and amazing to die!"

He heard Hiccup laugh and a few seconds after, his boyfriend was by his side, looking down at him with a grin on his face.

"Hmm…" Hiccup said. "I'm not sure if you deserve to be spared, Snær Flekkr."

"What?!" Jack exclaimed in a high-pitched voice of indignation. "How dare you, you stupid Viking!?"

"Toothless." Hiccup merely said.

Toothless lifted a furry paw and extended his claws. They were like cute little daggers. Jack had never thought cats could smile, except in Alice in Wonderland, but in this moment Toothless looked positively _smug_, as he held up the paw right in front of his face.

"Okay, fine fine!" Jack said, not in the mood for destructive cat claws sinking into his skin. "You're not a stupid Viking. Just call off the furry monster."

"Okay, let him go, bud." Hiccup said and chuckled.

Toothless retracted his claws again and jumped off him.

Hiccup reached out a hand to help him up. Jack grabbed the hand and pulled Hiccup down with him. His boyfriend landed clumsily on him, knocking the air out of him, before he rolled to the side, onto the floor.

"What was that for?" Hiccup asked him, pretending to scowl but unable to completely hide the beginnings of a smile.

"You set a dragon on me, you deserve some payback." he grinned. The two of them didn't move to get up but just stayed on the floor, lying next to each other. It was a good thing no one was close by, because this must look just a tad weird to anyone else.

"He's a cat right now." Hiccup deadpanned.

"That's_ not _a normal cat." Jack said and pointed to Toothless, who rolled his eyes. "That's a killing machine in the clever disguise of furry cuteness!"

Hiccup laughed at that. "Well…he only attacks pale, annoying Gryffindors, if I ask him to. So if you stay on my good side, you don't have to worry."

"Pssh. Like you would ever want to get rid of all of this." Jack said and gestured to himself. "How would you even get through the day without looking at this beautiful face?"

"You're an idiot." Hiccup told him, a hint of a smile on his lips and fondness in his eyes.

"Oh please. You adore me." Jack told him with a cheeky smile.

"I totally do." Hiccup said, all teasing gone from his voice. Jack's stomach fluttered from the serious, affectionate words.

The Viking leaned over and pressed his lips on Jack's and in an instant, both of them forgot all about winning their little banter-battle.

~~~~ Peter McGowan ~~~~

His black shoe tapped against the dark stone floor repeatedly, the sound filling the silence of the small, gloomy cell. He sat on his new bed, the softness making it possible for him to actually sleep comfortably at night. The impatience was growing inside him spreading its restlessness through his body. Irritation crawled under his skin like an itch it wasn't possible to scratch.

They kept him waiting. He did_ not_ like to be kept waiting.

His eyes flickered across the same stone walls he had been staring at since he was arrested and brought here in the first place. A new patch of mold was beginning to grow in one of the corners of the ceiling, a small pillow of grey-green fuzz, like faded, withering moss.

He took a few deep breaths to try to calm himself a little. He needed to keep his cool right now. His foot kept tapping the floor beneath it, releasing some of the annoyed energy within him.

The distant sound of sobbing reached his ears. He rolled his eyes and clenched one of his hands. Thomas had recently stopped smashing his fists against the walls and screaming in anger only to begin crying every day instead. Pathetic.

Well…at least he didn't have to listen to Andrew's moaning and vomiting anymore. He had been taken to the prison hospital wing, because he was losing too much weight, since he couldn't keep any food down at all. It was good timing because he was close to losing his temper completely, when he had to listen to those disgusting, annoying sounds every single day.

The sounds of shoes against stone floors made him turn his head towards the door. The entrance to the cells was constructed of metal bars and it was the only place you could see out of the tiny space.

Two guards appeared in front of the cell door. It was two men he had gotten used to seeing in here: a tall, young man with short, black hair and a middle-aged one with bushy, dark eyebrows and a big nose.

He didn't know their names. He didn't care.

The lock clicked and the door swung open, the hinges whining.

"McGowan. It's time." the young guard said.

Finally.

He pushed himself off the bed and took a few steps towards them. They had their hands on their wands in case he decided to try anything. Not that he was that stupid. He would only attempt escape if there was actually a real chance of success.

He extended his arms and they cuffed him, as usual. The sting of hurt pride whenever he was put in hand cuffs still bothered him, but to get what he wanted, he had to put up with it.

As they led him through those dark, stone passageways that had become so familiar to him now, he couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his lips. Not even the smell of dusty, mold-infested, old cells or the sight of those sickening, dull light bulbs could dim his satisfaction.

He had been looking forward to this.

The guards kept their grips tight on his arms and one hand on their wands at all times, as they walked towards their destination.

After a few minutes, they stopped in front of a large, wooden door. The young guard unlocked it, while the middle-aged one pointed his wand directly at him, in case he would be stupid enough to make a move.

He sighed and rolled his eyes.

The young guard pushed open the wooden door. It creaked and gradually revealed a large room, the size of most of the classrooms at Hogwarts. Its stone walls were just as dark as any other place in Azkaban but they appeared cleaner, lacking mold and dirt. There were a few barred windows placed high on the walls, letting sunlight stream in. The room was sparsely decorated: it had a few wooden tables and chairs as well as a bench but besides that, there was nothing in there.

The guards uncuffed him and he took his place on one of the chairs by the large, square table in the middle of the room. He lifted his head and watched the beams of sunlight shining through the windows, illuminating part of the stone floor and one of the walls.

The door creaked once more and he turned his head.

A mild surprise swept over him as his eyes took in the two prisoners accompanied by four guards.

They were quite big and muscular. One of them seemed to be in his 30's with long dark hair and a large, red scar across one eye, while the other was closer to his own age; somewhere in his 20's, with blond hair down to his ears and plenty of freckles.

The guards uncuffed the two prisoners and took their place by the door.

He raised an eyebrow, when the two prisoners didn't even seem to notice he was there, but merely sat down together by one of the other tables. The blonde one pulled out a deck of cards and began shuffling them, before dealing out cards to both of them.

Well…he wasn't going to just sit here and be ignored. A part of his deal with the government was to be able to socialize with other prisoners and that was exactly what he was going to do. Being in a cell without any human contact left him craving someone to figure out, control and manipulate. He missed the games and the power plays that every social interaction brought.

He pushed out his chair and approached the other two prisoners. When he sat down by their table, they both acknowledged his existence with a quick, uninterested glance, before they went back to focusing on their card game.

The irritation was bubbling in his gut. These losers had no right to treat him like this.

He reached a hand across the table. "Deal me some cards."

A card game would be a good way to learn something about his two fellow prisoners. Something he might be able to use later.

They ignored him.

"Hey!" he raised his voice, nose wrinkling in annoyance. "I said, deal me some cards."

Nothing happened. They continued playing their game.

He slammed his fist onto the wooden surface. A loud thud. The table shook a little.

The two prisoners turned their heads and glared at him, eyes narrowed in annoyance.

Well, they weren't the only ones annoyed. He was almost fuming with anger now. No one ignored him like that.

"Deal. me. some. cards" he said again, making sure his voice was threatening enough. He was going to show them who was in control here.

The dark-haired prisoner with the scar began to make gestures with his hands to the blonde one, who snickered in reply.

And that was the moment he realized that these people were deaf.

The rage infected every part of his body. His heart raced, his hands balled up tightly, his breathing had quickened.

He whirled around, facing the guards.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" he shouted at them, gesturing to the two other prisoners. "They're fucking deaf!"

"So?" one of the guards shrugged.

"So!?" he said. "I can't even talk to them properly! I don't know bloody sign language."

"I missed the part where that's our problem?" another guard said with a small smile.

"This wasn't what I was promised!" he protested, gesturing wildly with his hands.

"Yeah, we were told you would say that." another guard said. "And we were asked to inform you that your deal with the ministry of magic didn't specify what sort of prisoners you would be socializing with."

"I didn't want fucking deaf people!" he shouted, taking a few steps closer to the guards. They all placed their hands on their wands.

"Well, you should have specified that in your deal then." The young guard with the black hair said.

"UGH!" he exclaimed, as he began pacing. "What the hell am I supposed to do with these two pathetic idiots!?" he roared, as he reached the table and pointed at the two prisoners.

A flash of movement. A force colliding with his face. A sharp stinging sensation in his cheek.

His vision blurred. He shook his head a little.

When his vision cleared, he snapped his head to the side. The dark-haired prisoner with the scar was staring him down, while the blonde one grinned.

That fucking twat just slapped him!

His entire body tensed in unrestrained fury. He felt the blood rush to his face. He was going to put this guy in his place.

"I wouldn't do that, McGowan." one of the guards said, apparently having predicted what he was about to do.

"Who asked your fucking opinion?" he sneered and narrowed his eyes at him.

"Suit yourself." the guard shrugged. "But you should know…" he said and pointed towards the dark-haired prisoner. "He's in here for murdering and eating eight people and he-" he said and pointed towards the blonde. "is here for repeated arson and rape. I wouldn't piss them off if I was you."

The rage was flowing through his veins like a disease. Like a mad beast that growled and roared. He wanted to destroy the prison down brick by brick. He wanted to rip every hair from the guards' head, tear through their skin, break every bone in their body. He wanted to bash the two prisoner's faces in until their own mothers wouldn't even be able to identify them.

The ministry had betrayed him! They had screwed him over! This was _not_ what he was promised!

He paced around the room.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the two prisoners communicating through sign language. He stopped pacing and merely glared at them.

"They're saying your pacing is annoying." the middle-aged guard told him and the underlying amusement in his tone only pissed him off even more.

"Well, too fucking bad!" he said. He didn't give a shit about those idiots' problems.

The blonde prisoner slowly pushed his chair out and got to his feet. He stalked towards him, blue eyes menacingly narrowed. His muscles flexed beneath the freckled skin and tight, black T-shirt.

When he was standing in front of him, he truly noticed the height difference. This guy was huge.

Those blue eyes stared at him, a silent threat evident in them. If he didn't keep quiet and stop his pacing, this guy was going to get violent.

He knew when he was beaten. It would be stupid to try something with this guy. He had a physical advantage that was too big to ignore.

He sat down on the bench behind him and scowled. The blonde guy went back to his deaf friend and continued the card game.

He shook his head to himself. His chest hurt from the rapid, furious drumming of his heart. He slammed his fist against the stone wall. He winced in pain but pushed it down.

He had been betrayed.

He wouldn't forget that. When he got out of here, he would get revenge on the ministry of magic. Even if that was many years from now.

No one treated him like this.

* * *

**Author's note:**

\- I wasn't really planning on writing more McGowan POV's but I couldn't resist this last one, because I suddenly had a thought the other day about how it would be great if the psychopath was outsmarted in the end. Then the image of a deaf person (immune to McGowan's manipulation) slapping him and McGowan not being able to do squat about it popped into my mind and I found it too amusing to not follow through on that. So in the end, McGowan may have gotten some good stuff out of his deal with the government (a nice bed, a TV and such) but he didn't get the thing a psychopath always wants the most: someone to control. Someone to make them feel powerful. Anyway...no more POV's from McGowan, Levin or Zamora from now on.

\- (edit). Someone asked me why Professor Cooke couldn't just go live in the muggle society. Well...living there is no guarantee a witch or wizard won't find you and the hostile tribes have witches and wizards at their disposal, who in turn have their own contacts in the muggle society, so they do have resources available to try to track someone down (which they would do, since it would be a bad idea for a violent tribe to signal to their enemies that it doesn't have consequences when someone betrays them). In the actual Harry Potter books and movies Professor Slughorn moved from random muggle house to random muggle house on a regular basis because he was afraid the death eaters would find him and yet Dumbledore still managed to track him down (and yes, I know that's Dumbledore and he knows all kinds of weird things that are never explained at all but still), so the fact that Slughorn feared the death eaters would find him even though he moved from location to location and the fact that Dumbledore did find him means it's not impossible to track a wizard or witch down in the muggle society. So the tribes might or might not have been able to actually find him but just the possibility is enough to give him a life of fear, constantly moving, never being able to have any stable relationships or jobs and so on. He can't accept that. He also couldn't just stay at Hogwarts, because he knows the castle isn't impenetrable, since he had been a source himself, so it's not impossible that the tribes could have more than one source inside that Cooke simply doesn't know about or that they could get a new source at some time in the future. What Cooke wants is his freedom, since he's been in the clutches of the tribes since he was 13, having their demands and his debt hanging over his head, and (in his mind at least) he can never truly be free from them and the fear and paranoia unless he does what they say and pays off his debt.

\- Guest reviews: Pooka: Thank you for the kind words as usual! :) I do appreciate it :) Me aka Guest: Well, McGowan could have said it was Jack but that wouldn't be very clever of him, since his deal with the government relies on him giving them accurate information and Jack had a solid alibi, since he had just been in class and was on his way to his next class when Flynn got him and they helped Hiccup.


	19. Letting Go & Holding Back

**Author's note:**

Hi guys :)

This chapter was a real bitch to write (I don't know why), but it's finally done! :) I hope you will like it.

I have to say a big thanks to everyone who leaves reviews. It makes me very happy and helps me stay motivated to work hard on this story :) You guys are awesome!

Also: there will be sneak peeks of future chapters once in a while on my Tumblr (link on profile), for those who are interested.

On with the story!

* * *

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

His shirt stuck to his sweaty back. Clammy palms held his friend in place, the warmth of Fishlegs' skin adding to the heat flowing through his body. The smell of sweat, blood and the padded rubbery floor permeated the air. The essence of their fighting sessions expressed through scent.

"Miskunn? [Mercy?]" he panted, pinning Fishlegs' body down on the floor.

"Já. [Yes]" the answer spilled from Fishlegs' lips.

He released the wet grip on his friend and removed the knee from between his shoulder blades. He barely registered the cheerful sounds from Jack and the others, who were watching them.

He lifted himself off Fishlegs. Sweaty, brown strands clung to his forehead. His shallow breathing didn't fill his lungs properly, short intakes of air making his chest heave. Adrenaline pumped through his system, flooding raw energy into every part of him.

He should be feeling the strain of fighting now. But he didn't. He was ready to go again right away, even though they had already fought for two rounds.

Fishlegs pulled himself up, panting and holding his sides. A trickle of blood slowly trailed down his face from a split eyebrow.

The rounds had been quite brutal ones. His rage increased his endurance and made him stronger than usual, but it also made him less analytical because his mind was distracted. That meant Fishlegs got punches and kicks in more often than usual, but it also meant that he was less affected by them and could keep going for longer periods of time.

He stretched his neck from side to side until he heard a satisfying cracking sound. Droplets of sweat formed a wet path along his hairline. His shirt seemed to stick to him more and more by the second, the unpleasant moistness making the fabric hug his skin tightly.

It felt good to let the rage out. It might look disturbing to other people but it was like some kind of therapy and Hiccup was certain it was a lot healthier for him to unleash it like this instead of just suppressing it, making it grow and fester.

As he watched Fishlegs wipe away the blood on his face with a towel, he clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to keep himself occupied until they could fight again. The adrenaline combined with the rage put him on edge. He had too much energy in his body, like a pressure was heating up the blood in his veins, threatening to make them burst wide open. But he had to be patient, because Fishlegs needed a break. He didn't have anger to keep him energized.

He glanced at Jack who was talking to the others, while waiting for him and Fishlegs to fight again. Toothless rested comfortably in Jack's lap, while his boyfriend showered the black cat with affection, scratching and petting him.

He cracked his fingers and inspected the damage on his hands. Scrapes and small smears of blood marred the skin, evidence of his fists colliding with Fishlegs' body.

He knew Fishlegs could take it and would tell him if something went too far. Otherwise, he would never have agreed to do this.

Drops of heated blood slowly trailed down from his nose. He wiped the skin and looked at the red liquid on his fingertips. He brushed it off in his green shirt.

There was something very primal about allowing your rage to flow to the surface by being locked in a fist fight with someone. In everyday life, most humans suppress their violent tendencies. Every person has had a moment where they wished they could punch someone. Or beat them to a pulp. Or simply shove them into a wall. But they don't. They push down the rage and carry on. They recognize that violence isn't a healthy or efficient way of dealing with their issues and modern society shapes the moral values of its inhabitants through laws, making certain that violence is imprinted in people's minds as a bad thing, only to be used in self-defense.

Despite Hiccup's own Viking background, where violence was more common than in British society, he had the same suppressing mechanisms. After all, Vikings were not savage brutes who beat each other up constantly. A tribe had to function to survive, which meant they had to live in peace and cooperate with each other. Conflicts were unavoidable in all societies but they were counter-productive, only increasing tension and decreasing resources, so in every kind of society it would be a priority to make its people less likely to fight each other.

In a situation like this though…he could temporarily banish those moral values and solely rely on his impulses. It was liberating, as if his mind and body were slowly being freed from a poison that had polluted his blood.

A cough escaped Fishlegs' mouth and snapped Hiccup out of his thoughts. He met his friend's eyes and Fishlegs smiled reassuringly at him, as if he was trying to say that it was okay he had all of this anger to let out.

A small smile lifted the corners of his own lips. Fishlegs was an amazing friend, as always. He never judged him and he never hesitated to help in any way he could. Sure, they often trained fighting together, but this was a different session than usual. This wasn't just practice. Fishlegs was pretty much volunteering himself as a punching bag, so Hiccup could work through his issues with someone who could handle it.

~~~~ Fishlegs ~~~~

The strain of fighting was getting to him now. His chest expanded and contracted swiftly with every shallow breath. Droplets rested on his warm forehead and neck, blonde hair sticking tightly to the skin. He was parched, his throat feeling dry and rough.

He glanced at their friends who were all engulfed in conversation, before he turned his attention to Hiccup.

Hiccup's arms rested by his sides but his fingers twitched with restlessness. His eyes had begun to dart across the surroundings, never keeping focused on one thing for very long. His shoulders were tense, muscles tightened by excess energy and emotional turmoil.

They were taking a short break, but even then, his friend couldn't keep still. The aggression, the untamed energy was making it hard for him to calm down and he could tell Hiccup was just waiting for them to go at each other again.

He picked up his water bottle from the floor and took a drink. Cool water sloshed down his throat, chilling the heated skin and sating his thirst. He emptied the bottle in large, greedy gulps and then put the empty bottle on the floor. Hiccup glanced at him, before wringing the bottom hem of his shirt between his hands.

He had begun to feel the tiredness creep into his body but Hiccup didn't seem affected at all except his heavy breathing and sweating. It was like the anger inside him fueled him to keep going, pushing beyond the restrictions his body usually put up.

It was a bit unnerving to see him like this. He had known Hiccup for so many years and he had never seen this side of him before. He had seen him angry, even furious a few rare times, but this was different.

He knew it was necessary though. Natural. Hiccup had been through something he couldn't even begin to imagine and understandably he had a lot of pent up frustrations. It was much better that he got it out like this instead of bottling it up inside, and Fishlegs would happily get his ass kicked in this session and several more to come if it helped Hiccup deal with his situation.

And he _would_ get his ass kicked. Usually, he and Hiccup were pretty equal when it came to fighting but the way Hiccup was able to keep going right now, not feeling the fatigue or soreness at all, would definitely mean that he would win, like he had done in the two previous rounds.

He sighed to steady his breathing a little.

"Okay, Hiccup. I'm ready." he told his friend.

Hiccup nodded once with a small smile and began moving his feet, doing small jumps on the spot.

Fishlegs decided to take the initiative and moved closer to him, also doing small jumps back and forth and to the sides in quick, unpredictable movements.

He and Hiccup neared each other. Hiccup's forehead creased in concentration. They both clenched their fists. The anticipation was swirling within him, releasing adrenaline into his bloodstream.

He moved in and swung out a fist towards Hiccup.

Hiccup's arm came flying up and blocked it, skin and bones colliding with knuckles.

As he retracted his fist, his other hand tried to land a hit in Hiccup's exposed side. Hiccup lowered his arm to protect himself quicker than Fishlegs could reach him.

His fist connected with the arm again, pressing against the hard bone underneath Hiccup's skin.

Pain shooting through his bruised and bleeding knuckles. Drops of sweat trickling down the sides of his face. Erratic breaths trying to get enough oxygen into his lungs.

Hiccup dropped his arms and launched a swing at him, turning to the side a little from the force.

A blow landed on his cheek.

Vision blurring. Pain eating into the skin and flesh. Brain rattling from the sudden impact.

He instinctively held up his arms to shield his face. He was not able to attack as long as his vision was impaired.

Hiccup planted more hits on him, one quick strike after another crashing against his arms, sending ripples of pain through them. The fists were powerful, harder than what Hiccup was usually capable of.

He needed to get out of this defensive position.

When Hiccup's hands recoiled briefly to gain momentum for another punch, he threw his arms around his friend's neck. He used his weight advantage to force him to the ground.

Hiccup crashed down on the rubbery floor with a groan.

He quickly moved in now that Hiccup was in a weak spot. He kicked his side, while Hiccup curled up into the fetal position and air was forced out of his lungs, whenever his foot smashed into his flesh.

This was his opportunity to end the fight. He bent down to grab Hiccup. Hiccup kicked out his leg and hit him straight on the shin with his prosthetic.

He gasped and quickly recoiled to avoid more attacks. Sudden, sharp pain rushed to the damaged shin, where the metal had mercilessly hit it.

Hiccup rolled to his side and got up from the floor with clumsy movements. Fishlegs limped a few steps before he could shake off some of the pain. They were both affected by their injuries, but Hiccup still had that look in his eyes that told Fishlegs he could push it down.

Well…_he_ was close to being completely spent, that was for sure. He wouldn't be able to keep this up for long.

They looked at each other for a few moments, heavy breaths forcing their way out of their lungs, before they moved closer again.

They jumped around each other, moving their feet swiftly across the rubbery floor to be able to dodge a sudden attack or move in and take a swing.

Hiccup rushed towards him. A fist flew through the air, aiming for his nose.

He held up both his arms to block the assaults. Hiccup's hand hammered into them. The already damaged skin and flesh was sore from all the attacks they had already deflected. The pain was growing more intense, its unwelcome presence seeping into his bones.

When Hiccup retracted his arms to hit again, Fishlegs quickly shot out a fist and punched him on the side, while he kept the other arm raised to protect himself.

Hiccup winced and a pained moan left his mouth. But he didn't stop launching more attacks on him.

He lifted one leg and stomped down hard on Hiccup's still existing foot.

Hiccup groaned and was temporarily distracted. Angry fists froze and lowered slightly.

This was his chance to go from defense to offense. He hastily wrapped his arms around Hiccup's neck to throw him to the ground again.

He began to push him downwards, but Hiccup's leg flew up and kneed him in the gut, before he could topple him over.

Air was knocked right out of him. He gasped, clutching his fingers into Hiccup's neck, refusing to let go.

Hiccup squirmed, trying to worm his way out of the tight grip. Fishlegs held on, despite heaving for air now.

Hiccup put his hands on his chest in an attempt to shove him away, but he was too big and strong for his friend to remove by force alone. He kept their bodies as close together as he could, so Hiccup didn't have a chance to hit or kick in any way.

He could see Hiccup's eyes darting around, trying to find a solution. Fishlegs knew he had to act quickly, before his friend could figure something out.

No longer gasping, he tried to force Hiccup down again.

As he pulled Hiccup forwards to throw him to the floor, arms suddenly wrapped around his waist and he realized too late what was happening.

He wobbled, trying to resist Hiccup's weight pulling him down, but he lost his balance and fell backwards.

They both crashed to the floor, Fishlegs' back on Hiccup's chest. A pained sound escaped Hiccup, as he was squashed, before Fishlegs rolled off.

He moved to get up and gain the upper hand but Hiccup was quicker. He had only gotten to his knees, when the metal prosthetic pushed against his back and brought him to the floor again.

Hiccup settled on his back with a knee between his shoulder blades. That was usually his favorite way of ending a fight.

"Miskunn? [Mercy?]" Hiccup asked breathlessly.

"Ja. [Yes]" he agreed, his chest heaving. There was no way he had energy for more of this.

"Okay." Hiccup said in between gasping for air, removing the knee from his back. "I think that's enough for now."

Fishlegs sighed in relief and he rolled over to see his friend looking down at him. "I'm so glad you said that, because I don't think I could go another round even if I wanted to."

That was an understatement. Every muscle in his body was aching, his limbs were weak and exhausted and sweat was practically pouring down his skin in disgusting wet trails.

Hiccup chuckled breathlessly and a smile worked its way across Fishlegs' lips. His friend reached a hand down to him and he took it, letting Hiccup help him to his feet.

He looked at their friends, who were cheering for both of them with bright grins on their faces. Fishlegs had actually come to enjoy that they wanted to be a part of their training sessions. Not only was it great that they wanted to learn proper self-defense skills but it was also fun to hear them cheering and clapping, showing their enthusiasm.

He let his eyes examine the damage on Hiccup and himself. Bruised and bloody hands were a given after every session. So were the red scrapes and small cuts on their faces. They both had bloody noses as well and he had a split eyebrow, while Hiccup had a damaged lip that had left a dried trail of blood down to his chin.

Not to mention all the bruises that were going to appear soon.

Their friends' cheering died down and they began to talk and joke around, as they usually did while they waited for him and Hiccup to get ready to leave again.

Jack got to his feet and went to Hiccup, smiling at him. He brushed some wet locks away from Hiccup's forehead and whispered something to him. A small, tired smile emerged on Hiccup's lips and the tightness in his arms and shoulders seemed to fade away. Jack melted their lips together in a tender kiss and afterwards Hiccup pulled Jack into a hug, holding him tight while closing his eyes for a moment.

Fishlegs glanced to the side. While their other friends were busy bantering, Rapunzel was watching Jack and Hiccup as well, with Toothless by her side. She had that gentle look in her eyes that she always got, when she was touched by something.

Fishlegs couldn't say he didn't feel the same way. Every time he saw Jack and Hiccup be affectionate with each other, a soft warmth surfaced in his chest. He was grateful one of his best friends had found love. The fact that it was with another one of his friends just made it even better. He couldn't care less that they were two guys and that that wasn't approved of in Viking culture. Love was love in his opinion. But he was worried about what would happen when the other Vikings back home found out.

Their relationship was very new but it was clear that Jack was good for him. Even when they were just friends, Jack managed to get Hiccup to open up about stuff that not even he and Rapunzel could and he never hesitated in being there for Hiccup in any way he could. And now…even though Hiccup was in the middle of a healing process after being tortured and being betrayed by someone he trusted, he was_ happy_ whenever he was around Jack. That was all that mattered to Fishlegs.

When Jack and Hiccup slid out of each other's arms, Hiccup kissed Jack on the forehead. It was a simple act and yet it held so much meaning. All of their affections did. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that his two friends were hopelessly in love with each other and that their love went way beyond a simple teenage romance.

He grabbed two fresh towels from one of the cupboards with supplies and approached Hiccup and Jack. He threw the towel at his Viking friend and watched it land on his head.

Hiccup grabbed it and slid it off, grinning at him. "Thanks." he said.

"No problem." he replied. "Man…I need a shower now." he added and chuckled. His shirt had big, wet patches under his arms, on his back and on his belly, his hair was slick with sweat and his body felt like it was dangerously close to overheating.

"So does he." Jack chuckled and motioned to Hiccup with his head. "You're all sweaty." he added and wrinkled his nose, as he observed Hiccup wipe his face and hair with the white, fluffy towel.

"I thought you'd like that?" Hiccup teased him, grabbing his water bottle from the floor, pouring a little water on the towel before he scrubbed off the dried blood on his face. Fishlegs quickly followed his example. After all, it would be fairly suspicious to walk about the hallways with blood on your face.

"Oh, ha ha." Jack said sarcastically. "I'm not into smelly, sweat drenched guys, Hic."

Fishlegs smiled at them as he dropped the bloody towel to the floor. Their condescending banter was just proof of how much they really meant to each other, anyone who knew them was aware of that.

"Oh, really?" Hiccup said, eyebrows raised in amusement, throwing his towel to the side of the room.

"Yup." Jack replied. "Stinking Viking."

"You love it."

"I really don't."

"You so do. Just admit it."

Jack scoffed. "I _don't _like bad body odor, idiot."

"I'm not even at that stage yet, Jack and you know it. Sweat doesn't smell of anything in itself, it's only when it comes in contact with bacteria on the skin it starts to smell bad and that doesn't happen right away."

"Pssh, don't give me that science lecture, dragon boy. You're seriously in need of some soap and water."

"Well, I never denied _that_."

"It sure seemed like it. Apparently, you just like reeking, huh? What do you have against taking a shower?"

Hiccup leaned in and whispered something in Jack's ear that made his blue eyes widen for a second before a grin revealed those unbelievably white teeth.

Clearly, Hiccup was teasing him with some kind of flirty comment.

That was another thing that was still very new to Fishlegs: watching Hiccup flirt with someone. He had never seen him do that before and it was strange but not in a bad way. He and Hiccup were basically like brothers, and he usually became quite awkward when the topic fell on romance or sex, so for him to open up like that and flirt with someone would require him to be completely comfortable with that person and trust them. Jack made him forget his usual self-consciousness.

"Is that so?" Jack asked in reply to Hiccup's comment and lifted an eyebrow.

"Come here." Hiccup said and looped an arm around Jack's waist, pulling him closer. Hiccup pressed their lips together and they both closed their eyes in contentment.

"So…are you tired now, Hiccup?" he asked his friend, when Hiccup and Jack broke their kiss.

"Yeah, I'm beginning to feel it." Hiccup grinned, still having his arms wrapped around Jack.

Fishlegs nodded with a grin. "About time…I'm beat." he sighed.

Hiccup chuckled and let go of Jack. "Anger is an effective source of energy."

"Yeah, it must be. You looked like you could have kept going for hours."

"Well, it's wearing off now." Hiccup smiled. Then his eyes softened. "Thanks Fish…for helping me. This was good."

"No problem. Just let me know when we should do it again." he said, relieved that it had actually helped Hiccup. That made all the horrible heat and aches in his body worth it.

"I will." Hiccup agreed.

"Maybe we should get going, guys?" Flynn asked them from where the rest of their friends were still sitting, raising his voice so they could hear him properly.

"Just a minute!" Rapunzel said and hurried towards them. She took out her wand and quickly healed his split eyebrow and Hiccup's damaged lip.

"I'm not even going to bother changing before we go." he said to Hiccup and picked up his black cloak, putting it on and closing it, so it covered his sweat drenched clothing.

He couldn't wait to escape from those disgustingly wet clothes and get a nice, cooling shower, feeling that lovely, fresh sensation of being clean again.

"Yeah, me neither." Hiccup said, before he also put his cloak on.

They both grabbed their bags and headed towards the doors with their friends. Every step was a reminder of just how knackered and abused his body was. This had been a brutal session and he seriously craved rest now.

"I'm pretty sore right now." Mavis said and stretched out her arms.

"Me too. And all we did was those exercises. We didn't even get sweaty." Merida said, as they reached the mostly deserted passageways. Most of the other students were in their common rooms at this hour, socializing or getting some homework done before it was time for bed. The corridors were dim, only the light of the moon through the large windows and the lamps on the side of the walls brightening their surroundings.

"Unlike those two." Flynn teased and motioned to him and Hiccup, before contorting his face as if they smelled bad.

"Well, you'd be sweaty too if you'd fought like we just did." Hiccup told him.

"Guess again, Freckles. I've trained my body not to sweat. Don't want to mess up all of_ this_." Flynn said and gestured to himself.

They all laughed at that and the sound reverberated against the stone walls.

"Riiight." Jack drawled.

Fishlegs had come to enjoy both Flynn's and Jack's mock superiority. That didn't mean he wouldn't shoot them down occasionally though.

"Actually, a person would die from overheating if they didn't sweat." he said, a small, teasing smile appearing on his lips.

"Not this person." Flynn said and pointed both his thumbs at himself.

"Yeah, you would." Hiccup deadpanned. "Anyone in this world would."

Flynn huffed in protest. "Well, I'm _out of this world_, you should know that by now."

"Oh, trust me, we know." Merida said. "A face _that _ugly has to be from some other dimension."

They all shared a laugh at that remark.

"Just keep those comments coming, Curly." Flynn told her with a wink. "We all know that the more you insult me, the more you want me."

Merida snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Of course." Jack said sarcastically and shook his head, before he put an arm around Hiccup, as had become their little ritual even before they were dating.

Walking along corridor after corridor, they continued to discuss Flynn's claims that he was able to avoid sweating. Jack, Merida and Mavis shot sarcastic and teasing remarks at him, while he and Hiccup poked holes in his arguments with facts about the human body. At one point, Flynn tried to get Rapunzel to back him up, but she only chuckled and told him that he was on his own with this one.

When it was time for him, Rapunzel and Hiccup to split up from their Gryffindor friends to head to Ravenclaw tower, they all said their goodbyes, including shooting some last teasing comments at each other. Jack and Hiccup glanced around them before wrapping their arms around each other and letting their lips meet in a soft goodbye kiss.

Rapunzel looked ready to melt into a pile of goo every time their two friends kissed and this was no exception. The "awww" that escaped her lips made Fishlegs smile. He was sure that Jack and Hiccup kissed each other senseless whenever they were alone but they didn't do that in front of him and the others, so it would probably take some time before their kissing became familiar to all of them.

When Jack squeezed Hiccup closer and buried his face in his shoulder, Fishlegs briefly thought about the training session they had just had.

Jack had been more focused than he had ever seen him before. He had smiled at Mavis' and Rapunzel's jokes and Flynn's and Merida's banter, but he hadn't initiated any teasing or goofing off. He kept himself focused on the training and worked hard to get the repetitive exercises just right, so his body would become familiar with the movements and come to know them by instinct. Learning to fight included _a lot_ of repetition to develop proper muscle memory and that could be quite dull. But it was necessary and despite Jack's intolerance of boring things, he pushed through it and didn't break his concentration.

Fishlegs was fairly certain he knew what had brought about this change; before, Jack had been learning how to fight for his own sake. Because it was practical to know self-defense. Now, he was learning how to fight to help protect Hiccup. He was trying to prepare himself as much as possible, if war eventually became a reality in the archipelago.

Jack and Hiccup broke away from each other and while Jack and the other Gryffindors went on their way to their common room, he, Rapunzel and Hiccup headed towards Ravenclaw tower with Toothless trotting happily beside them.

Fishlegs had no doubt that Jack would want to follow Hiccup, if a battle occurred. In fact, all of their friends would most likely want to follow them to help out any way they could. And being prepared for that was an intelligent thing to do, but at the same time it painfully reminded him of the potential conflict that loomed over his home and all the Vikings and dragons he knew.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

TIME SKIP: THE NEXT DAY

A lone sunbeam made it through one of the sparse, dusty windows of the gloomy classroom. It bathed several of the large containers on the dark shelves in its brightness, the glass shining and reflecting the light. He squinted, as a bright ray entered his vision. He put the lid back on the glass container he was holding and placed it on the shelf. He had miscalculated how much cowbane he needed for his potion, so he had to put the leftover ingredient back.

When he was headed to his workstation, he passed by Hiccup and Fishlegs who were in the middle of brewing their own potions. Fishlegs was chopping up some starthistles while Hiccup was stirring his batch, vapor rising from the cauldron.

He stopped in his tracks, as he caught scent of his boyfriend's potion. His nose wrinkled. Something was very wrong. It was _not _supposed to smell that way.

He walked up behind Hiccup, peeked over his shoulder and put a hand on his back. Hiccup glanced at him, before returning his focus to the cauldron, stirring the liquid with a frustrated sigh.

"Okay, well clearly you fucked something up." Jack said, moving around him to come closer to study the fluid in the cauldron.

The potion in it was supposed to be a bright red with a thick consistency and a faint scent of flowers but Hiccup's batch had turned into a thin, green liquid with an awful smell. Something like a mix of burnt toast and mold.

"No kidding." Hiccup said and stopped stirring the potion. He eyed the cauldron skeptically, as if he was blaming it for whatever had gone wrong.

"Yeah, you need to make a new batch." he grinned.

"I know that, genius." Hiccup deadpanned.

"Hey, don't get snappy with me, Haddock." Jack said, his grin widening. "If you're nice to me, I'll let you bask in my glory and come witness the perfect batch I made." he said and nudged Hiccup's shoulder teasingly.

Hiccup rolled his eyes but the corners of his lips were twitching. "Humble as always, Snowcone."

"Hey, come on now." Jack said with a bright smile, poking Hiccup softly in the side. "I'm allowed to brag in the one subject where I'm clearly better than you."

"Fine." Hiccup sighed as he kept inspecting the failed potion in the cauldron with a wrinkle on his forehead.

"Awwwww." Jack cooed and tilted his head. "Are you pouting, big baby boo?" he said, parroting what Hiccup had said to him and Toothless so many times, just to rub this in even more.

"No."

"Yes, you are. Aww, poor little Viking. Do you need a hug?"

"No. Get away from me." Hiccup said and shoved him, struggling to keep a smile away from his lips now.

Jack took a few steps back uncertainly, before he laughed as he regained his balance.

"No, I don't think so, Hic." he said and crossed his arms defiantly. "I'll just stick around here and enjoy my superiority."

Hiccup turned his head and a mischievous gleam appeared in his eyes. A shadow of a smirk graced his lips.

Uh-oh. Jack knew that look. He was definitely not the only one in this relationship who could be devious.

"Is that so?" Hiccup said and glanced around them briefly. The other students in the room were busy brewing their own batches, the smell of the different, pungent ingredients and the sounds of bubbling potions and light chatter permeating the air. Jack wondered what his boyfriend had up his sleeve, since he was making sure that no one was watching them.

Hiccup moved to his side and suddenly Jack could feel a warm palm rub his lower back gently on top of his white shirt. It was a good thing they were standing with their front to everyone else and behind the workstation, so no one would notice. He smiled softly at Hiccup, who returned the gesture. They were standing shoulder to shoulder and the closeness made Jack wish he could just lean to the side and start kissing him.

Hiccup slowly moved his hand further down and Jack stiffened for a few seconds, because what the hell was he planning? He looked at Hiccup to raise a questioning eyebrow but his boyfriend was now pretending to observe his potion, a perfect picture of innocence.

Then Hiccup squeezed his ass hard with one hand.

Jack squeaked in surprise, a very unmanly sound, and Hiccup immediately let go and burst out laughing. He spun around and walked towards some of the shelves with ingredients, his laughter now diminishing to a chuckle. Jack met Fishlegs' eyes and his friend looked back and forth between him and Hiccup, apparently trying to figure out what was going on. Well, Jack was definitely _not _going to tell him.

When he had taken a few moments to get over the shock, he shook his head, as an amused smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He could not believe Hiccup had just done that in a room full of other students. He turned his head and observed his boyfriend gathering ingredients from different containers on the dusty shelves with an amused smile on his face. He seemed_ way_ too pleased with himself right now.

Well that was just…evil. And really bold, considering that someone _could_ have spotted them and put two and two together. Who would have known Hiccup of all people would do something like that?

When Fishlegs focused his attention solely on him and raised his eyebrows in a silent question, Jack just shrugged with a small smile, before he headed towards his own workstation. His eyes narrowed as he tried to think of a plan for revenge. His pride was hurt now by that high pitched squeak he had let out. He would definitely have to get back at Hiccup for this.

Luckily, none of his Gryffindor friends had noticed what had just happened. Mavis and Flynn were still busy finishing their potions, a furrow of concentration on both of their foreheads, while Merida was drawing doodles on her parchment, having finished her potion at the same time he did, as usual. When he reached the workstation, he glanced at one of her little drawings, Flynn in a big ball gown, and snorted in amusement.

Merida lifted her head and looked at him with a grin on her face, before she continued with her doodles, filling the entire piece of parchment.

After a while of simply watching his friend draw more absurd drawings, like Mavis on the beach under the summer sun and him as a snow queen, while occasionally throwing in a humorous comment or glancing at Flynn and Mavis brewing their potions, he began to get bored.

He leaned against the wooden surface of the workstation and scanned the classroom, taking in all the other students. Some of them seemed distressed by the brewing process, sweating or flipping quickly through the textbook in panic or trying to get Professor Creek's attention. Others were finished with their batches and had begun to chitchat casually, while some, like Hiccup, had messed it up and were starting over.

Speaking of his boyfriend, he turned his attention to Hiccup and Fishlegs. The chubby Viking had finished his own potion and was helping Hiccup chop up the last ingredients needed for the new batch. It wouldn't take long for Hiccup to finish brewing the potion when he had someone to assist him.

When he glanced around the room once more, his eyes landed on Sam sitting on one of the stools by his table, resting his arms on the wooden surface. He shared a workstation with his two friends, Tiana and Kristoff, as well as a Ravenclaw girl that Jack couldn't remember the name of. His two friends seemed deep in conversation, while Sam was busy watching Hiccup finishing his potion. Tiana said something to him and awaited a response but apparently, Sam didn't even hear her. A few seconds later, he was smacked over the head by her and he pulled himself together and turned his attention to her.

Jack smiled a little. He didn't care about Sam anymore. He could look at Hiccup all he wanted, now that Jack knew he had nothing to worry about.

As his gaze wandered around the room again, he suddenly met the eyes of Mia, a Hufflepuff girl with rosy cheeks and a black ponytail. She smiled at him and batted her eyelashes, putting on a confident front before she bit her lip and revealed the shyness she was truly feeling.

The line between amusement and annoyance could be very blurry.

He used to find it quite entertaining when girls flirted with him but something had changed. He wouldn't exactly call it annoyance but there was_ something_ about it now that made an unwelcome feeling stir inside him.

He did his best to return the smile but it was a forced gesture and did not reach his eyes. She immediately looked away, ponytail swaying from the sudden movement. She was clearly trying to hide a blush.

The fake smile vanished from his lips. He observed Mia for a few moments, as she focused on stirring her potion, not looking in his direction at all.

What had changed? When had amusement been replaced by resistance?

It wasn't Mia. She seemed like a nice girl, even though he didn't know her well.

It wasn't that Hiccup might be hurt or jealous. He wasn't that kind of guy.

It wasn't that he felt he was doing something wrong.

A hand suddenly rested on his lower back, warmth pressing into his shirt and he didn't even have to look to know who it was. Apparently, Hiccup had finished making a new batch now.

A smile appeared on his lips. This time it was genuine.

"Too bad she doesn't know you're taken." Hiccup leaned in and whispered to him. The warm breath on the sensitive skin on his ear made shivers ripple through his body. He had the sudden urge to whirl around, pull Hiccup into his arms and kiss him senseless. To show him how much he meant to him, to show _everyone _how much he meant to him.

And there it was.

That was what that unwelcome feeling was.

When he couldn't even express his feelings in public for the guy he loved, it just seemed strange to let people flirt with him. To do and say things he only wanted Hiccup to do and say to him.

"Yeah." he agreed with a smile. It_ would_ be nice when they were ready for everyone to know, even if he was a bit nervous about it.

He turned around and Hiccup's arm dropped from his back. They looked into each other's eyes and he grabbed one of Hiccup's hands, lacing their warm fingers together. He glanced around them, but no one would be able to see what they were doing from this angle and behind the workstation. He squeezed his boyfriend's hand and Hiccup smiled fondly at him.

A familiar energy hung in the air between them. That incessant craving to have _more_, to be closer.

Jack _had _noticed that both of them were simply incapable of keeping their hands off each other. Even when they were in classes or in other situations where people were around, they used whatever chances they got to touch the other. Sometimes it was nothing more than a tap on the shoulder, a hand quickly brushing over an arm or an affectionate pat on the back. Other times they pushed their luck further and held hands, stroked the other's back or rubbed his thigh.

But that was what it was like to be in love _and_ in a brand new relationship. You just wanted to be close to the other person all the time, touching them, kissing them, expressing your love for them. And sometimes it was so unbelievably difficult to hold back.

When Professor Creek began to make his rounds to give feedback on everyone's potions, Hiccup quickly retreated to his own workstation. Everyone in their little group had all brewed successful potions and received praise from the middle-aged professor with the friendly demeanor, much to their satisfaction.

When their professor dismissed the class, they all quickly packed up their stuff and went on their way to their next classes. Hiccup was going to the workshop, so he and Mavis could walk with him for a little while, since they were going to the Arithmancy classroom. Now that Professor Cooke was no longer at Hogwarts, the students in the Building, Managing and Repairing Magical Objects class were left to their own devices until a replacement could be found. That meant they didn't have to show up for any classes but could simply go to the workshop and work on their projects when it suited them.

After saying goodbye to the rest of their friends, the three of them made their way through the busy corridors. The loud noise of all the students seemed to press in on him from all sides, invasively chasing away the calm mood he had been in moments ago. Mavis told them about the latest letter Jonathan had sent her and how difficult it was to be in a long distance relationship, raising her voice to be heard above the myriad of sounds enveloping them.

Jack could imagine her pain. When he and Hiccup were apart during the Christmas holidays, he was _dying_ to see him again and that was only two weeks.

Mavis began to explain how Jonathan was doing, as they waded through the swarm of people, grazing other students' sides and bags. Jack listened but turned his head to look at Hiccup, attention drawn to him by sudden, small movements. Hiccup's satchel hung from his shoulder and he was grapping the strap with one hand, digging his fingers hard into the leather before he snapped it against his shoulder like a rubber band repeatedly.

Jack frowned. It was a new habit of Hiccup's and he had noticed that he did it every time they were in a crowd now. It was clear to him that it was a method of coping with stress; trying to take focus away from the source of that stress and onto something else. It wasn't a coincidence that this new habit had appeared after Hiccup was tortured. He had become more sensitive, easier to stress out. Of course that wasn't a surprise. It would be borderline inhuman if he _didn't_ have issues after everything that had happened. Jack just hoped it would all lessen in time. Seeing Hiccup's signs of distress only reminded him of those horrible things that had been done to him and every time he thought about that, it felt like someone had placed a heavy rock on his chest, weighing down on him, hindering his ability to breathe properly.

He put an arm around Hiccup's shoulder and pulled him closer. They briefly locked gazes and smiled at each other, before focusing on navigating around all the other students. His fingers dug into the fabric of Hiccup's black cloak and he rubbed his shoulder discreetly to give him some support, while still avoiding anyone noticing. Apparently, that managed to lessen Hiccup's discomfort since he stopped snapping the strap on his satchel.

"Mavis!" someone suddenly called out behind them, a shrill voice cutting through the noise of their surroundings. They all stopped in their tracks and turned towards the sound.

Megan, one of Astrid's friends were moving towards them, quickly stepping around any students in her way. Her long, blonde hair swayed with her movements and she carried a few textbooks in her arms.

"Hey." she said, when she was standing in front of them, a bright smile revealing slightly crooked teeth. "Can I talk to you for a minute about frog choir practice?"

"Yeah, sure." Mavis said with a smile and then turned to him and Hiccup. "Just go ahead guys. I'll meet you in class, Jack."

They both nodded before continuing their walk through the passageway. Jack quickly started a conversation between them about what Hiccup was planning to work on when he got to the workshop. Hiccup had even more unpleasant connections to the workshop now that Professor Cooke had been revealed as the one who betrayed him, but talking about the projects he was working on or _wanted_ to work on in the future always cheered him up. Not to mention that he was adorable when he went into full on dork-mode and blabbed on about metal work or leather or wood carving or something similar. Seeing those green eyes light up made listening to so many details about building and mending stuff worth it.

When Hiccup was in the middle of explaining the designs for a new type of saddle he was thinking about making, Harry's familiar voice rang out behind them: "Jack, mate, your bag's open!"

Jack let go of Hiccup and spun around to see his blonde friend waving at him before disappearing in the crowd, probably on his way to class too. Jack slid off his backpack, as he and Hiccup started moving again.

Indeed, his backpack was open. He was about to zip it closed again, when something unfamiliar caught his eye. He stuck a hand into the backpack and found an unexpected item. He pulled the red object out and studied it in one hand. It was a small box of chocolates with a note attached to it that said "xoxo Mia".

"Yeah, you're definitely not eating that." Hiccup said and took the box out of his hands.

"Nope." he agreed, an amused smile tugging at his lips.

"It's probably filled with love potion or something similar." Hiccup said, turning the box in his hands, eying it skeptically.

"Yup." he agreed and swung his backpack over his shoulder again.

He was fairly certain Hiccup was right and he had absolutely no intention of falling under some girl's spell against his will. That thought was terrifying. The only person he was interested in was walking next to him and he would make sure it remained that way.

"I still have no idea why love potions are even taught at Hogwarts. That's not knowledge _any_ teenager should have!" Hiccup said, shaking his head to underline the absurdity.

"Can't say I disagree with that, Hic."

In fact, it was horrifying to think that teenagers had that kind of knowledge. Almost no one could withstand a powerful love potion and if someone managed to get you to take it, suddenly you were at their mercy, completely obsessed with them. That was a disturbing thought indeed.

They passed a bin and Hiccup quickly discarded the red box. "No one is going to slip _my _boyfriend a love potion on my watch." he told him, lowering his voice so no one else would hear.

A smile curved Jack's lips. He loved hearing Hiccup refer to him as his boyfriend. Everything was still so new between them that he hadn't gotten used to that yet. He truly enjoyed the light, fluttering sensation that spread inside him from such simple things.

"My hero." he said sarcastically and held back a grin.

"Hey, I just destroyed that dangerous box of chocolates all by myself with _no _regards to my own safety to save you from falling under some girl's spell." Hiccup told him, gesturing wildly as if he was regaling him with a story of true danger and bravery.

"Yes, I couldn't _possibly _have done that by myself."

"I'm glad we agree." Hiccup said, as if he didn't understand Jack's point, even though he was bloody fluent in sarcasm. "It's a good thing you have me to protect you."

Jack pressed his lips together to avoid smiling.

"Riiight…" he drawled. "I'm so lost without you."

Hiccup shushed him and placed an arm around his shoulder protectively. "Calm down, Jack. You're safe now. I'm here to guard you against fangirls and devious chocolate boxes. Nothing is going to hurt you." Hiccup said, his voice calm and soothing.

Oh that son of a…

He chuckled on the inside, as he watched a door to one of the bathrooms come into view at the side of the corridor. An evil plan instantly formed in his mind.

When they passed the door, he grabbed Hiccup's arm and quickly dragged him into the room. He let his eyes dart over the green wooden stalls. They were all open, so no one was in here.

He hummed in thought and a devious smile appeared on his lips. He needed to get revenge on Hiccup for those comments and for grabbing his ass earlier, making him all flustered.

Hiccup eyed him warily, apparently fully aware that he was planning something. He was right to be suspicious. It was time for pay back.

Jack grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back against the wall, clashing their lips together. Hiccup gasped as his back connected with stone and his body stiffened in surprise, before he let himself relax against him. Their eyelids lowered and Hiccup sighed happily into their kiss.

He began to devour Hiccup's mouth in every way possible, swiping his tongue across his lips, clenching a bottom lip between his teeth, nipping at it, pushing their mouths together with hungry force. One of his hand snaked around Hiccup's waist and began to rub his lower back, enjoying the soft warmness of his boyfriend's skin while another hand kept its grip on Hiccup's shoulder in place, fingers delving into his shirt.

Jack's tongue worked its way between Hiccup's lips and ran along the inside of his mouth, letting it glide over smooth teeth, gums and tongue, losing himself in the wet warmth. Hiccup shuddered with delight and Jack chuckled into the open-mouthed kiss, unable to help himself. He was enjoying this. A lot. It was both fun and arousing to make Hiccup all hot and bothered like this, reducing the tough Viking to a needy, hungry mess.

He broke their kiss and dove straight into the skin on Hiccup's throat, sucking it, biting it softly, leaving red marks and eager kisses in a trail down to the collarbone. Hiccup leaned his head back, giving Jack better access to his skin, hot, broken breaths spilling from his lips. Jack licked his tongue along the collarbone in one languid stroke and Hiccup trembled under his fingertips. Heat bloomed even further inside him and his kisses on his boyfriend grew more intense.

His grip on Hiccup's shoulder loosened and his hand slid around him to join the other hand rubbing his back. He flattened his palms against the smooth, warm skin and then pushed Hiccup towards him. He seriously needed to get him even closer. Right now.

Their lower bodies were smashed together and gasps escaped their lips from the wonderful sensation. Jack_ ached_ to rub against him, like they did the other day in the abandoned Charms classroom but he knew that was a dangerous path to go down, because they wouldn't be able to stop.

His hands caressed their way up to Hiccup's hair and he gripped brown strands tight, as he crashed their mouths together again and again. The heat burned inside him in the most amazing ways, building and building with every touch he placed on Hiccup and every passionate sound and reaction coming from him. His fingers raked through Hiccup's hair, tugging at locks, nails delving into the skin underneath.

When he started sliding his hand slowly up Hiccup's thigh, his boyfriend shivered against him. Hiccup sucked in a breath, his lips unmoving against Jack's for a brief second, as his pale hand came dangerously close to Hiccup's hard on but neglected it, moving upwards to his chest instead. The tickling, bubbling excitement inside Jack from being so close to touching his boyfriend like that was risky.

Bloody hell…he needed to stop this and go through with his plan before he would be unable to resist wherever this was going.

He tore their lips apart in the blink of an eye, despite how _unbelievably_ difficult it was, because he _really _wanted to keep going. But he needed his revenge and it wasn't like they could take things any further in the middle of a bathroom anyway.

Hiccup's eyelids slowly lifted, revealing forest green eyes hazy with desire. His freckled cheeks were flushed a beautiful pink, his throat was covered in little red marks from Jack's attacks on the skin and his brown locks were even messier than usual, sticking out everywhere from Jack raking his fingers through them.

He swallowed thickly, as he took in Hiccup's appearance.

Shit...he was so breathtaking right now that he itched to just shove him into the wall again and have more of him. This was seriously testing his resolve.

They both panted, staring into each other's eyes before Jack's lips parted into a teasing grin.

"Well, that's that, Hic. I don't want you to get too greedy." he said and pressed his lips together, choking back a laugh. "See you later!"

With that, he turned around and headed towards the door, laughing like an evil mastermind. Which he was, of course.

"I hate youuuu" Hiccup said and then chuckled from behind him.

"Hate you toooo." Jack replied in a sickly sweet voice, glancing over his shoulder as he kept walking. Then he laughed even harder, the sound reverberating through the room.

When he had left the bathroom and was on his way to his next class, he had taken off his black cloak, carrying it casually draped over his arms in front of him to hide his own boner. He chuckled as he thought about how it would probably take a few moments for Hiccup to 'calm down' enough to be able to leave that bathroom. It was a good thing Hiccup didn't have to be at the workshop at any specific time.

A grin spread his lips apart.

He also had a feeling Hiccup might be planning his own revenge now. And he was seriously looking forward to that.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: A FEW DAYS LATER

He used to like the Transfiguration classroom. The high ceiling, the narrow stone pillars all along the sides of the room, the many cages filled with happy animals you could observe, the comfortable dimness, only letting light in through the doors and a few windows in the back. He had always found this particular classroom calming.

Now though…

Now it reminded him of Professor Cooke. Of how he had sat in a chair in here with his hands bound, while he had revealed to him that everything they ever shared had been a lie. He had yelled and smashed a chair to get sufficient rage out of him, so he could avoid breaking the professor's face.

Just thinking about it now made the anger brew inside him, steaming like boiling water. He filled his lungs with air and slowly exhaled to calm his tense body. After a minute or two, his muscles relaxed once more and the fatigue overtook the anger, a pleasant numbness calming his senses.

He pulled the hood of his black cloak up, shielding him from the other people in the classroom. It was soothing. The black fabric obscured the light coming from the doors and windows at the back of the class. The pleasant dimness and the illusion of privacy comforted him. It was like his own little cave.

His thoughts drifted to the letter he had received from his dad this morning. He had told him about Professor Cooke and needless to say, his father was furious to learn that Ivar the Bonesmasher had a part to play in the attack on his son. Hiccup had pleaded with him not to do anything reckless, like gathering their allies for war. Luckily, his dad informed him that he was not about to jump straight into a war without having all the facts on the table. As Hiccup had argued in the letter he had sent to him, they still didn't know if all three of the hostile tribes were involved in all of this or if Ivar and his tribe were acting on their own. There was also the little fact that none of Berk's scouts or any of their allies had spotted Ivar for days now. He wasn't on his home island and no one knew his present location. That meant they still needed more information and Hiccup was grateful his dad shared that opinion, despite how angry he was with the people who had hurt his son.

A yawn passed his lips and he stretched out his arms in front of him before letting them rest on the table once more. The lack of sleep was really getting to him now. Every one of his limbs felt heavy. His eyelids drooped and he blinked rapidly to keep his eyes open. He tuned out the slight buzz of conversation floating through the air from the other students in the room, as he lazily flipped through a few pages in his textbook, trying to keep himself occupied_ and_ awake while he waited for Jack, Flynn and Rapunzel to arrive.

A swarm of high pitched giggles invaded his mind with their screeching, unwelcome presence. He scrunched his face from the sudden loud noise and an annoyed groan slipped from his mouth. He heard the sounds of chairs being pulled out from desks and bags being opened.

"Ugh, he's just too gorgeous. I'd do anything to touch that white hair." a girl's soft voice said.

"Yeah…and that pale skin and those blue eyes. And his laugh." another girl sighed. "He is dreamy."

Hiccup felt his lips form an amused smile. Apparently, they had no idea that he was here, listening to this conversation. Otherwise, they wouldn't talk that way about a person they knew he was close to, being too afraid that he would tell Jack.

Not that anyone could blame them for not noticing him. He wore his hood up and sat at the first row of tables with his back to everyone. There was no way they could tell it was him.

And annoying as these girls were with their gossiping and giggling, they_ did_ have a point. Jack was indeed very dreamy. Too bad for them that Jack was taken by him, he thought to himself, unable to stop a tad of smugness from rising inside him.

"Yeah." the first girl agreed. "But it seems like he's not really interested in dating."

"Yeah, I heard from Claire that he turns down every girl who asks him out."

"Huh." another girl said.

Hiccup didn't look at them but just listened to their light, feminine voices babbling on about his boyfriend. He was content in the safety of his hood. He recognized one or two of the voices but couldn't remember the girls' names.

"Maybe he just hasn't found the right girl yet." one of the girls said with an underlying hope in her voice.

Hiccup snorted in amusement but tried to keep it quiet so they wouldn't hear. Oh by Odin, they were so far off, he couldn't help smiling.

"Oh? And you're the right girl?" another one of them said, her tone revealing her skepticism.

Wow…hostility brewing between them. That didn't take much. Just be warned, girls: your crush is_ evil_. He gets you turned on and then leaves you all needy and wanting more just for his own twisted amusement.

"I could be!" she said.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, his smile growing wider. He actually struggled now to keep from chuckling.

If only they knew…

"Good luck with that." she said. "I think you have as much chance of success as Marissa has with Hiccup."

He cringed at the mention of his name in this context.

Awkwardness was building up inside. _Why _did they have to mention him? Couldn't they just have kept talking about Jack who just found that stuff funny?

"Yeah, it's the same thing with Hiccup actually. He turns down everyone too. And those two are practically glued to each other's sides, so maybe they've gotten some weird idea into their heads about not dating for a while?"

_Actually, we just chose to date each other instead of any of you. _By Thor, it was so tempting to turn around and say that. Well…at least these girls weren't even close to figuring that out.

"They should really listen more to Flynn then. He's never been like that." one of them said.

Hiccup scoffed and then grinned. Thank the gods Flynn wasn't here to hear that or he and Jack would be reminded of it every single day from now on.

"Well, I'm going to ask Jack out anyway."

"Just don't get your hopes up. I don't think any of us has a chance."

She were right about that, he thought as another yawn escaped him.

The girls' conversation came to a sudden halt, the lack of the shrill voices and loud giggles suddenly enveloping him in a pleasant quietness. He didn't have to look to know what was happening.

A few seconds later, Jack sat down next to him, just as he had predicted. He turned his head and smiled fondly at his boyfriend, who gave him one of those bright grins that made his stomach do flips.

Jack's grin faded, as he looked him over, eyes squinted a little in suspicion. He observed him for a moment in silence. Hiccup was certain he noticed his puffy eyes and the dark circles under them.

Jack sighed. "You used the Pensieve again all night, didn't you?" he asked him.

"Yeah." Hiccup said and rubbed his eyes. They were getting irritated.

"Hic, seriously…you need to stop doing that." Jack told him, frowning in concern.

Hiccup sighed. "I know, I know."

"You're just driving yourself crazy."

"Yeah…" he agreed. "I just…I needed to find out if there was _any_ sign I missed…if there was something, anything, in the way Professor Cooke acted that I could have seen."

"And?"

"There wasn't." he said. "If there was, I missed it…again."

"Don't beat yourself up over this." Jack said and patted him on the back a few times. "You know…I gave you that Pensieve, so you could rest your mind sometimes."

"Yeah, but it _does _help actually…I might be tired right now but I feel…less overwhelmed and less stressed out." he explained.

"Well, at least that's something." Jack smiled at him.

Hiccup nodded and gave Jack a small smile. He really_ did_ feel better whenever he had spent time viewing memories in the Pensieve, even when they were bittersweet memories or just plain horrible memories. Seeing all of those memories made it easier for him to process everything that had happened. It relieved him of some of the worry and speculation and it made his head feel lighter, like some of the confused, stressed and self-loathing thoughts had been sucked right out of him, at least for a while.

"So…where's Flynn and Rapunzel? You guys just had Care of Magical Creatures, right?" he asked, while Jack took out his textbook, quill and parchment from his backpack. It was very unusual for Jack to arrive to Transfiguration by himself, since he usually always shared a class with Flynn before that and today with Flynn _and _Rapunzel, who both also had Transfiguration now.

"Yeah, we did but…something weird is going on with those two." Jack said, as he put his supplies down on the wooden desk. He narrowed his eyes a little in thought.

"What do you mean?"

"Rapunzel said she had forgotten her textbook, so she went back to Ravenclaw tower to get it and…Flynn offered to go with her."

"Huh. That's strange…" he said as he thought about that information for a few moments. It was definitely a break in routine and that didn't happen without a reason.

"Yeah."

"Do you think…?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, I'm actually starting to suspect it." Jack said. "I'm not really sure about Rapunzel, but I'm beginning to think Flynn might have a crush on her."

Hiccup hummed. "How so?"

"Well…he looks at her when he thinks he's being subtle, he's almost always frowning when guys talk to her, except you and me and Fishlegs of course…and he's pretty much stopped flirting with any girls at all lately." Jack explained.

"Yeah, I _have_ noticed that actually…" he said. Flynn usually flirted with girls in one way or another several times a week but for a while now, he had refrained from doing that. It might not mean that he had feelings for Rapunzel, but it definitely had to mean _something_.

"Do you think Rapunzel might feel something too?" Jack asked, unable to conceal the hope shining in his eyes. He had no doubt that Jack would be over the moon if two of their friends got together.

"To be honest, I don't know. But if she does, it's only a matter of time before she tells me about it."

"You think so?"

"I know so. Rapunzel is very open with me and Fishlegs about her feelings. There's no way she would have feelings for someone and not tell us about it." he said. He, Rapunzel and Fishlegs were like siblings and they had been best friends for years. The only one who had trouble sharing emotional issues once in a while was himself.

"Well…I guess we'll have to wait and see then." Jack told him, frowning at that idea. Waiting wasn't really one of Jack's strengths.

"Yeah…they would be pretty good together though." he said with a smile and meant it. Rapunzel and Flynn were quite different people but they were already good friends and clearly enjoyed being together. And differences weren't always bad. He and Jack were quite different people too but it worked for them.

"Definitely." Jack said before his lips parted into a grin. "Would you be okay with them being together, oh overprotective big brother?" he teased him.

"If Flynn knows how to stick to one girl, then…yeah." he said, as he lowered his hood, eyes squinting from the sudden light rudely invading his vision.

"If he fell in love with someone, he would definitely be able to do that."

"Then I'd be very happy about it."

"Yeah, me too." Jack said and bounced in his seat a little before he glanced to his side.

"Uh-oh, we better shut up now, because they're coming." he whispered with a childish glee that reminded Hiccup of a little kid who was struggling to keep a secret. He bit his lip to hold back a chuckle.

A few seconds later, Flynn took a seat next to Jack while Rapunzel placed herself next to Hiccup.

"Hey guys." Flynn said while Rapunzel smiled at both of them.

"So, Punzie, did you get your…_book_?" Jack said and pursed his lips to keep from grinning.

Hiccup shook his head. Jack was_ so_ bad at being discreet sometimes.

Rapunzel eyed him with suspicion. "Uhm…yeah? Why?"

"Oh, no reason." Jack said and shrugged with an innocence that did _not _match his mischievous personality.

"Okay…" Rapunzel replied skeptically and then turned her focus to Hiccup. "Are you okay? You look even more tired now than at breakfast."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't get much sleep."

"Yeah, you mentioned that." Rapunzel said and placed a slender hand on his shoulder. "Let me know if there's anything you need." she added softly, before squeezing his shoulder.

"Thanks." he said and tucked a stray golden lock behind her ear to show his appreciation for her never ending support.

A sudden silence banished the buzzing of talking among the students in the room and their tall, slender Transfiguration teacher hurried to his desk, putting down his leather satchel on the table.

Professor Hyde was quick to put them to work at once. They were still on the subject of human transfiguration but so far only Hiccup and two other students had managed to do a full transformation from human to cat. Professor Hyde told them he was expecting more of them to succeed today, since they had been practicing for quite a few lessons now but not to get discouraged if they needed more time.

Their little group followed the usual patterns, when they began to practice. They laughed at each other's ridiculous results, they bantered and teased and they gave each other support when they almost had it. He had volunteered to be the test subject for his three friends until they managed a full transfiguration, since he had already been able to do it. The results ranged from furry ears, tail, arms and legs to cat nose and whiskers, fur all over his face and claws instead of nails. During the lesson, a few students were successful in doing full transfigurations and Professor Hyde praised them while assisting the students who seemed to have a lot of trouble with the difficult spell.

When it was Jack's turn again to attempt to turn him into a feline after Flynn had just failed hopelessly, Jack directed his pale wand at him and pressed his lips into a thin line in concentration.

Hiccup smiled at him and tilted his head curiously. Jack wasn't the most hard working student of all but he could be seriously focused and stubborn, when he really wanted to accomplish something.

Jack spoke the necessary words and a spark flew towards Hiccup.

He watched with wide eyes as the world began to grow larger all around him and he sunk towards the floor. Jack's face lit up in a beaming grin and he did a happy jump while yelling "yes!"

Hiccup looked down at his chest, only seeing brown fur and further down, fluffy cat paws. He scraped one paw against the floor and felt the cold stone against the warm skin pads.

"Wicked!" he heard Flynn's voice say while Rapunzel laughed happily.

He raised his little, furry head to look at his friends. By Thor, they were so huge right now, it was a very surreal experience. They all looked down on him with bright smiles on their faces.

Rapunzel put her hands over her heart. "Aww, you're such a sweet little cat, Hiccup! Look at your beautiful green eyes and your cute tail!"

Hiccup stared at her incredulously before he huffed. Jack and Flynn burst out laughing.

"Man, even as a cat, you have sass, Hic." Jack told him.

He meowed in reply. It was a strange experience to make such a noise but that was all he could do right now. He took a few steps back and forth, adjusting to the sensation of walking on four short legs. It only took him a few moments before the movements seemed natural already and he began to do other things, like jump forwards, crouch down and stretch out his little body.

Then Jack did exactly what he had done himself, when he had managed to turn Jack into a cat. He sat down and reached out a hand towards him as an invitation.

Well, Hiccup wasn't going to say no to that. He padded over to him, quickly getting used to using such a small frame for movement. The skin pads under his paws were pleasant for walking, providing support and protection against the hard surface, but at the same time allowing him to faintly detect the chill and the roughness of the stone beneath them.

He rubbed his head against Jack's warm palm and Jack petted his head a little before scratching him behind one ear. He closed his eyes in contentment, while his boyfriend continued to scratch before beginning to stroke his back slowly, long fingers gently raking through soft fur, tingling the skin beneath. He sighed happily. If it was physically possible, he could have melted into a puddle from those wonderful touches.

Suddenly the affectionate hands disappeared and he slowly opened his eyes to see Jack smiling warmly at him, still crouched down in front of him.

"Sorry Hic." he whispered. "Can't really continue doing this."

He frowned in response and Jack chuckled. "Yeah, I know, I know. But Flynn was right the last time…it would only make people suspicious. After all…you might be a cat, but everyone in here know it's you."

Well…he couldn't argue with that. He rubbed his furry cat body along Jack's knee once before he took a few steps back and sat down on the floor that suddenly didn't seem that hard since his fur provided some padding. He let his eyes drift over his friends, who were all watching him curiously, until his gaze landed on the door to the classroom.

He had an idea and smiled on the inside.

He approached Jack again who had gotten to his feet now. He meowed and scratched Jack's shin gently two times to signal that he wanted something.

Jack grinned and those blue eyes lit up with amusement as they looked down on him. "What is it, Hic?"

Hiccup immediately started to trot towards the door. He extended his claws and began to scratch at the wood, the pressure of the hard surface against his sharp claws foreign but not unpleasant.

"Oh, I get it." Jack chuckled, nodding in approval before he opened the door, revealing the corridor behind it.

Hiccup wasted no time in walking briskly out into the hallway turning his little head to the sides to find who he was looking for.

It wasn't difficult.

The black cat was taking a nap on a stone windowsill below one of the tall, arch windows. Sunlight streamed through colored, stained glass, illuminating the dark feline in a rainbow glow. Toothless was almost rolled into a ball, his fluffy tail curled around himself.

Hiccup walked towards his best friend slowly and carefully so he wouldn't startle him. He heard footsteps behind him and knew it was Jack, Rapunzel and Flynn.

When he was standing in front of the windowsill, looking up at the sleeping black cat, he meowed.

One of Toothless' eyes cracked open, taking in the cat on the floor. He immediately shut the eye again, when he had decided nothing dangerous was happening.

Hiccup chuckled on the inside. Toothless had no idea it was him.

He lifted his two front legs and placed them on the windowsill, leaning his weight against the stone. Toothless' green eyes slowly opened and he lifted his black head.

Hiccup pushed his face closer to Toothless, so they were only a few inches apart, their noses almost touching.

Toothless sniffed at him. His green eyes went comically round.

Hiccup knew his plan had worked. He might be a cat right now but Toothless would recognize his scent anywhere.

The black cat immediately left his comfortable rest and jumped off the low windowsill. Hiccup lowered himself again so they were standing in front of each other. Toothless' furry face had lit up with pure joy, his pupils large and full of curiosity. The feline meowed wildly before nudging his head against Hiccup's repeatedly.

Hiccup was amused and touched by his best friend's joy. He nudged him back with his head.

Then he lowered his body to the ground. Toothless observed him, tilting his head to the side. Hiccup set off from the floor and flew towards Toothless, tackling him. They rolled around on the floor for a few seconds, a mess of tangled, furry limbs, both trying to gain the upper paw.

Toothless jumped to his feet and Hiccup quickly did the same, moving back a little. They stared each other down for a few moments, green eyes boring into each other in a teasing challenge.

Then Toothless bolted towards him and Hiccup instantly took off, darting towards his friends. His sleek limbs carried his small body forwards at a fast pace, the muscles stretching and contracting in accordance with his quick but elegant movements. His paws slammed down on the floor, claws scraping along stone.

He ran through Jack's legs and around the back of his friends, Toothless right on his heel. He heard the laughter of his friends but he was too busy running away from Toothless to look at them.

The corridors appeared massive from the view of his little cat frame, giving him a lot of room to maneuver, as he continued to land on and push off the stone floors. He ran in zig zags and made sudden changes in direction to confuse his best friend and avoid getting captured. When he reached the end of the corridor, he quickly spun around, running in the other direction before Toothless could manage to get to him.

As he ran by Jack and the others again, he attempted to change direction once more but he lost his footing and skidded around on unsure paws.

Toothless didn't hesitate to strike and the next thing he knew, Hiccup was lying on his back on the hard floor, his best friend pinning him down and swatting at his face with soft, black paws, trying to start a play fight.

Well…Hiccup was not giving up yet. Toothless might still be larger than him even now, but at least the playing field was evened out _a lot,_ now that they were both in cat form. He intended to take advantage of that and enjoy goofing around and wrestling each other, when he actually had a small chance of winning.

He began flailing his furry legs in the air, blocking Toothless' attacks. His friend meowed in discontent before changing his strategy, launching an assault of sharp claws on his belly instead of his face. Hiccup jerked and his front legs shot up and wrapped themselves around Toothless' neck, trying to pull him down to the floor with him. The black cat resisted and they tugged in opposite directions, before Toothless was able to slip out of his grip.

Hiccup instantly rolled over and got to his feet again, ready to pounce. He and Toothless looked into each other's eyes, trying to figure out what the other would do next.

Hiccup decided to make the first move and tried to whack the black cat with his paw. Toothless dodged it and shot out his own paw towards him. It landed on Hiccup's small chest and he instantly countered with a strike of his own, this time too quick for Toothless to avoid, as a paw was planted on his black cheek.

They tried to hit each other with their paws for several moments, before Toothless had had enough and pounced. They toppled over and wrestled on the floor, both trying to pin the other down. Unfortunately, Toothless was stronger than him, even in cat form, so after a while, Hiccup once again found himself on his back, the weight of the black cat's upper body keeping him down.

Toothless had a devilish look on his face and Hiccup feared the mischief that his best friend was obviously up to.

But before the black cat could do anything, a flash of white appeared and the weight left his chest, as Toothless was pushed off him.

He rolled over and jumped up. Toothless and a white cat was now rolling around on the stone floors, clearly play fighting. The white cat slithered out of Toothless' death grip and started to jump around and move from side to side in quick, erratic movements to avoid Toothless' paws.

Hiccup approached the two cats and when he saw the white cat's blue eyes, he knew it was Jack. He laughed on the inside and glanced at Rapunzel and Flynn who were still standing by the entrance to the classroom, watching them with amused grins.

Jack hissed in a playful threat and puffed out his chest. Toothless narrowed his eyes. The two of them observed each other, tails gliding slowly from side to side in anticipation. Jack glanced at him and something appeared in those blue eyes that Hiccup wasn't sure he liked.

If he had thought Jack was trying to defend him from mischief, he was dead wrong. The white cat rushed towards him, ignoring Toothless completely now, and shoved him over. Hiccup's furry body connected with the floor but he quickly managed to stand up in a few quick movements, before Jack was able to do more.

Toothless trotted towards them and sped up. He and Jack bolted, running away down the corridor as fast as they could. It quickly turned into a game of chase, where they took turns running away from each other up and down the passageways, cat limbs stretching and bending in fluid movements, playful meows and hisses echoing among the stone.

When Hiccup decided he had had enough of running, he pushed his paws off the floor and leapt through the air, before landing on Jack, making him fall over. Toothless caught up with them and joined their game, and suddenly Hiccup found himself in a cat wrestling match between the three of them, furry paws and faces, tickling whiskers and pointy claws everywhere.

It was so much fun that Hiccup wished he could laugh but he only managed some high pitched meows to express his amusement. Jack on the other hand, being the most playful person Hiccup had ever met, was _purring _throughout their play fighting, while Toothless was silent, only his large eyes brimming with joy revealing how much fun he was having.

When one of Jack's white paws flailed around and smacked him straight on the nose, he meowed loudly to protest and shoved his shoulder into Jack's side as revenge. Toothless' tail somehow got into his mouth, as the black cat attempted to pin Jack down and Hiccup spat it out, feeling hair stick to his raspy tongue.

He heard Flynn clear his throat. "Err, guys! Guys!"

Three cats froze in place, limbs tangled. Feline eyes focused on Flynn.

"You need to get back in there. I think Professor Hyde might be reaching his limit for how much goofing off he's willing to accept."

Hiccup pulled his paws off Jack and the white cat squirmed out from under Toothless. The three of them trotted towards Flynn and Rapunzel and sat down in front of them.

Their two friends pulled their wands out and spoke the incantation necessary for reversing the spell. Slowly, Hiccup began to grow as the world around him shrank accordingly. Fur and whiskers diminished until they completely disappeared, while sharp fangs and pointy claws turned into rounded teeth and nails.

He turned his head and grinned at Jack, who sat on the floor next to him. They got to their feet and Hiccup quickly bent down and petted Toothless on the head.

"It was nice to play with you, bud." he smiled happily at his best friend. Toothless purred in response and rubbed his head against his hand.

"Yeah, we need to do that again sometime!" Jack said with a bright grin.

"Definitely." Hiccup agreed.

"Well, come on you two. We have a class to finish. I don't think Professor Hyde is going to take much more of this." Rapunzel told them and motioned with her head to the classroom.

"Yeah, you're probably right. He's laid back but not_ that_ much." Jack said.

The rest of the class went by in the blink of an eye. Flynn was the only one of them who still needed to perform a full transfiguration, since Hiccup learned that Rapunzel was the one who had managed to turn Jack into a cat. They observed the hilarious results some of their classmates produced while Flynn practiced on Rapunzel, achieving partial transfigurations of different kinds. When there was about 10 minutes left of the class, he finally managed to cast a perfect transfiguration, turning Rapunzel into a cat with soft, golden fur and large green eyes.

They discussed Flynn's success with much enthusiasm, while they observed Rapunzel checking out the surroundings as a cat. Now they had all managed to do a full human transfiguration and Flynn was very pleased with that, since transfiguration was the class he struggled the most with.

When class ended, Rapunzel and Flynn left the classroom together, since they were heading towards different parts of the castle than him and Jack. Hiccup began to pack his stuff into his satchel, while Jack waited for him, having used his usual just-throw-everything-into-the-bag-at-once method, which was a lot more time efficient.

When Mia walked past them on her way out, she winked at Jack, who just smiled a little in response. Hiccup shook his head in amusement. He glanced at her retreating figure and when the door shut behind her, they were left alone in the classroom.

Hiccup quickly slid his textbook into the satchel and closed it. Then he grabbed Jack by the collar of his white shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. His eyes closed as their lips met and his hands slid upwards to hold on to each side of Jack's jaw, brushing his thumbs against the soft, pale skin. Despite how many times they had already kissed, it still made Hiccup's heart soar.

He pulled back, breaking the kiss, before their lips grazed each other again in a quick, tender end. Their eyes slowly opened and they grinned at each other like the completely love-struck idiots they were.

"Possessive, huh? Didn't know you were that kind of guy, Hic." Jack joked.

"I'm not possessive. I'm just appreciating what I have." he smiled fondly.

"Oh, so now you 'have' me?" Jack feigned offense.

"Just shut up." Hiccup grinned before he claimed Jack's lips once more.

Jack hummed in satisfaction, the pleasant vibrations creating a tingling sensation on Hiccup's lips. Their arms snaked around each other and pulled them together in a tight embrace, wanting the other as close as physically possible.

It started out slow with loving, patient kisses, that one moment had their mouths pressed softly against each other and the next tickling Hiccup's lips when they lazily separated for a fraction of a second before needing their lips joined again. They were simply enjoying being together, taking pleasure in each other's soft warmth, moistened lips and familiar scent. The relaxed tempo soothed Hiccup and fed the urgency inside him all at the same time. The way they took their time was innocent yet passionate. They tenderly consumed each other with deep but slow openmouthed kisses, as if they had all the time in the world to savor the love and sweet, sweltering desire between them.

When Jack put his hand on his neck and pushed their lips together roughly, Hiccup didn't hesitate in following his boyfriend's new pace. Those slow, gentle kisses instantly grew fiery, as hot mouths collided with eagerness. Jack's fingernails repeatedly bore into his neck before they caressed it, sliding through brown locks, brushing slender fingers against the warm skin, making goosebumps appear on his arms and neck.

The warmth and pressure of his desire collected in his lower body, threatening to make his mind snap and shove away any hesitations he might have about taking things further.

He knew that if he didn't stop himself, he couldn't be held responsible for his actions. As always, he was completely under Jack's spell. Jack was the only one who could turn the thoughts in his head to static and fill his body with urges that flourished inside him in ways he had never known before.

He reluctantly tore his lips off Jack's wonderful mouth. Jack looked at him through half lidded eyes with a small but utterly happy smile. Hiccup was certain the same happiness was evident on his own face.

They both knew they had to go now, unless they wanted to be late for class and get detention. There were no words spoken as Jack leaned in and softly placed one last kiss on his lips. They smiled at each other briefly, before heading into the corridors, going their separate ways.

As Hiccup moved through the now empty passageways, a goofy smile lingered on his lips. It was a good thing no one was around to see it.

Being in love was like a drug, like a natural high that made you believe everything would be all right as long as you had each other. It was a wonderful sensation that brightened the colors and the light all around you and filled you with raw, positive energy and hope.

Not to mention that primal urge to be as physically close to the other as possible.

Thinking about taking the next step with Jack was not only exciting as Hel but also a little frightening. Neither of them had done that before. It would be an entirely new experience for both of them. He wouldn't know what he was doing. He would have to act on instinct.

But he knew he wanted it. Every signal in his body was telling him that.

He wanted to uncover every inch of Jack and in return share every piece of himself. It was an overwhelming urge born from his fierce love and needy want at the same time. He wanted that next step not just because of the passion roaring inside him but also because he wanted him and Jack to connect on as many levels as possible. He craved to have more of him, both physically and emotionally. He wanted to express his love for him in the most intimate way.

He knew for certain that Jack felt the same way. It was evident in his hungry touches and greedy kisses, in the way his pupils dilated melting into the shades of blue, in the lovely moans and gasps that escaped him when they made out.

They both knew it was only a matter of time before they would be unable to restrain themselves any longer.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: TWO WEEKS LATER

"So…how did it go?" he asked, that slight nervousness churning in his stomach. He wasn't sure what to expect. He had never been to a Wizengamot trial or even to the Ministry of Magic in general.

The soft breeze ruffled Jack's snowy hair as his blue eyes met his green ones. Small, weak waves washed over the shore of the lake, creating faint squelching sounds that, combined with the whispering in the treetops, created a soothing atmosphere. A stark contrast to his inner turmoil.

"Well…" Jack began, fiddling with his Gryffindor tie before he managed to loosen it. "McGowan got 43 years in Azkaban, because he sold out Professor Cooke…and Levin got 30 years, because he cooperated and gave the authorities all the information he had. They wanted to give him longer, but they had to make his punishment shorter, because McGowan had to have the longest sentence since he used the Cruciatus curse."

"And Zamora?" he asked, stroking Toothless slowly. The black cat was resting on his side next to him.

"You were right." Flynn said. "They took your letter into account and he got 10 years…they said they couldn't give him a shorter sentence than that, because he had still stood by and let them torture you without doing anything."

Hiccup nodded. He was relieved to hear that. He had been worried that the Wizengamot might try to make an example out of Zamora, that they might believe he was just as guilty as McGowan and Levin.

Jack stared absentmindedly up into a tree, where a brown bird was singing. His lips were pressed together tightly.

"What's wrong, Jack?" he said.

Jack turned his head to look at him again. "It's just…you should have seen him, Hic. He was…he looked dead. He was skin and bones, completely pale, looked like he hadn't eaten or slept in weeks."

Flynn nodded solemnly.

Hiccup sighed. "Yeah, it's probably not easy being him right now."

"No, it isn't." Jack agreed. "I just…I know he's a tosser and he deserves to spend some years in Azkaban, but I couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him."

"I feel sorry for him too." Fishlegs said. "And I haven't even seen him."

Rapunzel nodded next to him with a small, sad smile.

"I guess it just bothers me that I pity him, because what I really want to do is hate his guts because of what he helped do to Hic." Jack told them and looked at him.

Hiccup reached out his hand and laced their fingers together. He held on to his boyfriend's hand tightly.

"I think we all feel that way." Rapunzel said softly. Words of agreement were quickly spoken from the rest of their friends. "But…when you figure out that someone was trapped in a situation they couldn't control…it's difficult _not_ to empathize."

"Not just that…" Hiccup said, glancing from one friend to the next. "It's…the more you know about a person, the less you're able to see them as some kind of monster. If we didn't know that Zamora had no idea what the plan was, we wouldn't have a problem despising him. It would be easy just to hate his guts and call him a monster but…the fact is that there are no monsters. Just terrible human beings with their own selfish motivations." he said, trying to explain some of the thoughts that had been swirling in his head lately. On one hand, Zamora had avoided helping him while he was being tortured. He merely stood by and watched without doing anything. On the other hand, he had been afraid, feared for his own life. His self preservation had kicked in and even though Hiccup could never forgive him for what had happened, he also couldn't hate him.

"Yeah…" Mavis agreed. "I guess that's easy to forget sometimes…that even people who do unspeakable things are still people. They aren't some kind of separate race from the rest of us, even though they've pushed past moral boundaries that most of us haven't."

"Yeah." Jack agreed solemnly. "That becomes clearer than ever when you see someone on a witness stand, trying to explain why they did what they did while they're close to breaking down."

"Zamora?" Fishlegs asked.

"Yeah." Flynn said and sighed. "He was close to crying several times when he was on the stand."

"And Levin didn't look too good either, even if he didn't cry." Jack said.

"Was it very unpleasant for you guys to be on the stand?" Mavis asked them.

"No, not really." Flynn said and shrugged. "I mean…obviously, it wasn't great to relive everything that happened that day but it was necessary."

"Yeah." Jack agreed. "But it was kind of uncomfortable when it was over and we had to sit there and hear McGowan, Levin and Zamora explain their sides of it."

"What did they say?" Merida asked, eyebrows pressing down, forming small creases between them.

"Levin was pretty straight forward about it." Flynn explained. "From what Hiccup has told us and what we saw ourselves, he told the truth. But it was still uncomfortable to hear it. McGowan though…"

"He was a shit. As usual." Jack said, his shoulders tensing. "He tried to manipulate the Wizengamot and paint this picture of himself as an innocent victim that Professor Cooke deceived and used."

"Well, clearly they didn't buy that." Mavis said.

"No, they didn't." Jack said, his shoulders relaxing once more. "He tried but failed since the testimonies from me and Flynn and Hiccup all told the same story and since Professor Lunar testified that he had had anger issues and been violent with other students several times."

"It's too bad he doesn't get to spend the rest of his life in there." Merida said through gritted teeth.

"Well…" Hiccup said. "When he gets out, he'll be 60 years old with no education, no job experience, no friends, relatives or other connections." he shrugged. "It won't be much of a life anyway."

"I guess you're right…" Merida agreed and bit her lip in thought.

"What was the trial like?" Hiccup asked, not sure if he truly wanted to know the answer. On one hand, he wanted to avoid the topic because he despised the feeling of being a victim and of course the trial would have focused on just that. On the other hand, he did want to know the basics of what had happened.

Jack hummed in thought. "It was mostly just…hearing different testimonies. Besides me and Flynn, Liana Hayes and Madam Whitley were there too, explaining their sides of what happened. And there were also the officers who had taken your testimony and documented your injuries. And Headmaster Lunar, like I said before. The people on the Wizengamot asked all of us questions when something was unclear. Then they pretty much gave McGowan the third degree, calling him out on all his bullshit. And they read your letter and your testimony out loud. Zamora seemed beyond shocked. He just stared at me and Flynn for like 10 minutes. Then the Wizengamot deliberated while we were out of the room and when we got back in they told us the verdicts."

Hiccup nodded. That was pretty much what he had expected and he didn't need to know the details. He had talked about it with his friends several times and now it was time for him to distance himself from it to move on. There was only one more thing he wanted to know.

"What did…Madam Whitley say?" he asked and he knew he had been unable to hide his discomfort, since Jack squeezed his hand.

"She told them everything, Hic. Just like she was supposed to."

He pulled out a few blades of grass from the earth with his free hand. "Yeah, I know. It's just…"

"It's private, yeah." Jack agreed.

"Yeah. It's not very pleasant to think about how a room full of strangers now all know about it…even if it was necessary."

Jack nodded slowly in understanding. "It wasn't nice for me and Flynn to hear her explain all of your injuries either. You know…imagining the pain you went through." he explained, as misery melted into those blue eyes.

"I know." he said, as a sudden sadness stirred in him. "I'm sorry you had to do that."

"Don't be ridiculous, Hic." Jack said. "It's not your fault."

"No." Flynn agreed. "It was never your fault."

"And now that part is over." Fishlegs said. "Now all that's left is Professor Cooke's trial and then you can start to try to put it behind you." he finished, as a glimmer of hope danced across his face.

"Yeah…" Hiccup said, frowning and looking at the grass. It was a long road ahead to put this behind him.

"Uhm, so…what was the ministry like?" Rapunzel asked.

It was clear to him that she was trying to turn the focus away from the trial, because she had noticed he was getting rather gloomy now.

"Kind of depressing actually." Flynn said with a disappointed shrug.

"Yeah." Jack agreed. "Boring. Tons of people with dead eyes wearing similar suits or skirts and jackets. Most of them sort of reminded me of zombies…very _dull_ zombies."

Hiccup's lips tightened as a tiny smile forced its way across them.

"Definitely." Flynn nodded. "There's no life or color, it's just…endless forgettable people in gloomy surroundings, trudging about to get to their dreary offices."

"Ugh, just hearing about it makes me bored." Merida said and faked a yawn.

"The only thing fun about it was the guest entrance, where you have to flush yourself through a toilet." Jack grinned.

"What?" Merida and Rapunzel asked in unison. Hiccup briefly considered the many unhygienic aspects of going through a toilet.

"Yup." Flynn said and scrunched his face in disgust. "Can't say I was too happy about that…I think my shoes still smell of poo."

They all shared a laugh and Jack and Flynn quickly became consumed in a discussion on how likely it actually was that some poo got on their shoes. According to Jack, it was not likely at all and he claimed Flynn was just exaggerating, while Flynn insisted on listing the many nasty bacteria they could have gotten on them from traveling through a toilet and joked that his health shouldn't be compromised simply because the ministry enjoys humiliating their guests. When Jack retorted that "Poo is power. I mean, think about it…how likely is someone to rebel against the ministry and really stick it to the man, when they've just been flushed through a toilet?", laughter echoed around them once more.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

A few hours later, the sun had begun to peak out from behind dusty, grey clouds, the weak rays bringing a mild warmth to his skin. The faint breeze played with their hair, making strands sway and float and for a few moments he was content just observing some of Merida's stray, curly tresses being lifted gently into the air.

The sound of his friends talking and laughing as well as Toothless purring in the grass as Hiccup stroked him brought that familiar sensation of a calm happiness inside him. He removed his shoes and sighed as he savored the cool chill of the March air between his toes. Then he leaned back and a few seconds later, he was lying down on the blanket with a content "ahhh".

"Lazy Snow Queen." he heard Merida say.

"Hey, I'm allowed to relax." he told her with a grin. "I've just spent a long day at the ministry and it's been a looong week in general, so now I'm going to enjoy my weekend, thank you very much."

"Yeah, well don't get too comfortable this weekend. We need to work on that Charms assignment." Mavis told him. "And I think I found some helpful books at the library."

Jack groaned. "_Why _is the wizarding community so hopelessly old fashioned?...I miss Google." he pouted.

His friends chuckled at that comment. He let one of his hands glide across the soft grass next to the blanket. It tickled his palm pleasantly.

"Of course you do. Gods forbid that you should actually do some hard work." Hiccup teased him.

Jack scoffed. "Says the person who has no idea how wonderful Google is." he replied and sat back up.

"I _have _used Google, Jack." Hiccup told him, his facial features not changing in the slightest, to underline the absurdity of Jack's statement.

"Oh really? What did you google then? Let me guess…dragons?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's a given." Hiccup confirmed and scratched Toothless behind the ear. The black cat practically looked dead by now, merely lying completely motionless in the grass with its eyes closed. The only sign of life was the slight movement of the chest and the occasional purr.

A smile born from the familiarity between him and Hiccup appeared on his lips. He _knew_ Hiccup had done that. It was probably the_ first_ thing he ever googled.

"Viking myths?"

"Of course."

"Hmm…weapons designs?"

"Yup."

"Porn?"

"Ye- what?! No!" Hiccup protested, his casual expression suddenly transforming into flustered disbelief.

Jack let a triumphant laugh past his lips. Every time he could beat Hiccup in their banter was worth celebrating. The rest of their friends quickly joined in, giggles and chuckles filling the air around them.

"Rawr, Hiccup. Didn't know you were into that." Flynn joked, lowering his voice to a seductive tone.

"Saucy." Merida said, lips gliding open to reveal a bright grin.

Hiccup slid his palms down his face. "The gods must hate me since they stuck me with you guys."

"You know you love us." Jack said, nudging his shoulder.

"I accept your existence." Hiccup deadpanned.

Jack shook his head and enjoyed the blush that had melted into Hiccup's cheeks, before he captured his boyfriend's lips in a brief kiss.

The conversation quickly moved on to discussing all the potential benefits of introducing Google to the wizarding community and before long, they were hypothetically adding social media as well. While they all thought there_ were_ certain drawbacks to social media, they also quickly came to an agreement that it would be amusing to watch their professors trying to use it. Flynn made them erupt with laughter when he began talking about how he would definitely add Professor Bunnymund as a friend to "watch ridiculously manly pictures of him doing macho stuff and read statuses like _'Just wrestled the Womping Willow with my bare hands. LOL.'" _Flynn also took it upon himself to throw a pebble at Jack whenever he kissed or tried to kiss Hiccup, much to his amusement _and_ annoyance.

When Jack made a particularly funny joke that had Hiccup on the verge of tears, his boyfriend leaned over after his fit of giggles to plant a kiss on him. Their lips joined and Jack blocked out the sounds of their friends continuing their conversations in the background, as Hiccup's hand rested on his neck and they kissed each other tenderly.

Then something small and hard hit him in the back of the head. A stinging sensation went through the skin.

He broke the kiss and snapped his head to the side. Flynn whistled innocently, looking anywhere but at him, while the others chuckled.

"Flynn, do you mind? I'm snogging over here." he said and motioned to Hiccup with his head.

"Sorry, Jackie, you two are so sickeningly sweet that _someone_ has to interfere at least once in a while." Flynn replied.

"Come on, we're not that bad." he argued and it was true. He and Hiccup didn't kiss each other _that _much in front of their friends.

Merida snorted. "Yeah, you are."

"Shut up, I'm happy." Jack stuck his tongue out, before his gaze wandered back to Hiccup's eyes. They had a delicate glaze to them; a soft shimmer that blended into shades of green and spoke of the shared happiness between them.

That look knocked the breath right out of him and he just couldn't restrain himself as that familiar, strong twinge of adoration went through him. He leaned in and let their lips meet, reveling in the sweet warmth that caressed his mouth.

Then a small, solid object hit him on his neck and he didn't have to look to know what it was.

He groaned and tore his lips off Hiccup to scowl at Flynn. "Seriously, mate?"

"Yup." Flynn said, a smug smile spreading on his lips.

"Come on Flynn, just leave them alone for a minute." Rapunzel grinned. "They're finally together. Just like we all wanted."

"Yeah, but it's still fun to mess with them." Flynn said.

"You suck, Rider." Jack told him.

They stayed by the lake until the darkness began to bleed into the skies, deep shades of blue and orange signaling the sun's retreat. They packed their stuff and strolled towards the castle that appeared black in the distance against the colored heavens. The approaching night had brought a sharp edge to the breeze and Merida and Rapunzel both wrapped their cloaks tighter around themselves to avoid shivering. Jack however, merely found it refreshing.

Inside the castle, he and Hiccup split up from the rest of their group, as the two of them weren't going to their own common rooms. They had to endure some mandatory teasing and suggestive sounds before they were released from their friends and made their way towards their destination.

Stunned silence descended on both of them, when they found themselves in the Room of Requirement five minutes later. They were going to spend the night together, because frankly, being able to sleep in each other's arms was so wonderful that both of them craved it.

What neither of them had expected though…was a huge bed close to the fireplace.

It made sense. They needed a place to sleep, so obviously the room provided them with a bed. However, there was a whole other aspect to this. A bed wasn't just for sleeping and that was what had both of them fall into a surprised and slightly awkward silence.

Well…if there was one thing Jack was good at banishing, it was awkwardness.

"So…I'm pretty beat. What about you?" he asked Hiccup with a casual smile on his lips.

"Yeah." Hiccup said, his uncertainty evident by the way his eyes didn't linger on Jack but darted around the room. "It's been a long day."

"Let's get some sleep then, Hic." he replied, wanting to calm Hiccup and perhaps even himself as well. He wasn't sure if they were ready to take the next step yet despite how much they wanted each other, so it would be better for both of them if they could just remove that anxious tension.

Hiccup nodded in response, a small smile tugging at his lips.

They both headed towards the bed. Toothless flopped down on the floor next to it, rolling over to rest on his side.

Jack put his backpack down on the floor, before beginning to remove his trousers, socks and shoes. He kept his blue T-shirt and his boxers on, while Hiccup not only wore a T-shirt but had changed into a pair of sweatpants as well, while Jack hadn't been looking.

A few minutes later, Jack slumped onto the bed, sitting comfortably on the soft mattress. Hiccup quickly followed, sitting across from him, their knees almost touching.

"Shouldn't you take that off?" he said and looked at Hiccup's prosthesis. "You've told me before that it hurts when you've worn it all day."

"Jack, I…." Hiccup trailed off. His voice sounded uncertain.

Jack trained his eyes on his boyfriend. Hiccup was chewing on his bottom lip. One hand found a braid and pulled on it.

Jack's lips formed a fond smile. "Hic…it doesn't bother me that you're missing some of your leg." he told him, hoping that would ease his mind.

"I know, I know." Hiccup said, eyes drifting from Jack to his leg. "It's just…the people who's seen it can be counted on one hand."

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter what it looks like, okay? It could be all black and rotten with huge boils that oozed green puss. I'll still love you just the same." he explained and rubbed Hiccup's knee a few times.

A tiny smile appeared on Hiccup's lips. Those green eyes focused on him again and softened with affection and gratefulness.

Jack smiled. He knew Hiccup would let him see it now. He was well aware that Hiccup had a few issues regarding his missing limb, preferring to keep it concealed, so this was not an easy thing for him to do and Jack truly appreciated the trust he was showing him.

Hiccup slowly rolled up the trouser leg covering his prosthesis. He could see the Viking hesitate for a moment but then he quickly clicked off the artificial limb and put it down next to the bed. The stump was still concealed beneath the fabric. Jack took a second to admire just how much work Hiccup had to have put into designing his prosthetic, for him to be able to put it on and take it off that easily.

When green eyes observed him again, Jack smiled reassuringly at his boyfriend. Then his gaze drifted to where the stump was still hidden.

Jack decided it might be better for him to take the first step with this. To show Hiccup that his missing limb didn't bother him at all.

He slowly reached out a hand towards it, giving Hiccup time to stop him if he really wanted to. But Hiccup didn't move, he merely watched him.

Jack carefully rolled up the trouser leg even more, until the stump became visible. The skin was marred with jagged lines, where it had been sewn shut around the remains of Hiccup's leg. The many scars were faded by time, having taken on a paler hue that stood out against the rest of Hiccup's skin yet was still more subtle than the bright pinks and reds they must have been for a long time after it happened.

Jack moved his hand towards it. He wanted to show Hiccup that he shouldn't feel insecure about this, that he was still every bit as much in love with him as before.

His long fingers brushed across the stump gently, stroking it slowly a few times. The skin was uneven beneath his fingertips, the scars protruding. He flattened his hand and rubbed his palm carefully back and forth over the stump. He could sense Hiccup watching him and he could imagine that this was slightly tense for him, so he did his best to make him relax by continuing his movements, slowly and delicately. After a few minutes of merely caressing the damaged limb with his warm palm, he dipped his head and placed a soft kiss on it.

He lifted his head and finally looked at Hiccup again. The softness of Hiccup's smile and the appreciation and love making his eyes gleam spoke of how touched he was by Jack's actions.

"I love you." Hiccup breathed out as he quickly leaned over and slid their lips together. The overwhelming sincerity of the words sent Jack's heart fluttering, as his eyes closed and he enjoyed the tender kiss.

When they pulled apart, he crawled under the nice, thick covers and patted the other side of the bed. "Come on, let's get some sleep."

Hiccup scooted closer and then slid underneath the blanket, rolling over on his side. Warm arms wrapped around Jack and his back was pressed against Hiccup's chest, as his boyfriend pulled him into a lovely, spooning position. Hiccup nuzzled into his neck and hair, making a swarm of pleasant goosebumps emerge on his pale skin. It wasn't long before both of them fell into the peaceful land of slumber.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

_Thick moss underneath his paws. Soft. Delicate. Like walking on green cotton. His sharp claws scrape against the lush surface, flawing the undisturbed ground, leaving frayed patches of green in their wake. _

_An endless sight of tall majestic trees reaching for the skies, their crowns of soft leaves spreading out above his head like regal wings. Beams of bright light filtering through the green above him, long shadows dancing across the forest floor. _

_He spreads his wings out. They are big. Strong. Dark green like the moss under his paws. They never fail him. _

_He sets off from the soft ground underneath him and soars upwards, striving to leave the trees behind. He can go where they will never go. He is not bound by earth and roots. He is a creature of air, not meant to be grounded for long. _

_Leaves and small branches brushes against his scaly body, as he flies through the green crowns and into the light. His large eyes squint from the brightness, while his powerful wings take him higher into the shades of blue and white. _

_The sun caresses the sleek scales on his body with its warmth. They gleam in the light like emeralds. The wind greets him like a familiar friend as he flies where the air currents take him, not a care in the world as long as he can remain here in the skies. _

_His eyes scan the surroundings below. The massive forest stretches out underneath him, the green treetops resembling a plush, green carpet. Along the forest, the ocean crashes its waves against white shores. _

_Underneath him is food. Water. Rest. Occasional socializing. But it is not his home. His home is here. In the clouds, in the wind, in sunlight or rain or snow. Whatever the skies provided. Nothing and no one will be able to keep him on the ground. Anything that can't fly, he will leave behind._

_He twirls and spins and does loops in the air, savoring the chilly wind against his scales and the immense feeling of freedom that fills his reptilian heart until there almost isn't enough room to contain it._

_Screams. _

_Human screams._

_His ears twitch from the loud sounds, his sensitive hearing bothered by the shrill noises._

_He snaps his scaly head towards the sound. In the distance, an island comes into view. It is burning, tall, roaring flames consuming everything, wisps of smoke rising into the air, the dark grey clashing with vibrant blue. _

_He doesn't know why, but he feels compelled to go there. No, he _needs_ to go there. He flaps his large, leathery wings faster, eager to get to the island and figure out what is happening. A sudden dread seeps into his blood._

_"NO! DON'T!" someone screams._

_He stops and turns his head to one side and then the other to locate the source of it, his strong wings keeping him floating in the air. It isn't coming from the island. It's coming from somewhere below him. There is something familiar about it. Like he should be able to recognize it. But he can't place it. _

_A human emerges from the forest, holding up a hand towards him, urging him to come down._

_He can't do that. He_ needs _to go to that island. And anything that can't fly, he leaves behind. It's better for the human anyway. He will be safe there on the ground, not anywhere close to that island. He won't be able to defend himself from whatever is out there._

_He trains his attentive eyes on the flames and smoke in the distance again and he lets his wings carry him there as fast as possible. The smell of blood and burning flesh reaches his nostrils as the island grows larger and larger in his vision. He wrinkles his snout in disgust. _

_This is the smell of death._

_Suddenly he is ripped from the sky, crashing towards the ground. Something is wrapped around him, binding him, forcing his wings to fold in. He is falling. Panicking. His heart hammers in his scaly chest._

_A sharp jolt of pain goes through him, as his body collides with stone. Everything goes dark for a brief moment. When he opens his eyes, he is not by the forest or the island anymore. He is among stone walls and stone floors. They are encasing him like a cage, as he lies here, skin against the cold surface._

_Cruel laughter reaches his ears. He lifts his head and sees three humans standing beside him, looking down at him with their narrowed eyes. _

_He tries to sit up but fails as pain courses through his limbs. His eyes widen as he takes in his arms and legs. _

_They are not scaly anymore. They are human flesh. All of him is human flesh. _

_Except his wings._

_His wings are broken. Crushed. Twisted and mangled on his back. A sick display of unnatural angles beneath green, leathery hide. He will never fly again. A part of him has died._

_Voices laced with disdain speak to him. He is held down against his will, burning human hands clamped around his wrists and ankles._

_He is trapped. Caged. _

_A piece of wood carves into his flesh, ripping open his skin. A river of crimson warmth flows down his leg. Screams tear through the silence, echoing all around this large stone cage. _

_He will die here. Among stone and blood, he will die. Far away from the skies, he will die._

_Blood smeared across his skin, blood pooling around him on the stone floors. His body shakes. He can't breathe properly. _

_A shout reverberates against the walls. _

_Then it feels like he is being burned alive and sliced all over his body. He screams and writhes and nothing is real but pain. Cutting, searing pain that makes him want to die. Pain that makes any thought impossible. _

_He is weakened. Life is leaving him, trickling out of him in the form of bright, red liquid. _

_It won't be long before he can soar through the skies of the afterlife._

_Death is welcome._

He bolted upright, his chest heaving and his lungs hurting from panicky breaths. His hair stuck to his forehead and his shirt was bathed in sweat, clinging to him unpleasantly. Behind his ribcage, his heart pounded.

"Hic? What's wrong?" Jack said and sat up next to him, rubbing his eyes.

"I just…it's nothing." he said breathlessly, shaking his head. His eyes were trained on the wall ahead, but he wasn't truly seeing anything. The darkness of the room was only broken by the fireplace, where bright flames moved in erratic motions, casting light and shadows across every surface near them.

"Don't be stupid. You clearly had a nightmare." Jack told him. He could hear the worry in his usually cheerful voice.

"Yeah…I did." he confirmed, staring at the stone without blinking.

"Want to talk about it?" Jack said softly and rested a hand on his sweaty back.

The words calmed him a little. They grounded him. Confirmed for him that what just happened in his mind wasn't true, no matter how real it had felt.

Jack was such a supportive boyfriend and he was lucky beyond words to have him.

He inhaled and exhaled slowly for a few moments, trying to calm down his panicked heart and his uneven breathing.

"I'm not sure what there is to talk about. It was…strange." he tried to explain and swept a wet, brown lock away from his forehead.

"Was it about…that day?" Jack asked, saying the last two words carefully, as if he was afraid to upset him more.

"Yeah." he nodded.

"Hic, look at me."

He slowly and somewhat reluctantly turned his head and gazed into those loving, blue eyes that always seem to hold all the reassurance and affection he could ever need.

"Tell me about it." Jack said. "Trust me…it helps to talk about it."

"Yeah, I know." he said, even though he didn't really _feel_ like talking about it.

"Come here." Jack said and held out his arms, a small smile gracing those pale lips.

Hiccup scooted over to him and Jack wrapped his arms around him, both of them sitting cross-legged in front of each other.

"You're sticky." Jack said and chuckled before his soft lips planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Yeah, I know." he replied and was unable to keep away a small smile. He put his arms around Jack's back and squeezed him once before letting go. Jack's arms dropped to his sides as well. They looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds in silence.

"Change your shirt." Jack said and motioned with his head towards his chest.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"I'm not cuddling with you when you're completely drenched." Jack said, as a grin emerged on his face.

Hiccup pursed his lips to hold back a smile. He knew Jack was just kidding and trying to cheer him up. He had a point though. And it wasn't very pleasant to sleep in a wet shirt either.

"Well, good thing I have a spare one over there then." he said and glanced at the black satchel lying on the floor next to the bed.

"Yup." Jack said, making a popping noise on the 'p'. He was looking at him as if he was considering something.

"What?" he asked.

Jack shifted from his cross-legged position to kneeling in front of him. Those blue eyes watched him with hesitation.

Jack's pale hands grabbed the bottom hem of his shirt and slowly pulled it upwards. Hiccup breathed in deep as moist fabric slid against his skin and he reached his arms up to let Jack take it off him, exposing his torso and the freckles and scars that were scattered across it. The air was pleasantly cool on his skin, instantly beginning the process of making the sweat evaporate.

Jack threw the wet shirt on the floor next to the bed. His blue eyes roamed over the exposed skin and Hiccup could feel his cheeks heat up and his stomach squirm a little, as that familiar jab of self-consciousness set in. He knew that he wasn't a bad looking person. He wasn't unaware of how people looked at him now, of how a lot of the girls in the castle were crushing on him, but he would probably never think of himself as a particularly attractive guy.

When Jack's eyes met his again, his self-consciousness disappeared like morning dew in the sunlight. Adoration combined with something darker shined in those clear, blue irises and in that moment, a truth appeared to Hiccup and his body relaxed.

He would never have to feel self-conscious with Jack. He would never have to listen to the demons that fed his insecurities. When he was with Jack, he could temporarily forget them. With Jack, he could rip them from his mind and body and throw them in the ocean, watching them slowly sink into the dark depths.

He already knew they had a special connection. That the bond he had with Jack was unique, something he had never experienced with another human being before. But moments like this confirmed it for him.

A small but fond smile made Jack's lips curve, as they continued to stare into each other's eyes. Hiccup returned the smile, warmed by the affection clearly conveyed on his boyfriend's face.

He reached out and began to tug Jack's blue T-shirt up. His boyfriend quickly helped him and a second later, the piece of clothing was lying on the floor, having joined Hiccup's sweat drenched shirt.

His heartbeat sped up as he took a few moments to simply drink Jack in, the way he had done with him just a moment ago.

His milky skin seemed to almost glow in the dim light, stretched across a lithe stomach and a firm chest, shadows bringing out the contours of subtle muscles. Slender, yet a little athletic at the same time.

Hiccup marveled at the smoothness, the creamy softness of his boyfriend. There was nothing that disturbed the delicate paleness of Jack's body. No visible scars, no freckles, no birth marks, no noticeable hairs.

He was just as flawless as Hiccup had imagined. Beautiful. Irresistible.

Usually he prided himself of his self-control but Jack was the one person who could make it disappear almost instantly. Since the beginning, Jack had always been able to smash through the walls that kept others out and this was no exception. The warmth growing in the pit of his stomach and the sudden restless energy flowing through his blood made something abundantly clear: if Jack made a move, he would not be able to resist it. Hel, when had he _ever _been able to resist Jack's affection?

Perhaps Jack felt the same way and that was why neither of them moved. There they were sitting in front of each other on the soft mattress in only their boxers, letting their eyes drift over the other person's body, appreciating what they were seeing.

Without a word, Jack put his arms around him gently before pulling both of their bodies down on the bed again. They sunk comfortably into the mattress and Hiccup rested his head on Jack's bare chest, listening to his heartbeat and feeling him inhale and exhale. Jack's skin was soft and warm against his cheek and Hiccup sighed in contentment because of how comfortable he was. Their legs entwined, long warm limbs resting in between each other.

Jack let a hand gently rake through his moist hair while the other played with his braids. Hiccup smiled a little. It was already becoming so familiar to him that Jack did that.

He began to trace little patterns on Jack's flat stomach, a rough fingertip skating over soft, pale skin and he pressed his chest more into Jack's side. This was a new level of intimacy for them. They had touched and made out but never actually felt their naked skin against each other this way.

It was amazing. A warm snug bubble for the two of them to explore this new feeling of bonding, to reach yet another new level of their relationship.

They were lying like that for a few moments, simply enjoying the sensation of bare skin, before Jack spoke again.

"So…ready to talk about it?" he asked, lowering his head to look at him with concerned eyes.

"Yeah…" Hiccup replied and sighed into milky skin.

"I know it's difficult, but it really does help."

Hiccup nodded against Jack's chest. He knew Jack was right, so he began to explain all the details he could remember from the dream. Some of it had already become hazy in his mind, while others things were sharp and clear. By the end of his explanation, Jack was biting his bottom lip in thought before he spoke.

"So you were a dragon, flying over a forest. Then you saw a burning island where people were screaming but when you tried to fly over there, someone screamed that you shouldn't go?" he asked, a wrinkle of concentration between his eyebrows.

"Yeah."

"And then you were pulled down on the ground and…everything with McGowan, Levin and Zamora happened."

"Yeah, that part is still perfectly clear in my head." he said. He could remember every single detail of that part of the dream, while other things, like the human that wanted him to land and stay away from the island, had turned fuzzy.

"Sorry…" Jack said sympathetically and planted a kiss in his hair.

Hiccup sighed. "Sometimes it just seems like it's always the things we want to forget the most that stays crystal clear even after years of trying to get them to fade."

"Yeah…but maybe that's the point…that it might only get better when we stop trying to_ force_ it away." Jack replied and went back to letting his fingers glide through Hiccup's hair, making those wonderful goosebumps appear on his skin.

"Maybe…" he said, taking a few moments to think about that.

Jack hummed in response. A pale hand left his hair and lowered to his back. Soft fingers brushed over bumpy skin, tracing marks left by different experiences.

"You like touching my scars."

It wasn't a question but a statement. It seemed that every time Jack touched his back, he mainly focused on the scars. Hiccup didn't mind it but it made him slightly curious.

Jack was quiet for a few moments, as he kept caressing different areas of damaged skin.

"I guess they just remind me of everything you've been through and I want you to be okay with them. They're all a part of you. You should be proud of them." Jack explained, fondness seeping into his voice.

"Proud?" he asked, frowning in confusion against Jack's chest.

"Yeah…I mean, a lot of them must be from battling the dragon queen, surviving the torture, encounters with wild dragons and hostile Vikings…they're proof of what you've fought your way through and survived."

"Some of them are because of clumsiness." he admitted but he was touched by Jack's words. Jack was not a shallow person, so he hadn't expected him to have any problems with his scars, but it was still a relief to hear that he actually found something positive in them. That it wasn't simply damaged skin but represented something that was worthy of pride.

"I don't doubt that for a second." Jack said and chuckled, his chest moving a little against Hiccup's cheek.

"Thanks." he said sarcastically.

"You're welcome." Jack said, as if he hadn't understood his sarcasm. A long finger slid across his upper back and stopped by an elongated scar, brushing back and forth over it.

"Where's this one from?" Jack asked.

"Weapons training. Snotlout was distracted by Astrid and grazed me with his axe."

"Wow. You guys are not kidding around."

Hiccup hummed in agreement.

"So…Snotlout has the hots for Astrid, huh?" Jack said. Hiccup could sense the smile on his boyfriend's lips.

"Oh yeah. He's had that for years. But on the other hand…he seems to have the hots for_ every_ pretty girl that comes his way." he explained, one side of his lips curving upwards. People could say what they wanted about Snotlout but he was resilient. Despite how many times he got shot down, he just kept going. There was something both naïve, hopeless and commendable about that trait.

"Huh." Jack said and Hiccup could clearly hear his amusement. Jack's fingers continued to explore his scars, sliding from one to the next, asking how he got them. Hiccup explained the incidents that had led to the marks on his skin, sometimes making Jack chuckle, other times making him frown.

"This one?"

"I fell down the stairs when I was 7."

"Clumsy as always."

"You know it."

"This one?"

"An invention gone terribly wrong."

Jack laughed and it was a beautiful sound that always made Hiccup smile.

"These two?" a pale finger caressed two round, faded scars.

"Dragon fangs. A young Terrible Terror that hadn't learned how hard you should bite during play."

Jack chuckled. "I take it Toothless wasn't happy about that?"

"Hel no." Hiccup grinned. "Of course he'd never actually hurt a little dragon for doing something like that, but he made sure it knew that it shouldn't do that again." he explained.

"You know, it's pretty cool you have your very own guard dragon." Jack said and Hiccup couldn't help but chuckle a little.

A warm palm slid in between the very narrow gap between his abdomen and Jack's side and brushed over the two long scars on his stomach. "How did you get these?"

"Dragon claws." he answered. He clearly recalled that experience. It had been quite painful.

"Huh…what kind of dragon?"

"A wild Deadly Nadder. I was sketching her and her eggs and apparently she thought I was trying to take one, so she roared at me and grazed my stomach with her claws as a warning."

"Ouch. That must have hurt."

"It really did."

Jack grinned. "Once again, I'm imagining a quite angry Toothless."

"Oh yes. He snarled at her and prepared himself for a fight until I managed to calm him down and we both slowly retreated, so she could see we weren't a threat."

Jack hummed in thought. "Do you think I could get a dragon?" he said with that sudden childish excitement and hope in his voice that Hiccup knew so well.

He couldn't help the bright smile that spread across his lips. He would_ love_ it if Jack got a dragon. He briefly imagined Jack flying on a dragon, petting it, forming a close friendship with it.

Hel…just when he thought he couldn't be more amazing.

"I'm sure you could, Snowflake. If you're willing to put in a lot of time bonding with it and training it."

"Of course I'm willing to do that!"

"Then…I don't see why not. But you need to learn some stuff first." he said.

Training a dragon could quickly go wrong, so Jack needed to be prepared and know the basics before he attempted it.

"Sure. You can teach me, right?" Jack asked happily and Hiccup could feel his voice vibrating in his chest ever so slightly.

"Of course." he agreed.

Jack chuckled happily and Hiccup experienced that familiar way his heart seemed to drum irregularly in response.

Jack's long fingers slid around the long, thin scars on his lower back in favor of brushing over one on his hips. Hiccup had noticed that while Jack_ did_ touch his scars a lot, he had so far avoided the ones left by the torture.

"Jack?" he asked, a frown melting the smile from his lips.

"Yeah?"

"Is there a reason why you don't touch the scars from…that day?"

Silence emerged between them. Hiccup let Jack take his time to consider his answer, despite the sudden nervousness in his stomach.

"I guess, I just…wasn't sure if you would be okay with it." Jack said carefully. "I didn't know if you might find it uncomfortable or intrusive or something…I know you still need time to heal, you know, emotionally."

Hiccup relaxed, muscles unclenching. He lifted his head from Jack's chest and placed a kiss on the pale skin.

"You don't have to worry about that." he said, looking into Jack's eyes. "Yeah, I still need time to process all of it but…I don't mind."

Jack nodded with a small smile. He leaned down and let their lips meet in a delicate kiss that made Hiccup's toes curl in delight.

"Do you think you can sleep?" Jack asked him, when he pulled away.

"I don't know." he said.

"Well, give it a try. And if you can't, we'll just stay up and talk." Jack told him softly and rubbed one of his shoulders.

"Okay." he agreed and rested his cheek on Jack's chest once more. He let an arm lay across that white stomach and took comfort in the warmth and closeness between them. He closed his eyes and relaxed his body, focusing on the soothing sound of Jack's heartbeat and feeling the way his chest rose and fell in accordance with his breathing. Jack's fingers became intertwined with his hair, grazing over brown strands in languid strokes. It didn't take long for Hiccup to drift off to sleep again. The last thing he thought about before he fell into a deep slumber was how he wished he and Jack could fall asleep in each other's arms every day.

* * *

**Author's note:**

Yup, plenty of sexual tension in this one :) I know many of you want them to go all the way, but you know...they're inexperienced so it's not something they would jump straight into. Buuuut...as you can probably tell, it's getting harder and harder for them to hold back.

In the next chapter, Hiccup will go home with Jack for the Easter holidays and meet his family. There will be plenty of fluff and humor and the relationship between our two dorks develops.

**Guest reviews:**

Pooka-Spirit: I'm glad this is your favorite story, that makes me happy :) Thank you for the lovely compliments and once again: thanks for wonderful the fan-art you did, it's awesome!

Guest1: Thank you! :) I really like your enthusiasm about the story, it's great :D And I'm glad I could provide you with some long awaited HiJack action, he he.

Guest2: Thanks for reviewing :D Here is some more HiJack for you! :) Now...where are those imaginary cookies you promised me? :P


	20. Next Steps

**Author's note:**

Hi everyone, I'm finally back :) I hope you'll enjoy this new chapter, where Hiccup goes home with Jack for the Easter holidays and meets his family. Plenty of fluff. Plenty of sexual tension.

Also: I'm very sleep deprived right now, so even though I've done my best proof-reading, my mind might have missed something.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

There was nothing like flying that could make his heart soar with freedom.

The wind flapping the brown locks on his head in every direction. The breath-taking view of the earth below. The sudden jolts of thrill from loops and dives. The smell and feel of leather from the saddle and the steering rods. The warmth radiating from Toothless' black gleaming scales. The bonding between them. Seeing his best friend be overjoyed and in his element.

The skies were where he and Toothless belonged.

And in a way, the same could be said for Jack.

He trained his eyes on his boyfriend, who was flying next to him and Toothless on Blizzard, the broom he had made for him. The dark blue broom handle with the white snowflake and swirl pattern seemed to almost shimmer in the bright sunlight and Jack's cloak was rippling violently in the wind, the rich blackness of the fabric a deep contrast against the vibrant blue skies. White strands swayed across his pale forehead and his lips formed a smile of soft contentment that Hiccup truly enjoyed watching.

They had decided to fly over to Jack's house instead of taking the Hogwarts Express. That way Toothless could get to spread his wings and Jack could take Blizzard for a proper ride. He had only been able to fly it for extended periods of time on a few occasions and he was not satisfied with that. So Jack had taken Blizzard out, Hiccup had transfigured Toothless back into a dragon and put a Disillusionment charm on them, so no Muggles would spot them and then they had set out, following the Hogwarts Express from above.

The red train was visible in the distance, steam rising from the locomotive into the cloudless skies, tracks surrounded by endless lush, green hills. Once in a while, wailing whistles drifted from the train to his ears, softened by the distance.

He smiled to himself as Jack did a little spontaneous loop and grinned happily. Being in the air did not change Jack's playfulness in the slightest. He was a talented flyer, that was for sure. Hiccup would go as far as saying Jack was the best on a broomstick in all of Hogwarts. And it was obvious that he truly enjoyed it, making sudden changes in directions and speed, performing familiar tricks and experimenting with new ones. It reminded him of the way he and Toothless liked to fool around and test their limits in the air too.

They had just finished a little race, because Jack had insisted. He had tried to tell him that Blizzard might be very fast but no broomstick in the world could beat a Night Fury. Of course Jack didn't listen, so he had to brutally humiliate his boyfriend to knock the message into his head.

Now Jack had gone back to simply enjoying being in the air on his broom and Hiccup liked seeing him like this. They shared the freedom of the skies, the way their spirits felt lighter, the way concerns seemed to evaporate. He couldn't help thinking how wonderful it would be if Jack got a dragon some day and they could take long flights together with their reptilian friends.

He stroked the top of Toothless' black scaly head and the Night Fury chirped happily. It was clear to him that Toothless had missed flying across surroundings they had never explored before, even if it was mostly mountains and hills. It wouldn't be long before they reached the first town though.

Hiccup had to admit that he was a bit nervous about meeting Jack's family. From everything Jack had told him, they seemed to be the nicest people in existence but even so…he was uneasy about it. He had never done something like this before and he wasn't exactly the most normal boyfriend to bring home. That thought sparked a sudden concern and his stomach squirmed a little.

"Hey, Jack?" he called out.

Jack turned his head and smiled at him. He flew closer until he was so close he could reach out and touch Toothless if he wanted to.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Uhm…how much does your family know about me?"

"What do you mean?" Jack frowned.

"About the whole…chief thing…about the torture…about my leg. Those kinds of things." he explained. They hadn't discussed this before they took off and he needed to be prepared.

"Oh…well…they know about your leg. But not the other stuff. They do know you're a Viking though." Jack told him.

"Okay…" Hiccup trailed off and bit his lip in thought. It was probably for the best they didn't know the other stuff yet.

"Don't worry, Hic. I won't tell them the other things, at least not until you're ready. I know it's very private." Jack said with that familiar tone of reassurance that always seemed to make him relax and believe things would be okay.

"Thanks." he said as a small smile appeared on his lips.

"Of course." Jack returned the smile. "So…are you excited to meet the chaotic genius that is the Overland/North family?"

"Uh, I think so…" he said. "But I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous about it."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. _I'm_ even a little nervous and it's _my_ family." he chuckled. "But I know they'll love you, Hic. Just trust me on this. And they're the most understanding people in the world, so you have nothing to worry about."

Hiccup nodded. "At least you've already told me a lot about them, so it kind of feels like I know them a little bit already."

"Good." Jack grinned. "But maybe I should give you a few warnings before we actually get there." he told him, before doing a quick dip in altitude and bringing himself back up again.

"What do you mean?" he asked, suddenly feeling the nervousness slither inside him again.

"Well…North for example…he's the jolliest, least judgmental guy ever but he also has some boundary issues, because he's so happy and caring. He'll probably give you some tight hugs and very strong pats on the back…that kind of thing. He also really has issues controlling the volume of his voice when he's happy or amused, so he'll probably scare you to death a few times."

"That's reassuring." Hiccup said and grinned.

"I know right?" Jack smiled brightly. "Also…because he's so open-minded, he sometimes goes overboard and talks about stuff you really don't want to know. The too-much-information kind of stuff. Or he might ask you some embarrassing questions."

"Oh gods…" Hiccup said. He was already dreading the potential awkwardness overloads. He wasn't good at dealing with embarrassment like Jack was.

"Don't worry too much though. Anna is usually there to interfere." Jack smiled. "And I'll be there too!"

Hiccup nodded. "Any other warnings?"

"Yeah, Anna will definitely want to look at your teeth." Jack said, as if there was nothing strange about that behavior at all.

"Excuse me?" he asked, checking if he had heard that bit correctly.

"She's a dentist, remember? And she just…has this weird thing with teeth. She always has to take a look at new people's teeth." he shrugged before doing a little loop.

"Oh…well, thanks for the warning…what about Emma then?"

Jack hummed in thought. "The only warning I have about her is that she is way too perceptive for her own good."

"How so?"

"She's 11 but she seems to know everything that's going on with everyone." Jack explained. "It's like she has some kind of sixth sense."

"Uh oh."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Jack said and then chuckled. "It's bloody impossible to hide anything from her."

"That's pretty impressive."

"Yeah, I wish I had that ability. But apparently I was gifted with my irresistible looks and my magnificent intelligence instead."

"Sure you were, Snowflake." he chuckled.

In a flash, Jack flew closer and bumped into his shoulder before speeding up to get away from him, laughing that bubbly, childish laugh.

Hiccup grinned. "I think Jack needs to be taken down a peg. What do you say, bud?" he asked Toothless who instantly warbled in agreement.

"Okay. Let's go!" he said and they shot through the skies in pursuit of Jack.

The rest of the trip to Jack's house went by quickly. After catching up with Jack, they circled him, bumped into him, flew close enough so Hiccup could ruffle his hair and Toothless could slobber all over his shirt. Jack tried to escape them but failed and for the remainder of the trip, the three of them attempted to come up with new cool moves to do in the air, which lead to several hilarious results, such as Jack getting his cloak wrapped around his head and Hiccup's face colliding with a bird who let out a screech of terror.

When they landed in front of Jack's house, Hiccup took a few moments to take in the surroundings before he got off Toothless' back. The house was located at the end of a short, private road quite a distance away from the nearest neighbors. It was large, two stories and made of white wood with black windows and a black roof. The front garden was filled with flowerbeds sprouting colorful flowers, lush green bushes and a few tall oak trees with thick trunks that cast long shadows across the sun bathed grass. The front door of the house was bright red, a colorful splash among the black and white.

He jumped off Toothless and shared a smile with Jack. Then he pulled out his wand and transfigured Toothless into a cat, before he removed the Disillusionment charm from all of them.

When Jack opened the bright red door and stepped inside, he and Toothless quickly followed. The room they found themselves in was large with dark grey stone floors, white walls and a large, wooden staircase leading to the second floor. A dark coat rack stood by the door with several jackets and coats in different colors hanging from it. A row of shoes were neatly lined up beside it. Hiccup took his satchel off, putting it on the floor, while Jack slid off his backpack and did the same.

"We're here!" Jack yelled and only a few seconds later, Hiccup heard approaching footsteps.

A petite woman with a warm smile rounded a corner and came towards them with enthusiastic steps. He had heard many things about Anna but nothing could have truly prepared him for how colorful she was. Streaks of hair in all colors blended with short, brown strands in a pixie hair cut. She wore a long flowing skirt in nuances of blue and dark purple, a long sleeved blouse in yellows and greens and colorful feather earrings. Light pink eyeshadow rested on her eyelids. This woman was a human rainbow and he already liked her.

"Jack, sweetie!" she said before pulling Jack into a warm, motherly embrace. When they broke apart, she turned to him. "Hiccup!" she smiled. "Welcome! I've heard a lot about you…and your teeth!" she squealed the last part.

"My what?" he asked. Jack had warned him but he hadn't expected _this_ level of excitement.

In one second, she was in front of him, putting her thumbs in the corners of his mouth. "Open up, let's see them." she said, those almost purple eyes glittering with joy.

He was too shocked to do anything, so he just stood there and let her look at his teeth. He could hear Jack chuckle from next to him. He was probably very entertained right now.

"Ooh, they look very good. You obviously take good care of them. And what an adorable tooth gap you have!" Anna said happily.

"Uh, thanks." he mumbled, unable to speak properly while she was examining him.

"Tooth! Fingers out of mouth." a deep voice with a Russian accent said from somewhere and Hiccup didn't have to look to know it was North. Who else could it be?

The fingers instantly left his mouth and Anna's eyes flickered to the ground in embarrassment before she smiled at him. "I'm sorry, Hiccup. I just care a lot about dental hygiene. And I've been really excited to meet you!"

"Yeah, Jack told me about the whole tooth thing." he said and returned the smile. "And it's fine. I've been excited to meet you too."

North stepped around Anna and Hiccup took a moment to process the huge man, as he approached Jack. He was just as big as his father, if not bigger. That was impressive in itself, but North's appearance was made even more remarkable by the large tattoos on his massive arms, his thick, bushy eyebrows and his long white beard.

"Jack! My boy!" North's loud voice boomed and he hoisted Jack off the floor and into a bear hug, huge arms wrapping around Jack's slender frame. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too, North." Jack said breathlessly, his ribcage being squashed by the giant Russian, before he was released again.

North's blue eyes fixed on him like he was a cat that had suddenly discovered something interesting. "Hiccup!" he said happily and held out his arms. Hiccup wasn't sure what to do but it turned out he didn't even have to make a decision. He was pulled off the ground just like Jack had been and found himself in North's powerful arms.

He heard Jack and Anna laugh from next to them.

Well, this was a little awkward. He wasn't used to people touching him unless he knew them well. But he couldn't do anything but remain motionless, while strong arms were wrapped around him. North swung him from side to side a little in the crushing hug, before letting him down again.

"Welcome to our home! Finally we get to meet you!" North exclaimed and Hiccup couldn't hold back a toothy smile at the enthusiasm. Both North and Anna seemed so kind and inviting and it was comforting to already feel so welcome in his boyfriend's family.

"Thank you." he said.

Footsteps running down the nearby staircase reached Hiccup's ears and he looked towards the sound. Emma came rushing down towards them at full speed with a bright grin on her face.

"Jack!" she yelled and threw herself in Jack's arms.

"Hi Kiddo!" Jack said and put his arms around her. He stroked her dark hair with a gentle smile on his face.

Hiccup watched them and was amazed by how two siblings could look so different. If he hadn't already known they were related, he never would have guessed. Jack had light blue eyes, Emma had brown ones. Jack's skin was pale and without any noticeable marks, Emma was white but not pale and she had some birth marks under one of her eyes. Jack had spiky, snow white hair, Emma's hair was long, smooth and brown. Jack was slender, Emma had an average build. All in all, they were opposites but he found himself thinking that it suited them.

When Emma pulled away, her curious eyes quickly found him. "Hi Hiccup!" she said, lips parting into a welcoming smile that revealed big front teeth. "I'm Emma."

"Hi Emma." he said. "Jack's told me a lot about you. It's good to finally meet you."

"You too!" she said happily, before her eyes darted around the floor. Her gaze landed on the black cat behind him, as if she had been searching for him.

"Is that Toothless?" she asked, brown eyes sparkling with interest. "Jack said he would be a cat when you came here."

"Yeah, that's him." Hiccup said. "Come on bud, say hello."

The black cat left his comfortable sitting position and walked towards Emma with relaxed steps. Emma crouched down and held out a hand. They all watched as Toothless rubbed his head against Emma's palm and purred. She stroked his black, sleek body and scratched him a little under his chin. The feline licked her hand a few times with his raspy tongue and the big, black pupils in his green eyes revealed his joy.

Toothless was a fierce, dangerous dragon when he had to be. But inside he was a softie and he loved to get attention and make new friends. Hiccup knew that better than anyone.

He shared a smile with Jack and a pale hand reached out and entwined their fingers.

Emma scratched Toothless' furry chest and snapped her head up to look at them. "Can I see him as a dragon? What is it like to fly? How big is he? What's his favorite food? Which-"

"Em, Em! Slow down." Jack grinned and the rest of them chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"But it's a dragon!" Emma argued. Her eyes had gone round with excitement by now. "When am I EVER going to meet a dragon again?!"

"Good point." Jack agreed. "But Hiccup can't answer 10 questions at once, you know."

"Right." she said, as if that thought hadn't occurred to her before now. "Can I see him as a dragon?" she repeated her first question.

Hiccup glanced at North and Anna and hesitated. "Well…if it's okay with your parents, then sure."

"Of course it's okay!" Anna exclaimed and clapped her hands together. "We want to see him too."

"Yes!" North shouted and his joyful laughter echoed through the room. He threw his big arms to the sides to express his eagerness. That man really had a voice and a body language that commanded instant attention.

"Uh, okay. But we'll need to go somewhere there's a bit more space than here." he told them.

"Of course. And where are our manners? Come in, come in!" Anna said and motioned eagerly with her hands. "I'll just go get some drinks for us." she said and quickly disappeared into what Hiccup assumed was the kitchen.

Jack took his shoes off and placed them next to the row of other shoes by the door. Hiccup quickly did the same and revealed the bottom of his prosthetic. It was a good thing they already knew about it, so they wouldn't be shocked. That might have left him self-conscious.

Emma's eyes gleamed with interest again as she tilted her head and observed the artificial limb.

Hiccup decided to use it to get to know her better. "Do you want to see it properly, Emma?"

"Can I?" she asked, glancing between him and Jack.

"Of course." he said and rolled up the trouser leg, so the whole prosthetic became visible.

She covered the few feet between them and looked at it intently, as if it was some kind of riddle to solve. "It looks really complicated."

"It's not that complicated." he said and smiled at her. "But it does have a few different functions. Like this one." he explained and rotated the prosthetic so the part he used for walking retracted and the one he used for controlling Toothless' tail fin was lowered and took its place.

"Wauw." Emma said, her eyebrows lifting in surprise.

"SHOSTAKOVICH!" North's loud voice sliced through the air and Hiccup flinched. "THAT IS BEAUTIFUL!"

The huge Russian was in front of him in one second flat. Two massive hands shot out and grabbed the prosthetic and before Hiccup knew it, it was pulled off and he fell on his butt on the stone floor.

He was frozen for a few seconds, sitting there and trying to comprehend what the Hel had just happened. North was turning the prosthetic in his hands, watching it with wide blue eyes full of wonder.

Emma giggled and shook her head. Hiccup sent her a questioning look.

"He gets excited very easily." she explained with a bright smile. "And then he forgets all about how you're supposed to behave."

"I see." Hiccup said and an amused smile made its way onto his face. Once again, one of Jack's warnings had been true.

He looked up at his boyfriend who was laughing as he watched North examine the prosthetic.

"Uh, North?" Jack said, doing his best to suppress his laughter enough for him to speak. "Hiccup isn't attached to it anymore."

"What?" North's eyebrows knitted together before he glanced to the side and spotted him sitting on the floor. Understanding appeared on his face and blue eyes grew larger.

"Oopsie!" he said and reached out a hand to him.

Hiccup grabbed it and was pulled up easily, as if he was no heavier than a butterfly. He rested his weight on his good leg.

"Sorry, Hiccup." North told him and handed his prosthetic back. He took it, offered him a reassuring smile and was about to speak, when Anna's voice sounded behind them.

"Nick, what have you been doing? Have you seriously pulled off the poor boy's prosthetic?"

"It was accident." North shrugged with an apologetic smile.

Anna sighed as she stood by North's side before she smiled. "I apologize, Hiccup. Nick sometimes forgets there's a thing called 'boundaries'."

"I forget?" North asked, gesturing to himself. "You had fingers in boy's mouth!" he reminded her and Anna bit her lip in embarrassment.

"Yeah, you both made a _great _first impression." Jack chuckled and put an arm around him. "It's a good thing Hic isn't easy to scare away."

"Sorry Hiccup." Anna said with an insecure smile and North hummed in agreement.

He waved a hand dismissively. "That's okay. Really, it's no problem." he said and meant it. Yes, Jack's adoptive parents were quite unusual and had already left him shocked more than once, but he didn't mind. He liked unusual people as long as they were kind and Anna and North both seemed like the sort of people who possessed kindness in abundance.

Anna nodded as relief appeared in those almost purple eyes.

"I do not forget boundaries!" North huffed indignantly as if the mere thought offended him.

"Yeah, you do." Jack said and Emma nodded eagerly. "You totally do." she said.

"Pssh…Can't a man admire beautiful handiwork?" North said and motioned with a large hand towards his prosthetic. "You three have no wonder for things a man builds with own two hands!" he finished and pointed a finger accusingly at them.

Hiccup grinned at this entire absurd display, before he quickly put his prosthetic back on. This was not how he had expected things to go, but he already liked Jack's family _a lot_

"We admire beautiful hand built things too Nick, but we don't rip prosthetics off people." Anna teased him.

"Well, I don't put fingers in people's mouths." North retorted.

Anna coughed. "So…let's go into the living room and you can show us Toothless?" she said and he nodded in agreement.

The living room was large and rectangular but the first thing that caught Hiccup's attention was how high the ceiling was. There was at least 5 meters [16 feet] from floor to ceiling and he briefly wondered how big a Christmas tree could fit in here.

The walls were smooth and had a color that reminded him of golden sand. The back wall was covered with large windows, except the middle part that was built in rough, uneven stone and held a massive fireplace. Dark red arm chairs and couches filled with fluffy pillows in red and dark green hues were placed in front of it, as well as a square, dark coffee table. Along one of the longest walls, large wooden bookcases took up plenty of space and they seemed to not only be filled with books but also various toys, picture frames and a few vases and wooden figurines. By the wall across from it, a dark piano was placed next to a cupboard and by the other end, three soft looking dark green couches and a big table were positioned by a large flat screen TV.

The entire room seemed very cosy and Christmassy. The reds and greens, the comfortable looking furniture, the dark wood, the large stone fireplace. It all gave it a homey, warm atmosphere that he really liked.

"So Hiccup." Anna said, standing in the middle of the room where there was some space free of furniture. "Is this enough room for Toothless?"

"Oh yeah, this is fine." he said.

The five of them gathered into a circle and Toothless, knowing what was going to happen, sat down in the middle. Hiccup pulled out his wand from a pocket and glanced at Emma, who was watching him like a hawk, obviously not wanting to miss anything.

He pointed the wand at Toothless and spoke the necessary words. Slowly, the cat's body expanded, limbs grew longer, wings formed and fur receded. It only took a few moments for Toothless to be back in his Night Fury shape and Anna, North and Emma all gasped in wonder and observed him with bulbous, fascinated eyes.

"Hey bud. Looking good." Hiccup said and smiled.

Toothless warbled happily and gave him a big, toothless smile.

Emma giggled and reached out her hand towards Toothless, before retracting it again and looking at him, as if she was asking permission.

"It's okay." he told her.

She nodded and moved closer to Toothless, who was watching her with those big, friendly eyes that could melt almost anyone's heart. North and Anna approached him as well, their mouths hanging open a little from the amazement of being so close to a dragon.

Emma's hand carefully neared Toothless' snout. His best friend sniffed the hand briefly before giving it a little, gentle lick.

Hiccup sighed with affection. Toothless was telling Emma that he meant her no harm and that she shouldn't be afraid of him even though he was a large dragon. Moments like these were precious. Moments when he got to show other people just how special and amazing creatures dragons were.

Emma laughed and let her palm slide across the black snout and to the side of his head. She began to stroke him, smiling brightly, while North and Anna reached out their hands towards the Night Fury as well. Emma glanced back and forth from Toothless to him and Jack with pride in her eyes, as she continued to pet Toothless. He and Jack shared a soft look from the interactions between Jack's family and his best friend.

Toothless purred with satisfaction as three pairs of hands scratched and petted him on his head and his neck. Those large green eyes slowly closed and he wiggled his body a little when someone reached a particularly pleasant spot.

"You are just adorable, Toothless." Anna said as she scratched under the dragon's chin, receiving a cheerful chirp in reply.

"Look at scales. Pitch black and hard as rock!" North said as one of his big hands moved back and forth over Toothless' shoulder. "And those claws, sharp and deadly! And wings…big and strong!...You are magnificent creature, my friend." North told Toothless and the black dragon puffed out his chest and lifted his head a little, seeming very pleased with that comment.

They all chuckled at Toothless' response and Emma carefully placed her arms around the dragon's neck and gave him a gentle hug. Toothless sniffed her hair and softly nudged the side of his head against hers as a sign of friendship.

"He likes you guys." Hiccup told them, as Emma pulled away.

Emma's smile widened at that comment.

"We like you too, Toothless." Anna said and stroked the top of his head.

"Yes, we do!" North quickly agreed.

"That's pretty lucky since Hic and Toothless are inseparable." Jack told them.

Hiccup pursed his lips to avoid grinning. It was true. He and Toothless were together almost all the time. And that's how he preferred it.

"Wouldn't you be inseparable with your dragon if you had one?" Emma asked him.

"Hmm, probably." Jack agreed. "If he likes snowballs and fun times!"

"If he's your dragon, I'm sure he'd love that." Hiccup said before he turned serious. "Well…I should probably turn Toothless back. We can't really be too careful when we're in a Muggle town." he explained. Even though they were inside right now, someone could stop by or something unexpected could happen. Hiccup preferred to stay on top of any situation.

They all nodded in response. "Aww." Emma said, disappointed.

"You can see him as a dragon again some other time." he told her.

"Before you go back to Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, sure." he agreed

"Can I…" she said hesitantly, shuffling her feet. "Can I try to fly on him?"

"Uh…" Hiccup said. He hadn't expected her to ask that. He glanced at North and Anna, who both watched him expectantly, as if they weren't worried at all that their daughter had just asked to fly on a dragon. "Well...if it's okay with North and Anna then I guess that would be okay. But I would be with you of course."

"We trust you, Hiccup." Anna said. "Just don't do anything wild."

"Of course not." Hiccup agreed. "We'll be careful and take all the necessary precautions."

North and Anna both nodded and smiled in acceptance.

"Yes!" Emma said and did a small jump. "I get to fly on a dragon!"

Jack chuckled. "Wow, that's pretty impressive, sis. You haven't even known Hic a day and you already convinced him to give you a ride on Toothless. Trust me, that's big."

"I'm just more charming than you are, I guess." Emma teased him.

"That's just not true, everyone knows that." Jack retorted. "I have more charm in my pinky than you have in your whole body."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Oh please." she said. "You couldn't even charm that old lady at the candy shop to give you an extra packet of fudge for free last year."

Hiccup chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "You tried to charm an old lady to get free candy?"

"Uh, yeah? It's free candy!" Jack said, as if it was obvious.

"The point is that I'm clearly more charming than you." Emma said triumphantly and put her hands on her hips.

"Pssh. In your dreams, Em. I hate to break it to you, but-"

"If you two could stop your little superiority contest, I think dinner is ready." Anna said with an amused smile, before she quickly disappeared into another room, presumably to check on the food.

"Emma, you and me set table, yes? My belly is rumbling!" North said to Emma who nodded in response. "You two turn dragon back to cat, eh?" North said to him and Jack with a smile.

"Sure." Jack agreed.

When Emma and North had vanished from the room, Jack took his hand and squeezed it.

"You're doing great, Hic." he said with a fond smile. "I hope it's not too overwhelming for you."

"Err…there were a few surprises." he chuckled. "But they all seem really great. I like them a lot."

"I'm glad to hear that." Jack told him before leaning in and pressing his lips on his cheek.

They smiled at each other for a few moments before Hiccup turned his attention to Toothless. With a wave of his wand and the necessary words, Toothless quickly shrank and turned back into a black feline.

When they were all seated around the dining room table, Hiccup realized how hungry he actually was. It had been a long trip from Hogwarts and now his stomach was complaining, rumbling in response to the delicious smell of food. He and Jack sat next to each other on the dark, wooden chairs with the soft green upholstery, while Toothless was occupied on the floor, having been given a bowl filled with salmon.

The dining room was oblong, the walls a calming dark green. On one side of the table there was a fireplace in dark wood and stone with family pictures resting on the mantelpiece and on the other side a wooden drawer with lit candles neatly placed on top. The table was long and made of dark wood with eight chairs around it and currently filled with mouth-watering food piled onto trays and plates: Roast chicken with crispy skin sprinkled with herbs, various kinds of steamed green vegetables, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, gravy and freshly baked bread.

"Well, dig in." Anna told them and motioned towards the food.

"It looks delicious." Hiccup said and received a bright smile in return. The others quickly agreed before they all began to pile food onto their plates.

"So, Hiccup…" Anna said, clapping her hands together once. "Jack has told us so much about you."

Hiccup glanced at Jack, who smiled at him before he took a drink from his glass.

"Hopefully not too many bad things." he joked and smiled as he took a piece of bread from a tray.

"Of course not." Anna waved a hand dismissively. "Only good things."

"Hiccup!" North suddenly exclaimed and Hiccup flinched from the sudden change in volume. "Why 'Hiccup'? That is strange name, eh?" he told him, the amusement clear in the way his lips twitched.

"Uh…" how should he respond to that?

"Nick, don't be rude." Anna chided but with a smile on her lips. "I apologize, Hiccup."

"It's fine." he said and meant it. He wasn't one to be easily insulted and even though he didn't know Jack's family very well yet, they all seemed like genuinely nice people.

"But seriously." North said, waving his fork around. "Why such name?"

"It's…a Viking thing." Hiccup told them, hoping he wouldn't have to actually tell them Hiccup was a name for the runts.

"Yes, you're a Viking." Anna said. "Jack has told us a lot about that too. It sounds very exciting."

"It can be." he said. "It's rarely boring, that's for sure."

"And you have DRAGONS!" Emma said, brown eyes brimming with excitement at the mere mention of the large scaly creatures.

"Yeah, we do." he smiled. "They're definitely a part of why it's rarely boring on Berk."

"How does it work exactly, Hiccup? Do the dragons live with you?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, they do. Toothless sleeps in my room actually. But some Vikings prefer to have a stable for their dragons."

"Yeah, I can imagine they must take up quite a bit of space in a room." Anna replied before stabbing a potato and bringing it into her mouth.

"Oh yes. Not to mention that they can easily knock stuff over with their tails or wings."

"Do they often set things on fire?" Emma asked.

"Yes." he chuckled. "That happens a lot. But it's mostly accidents and me and my friend Gobber have made some great fire extinguishing systems."

"Yes!" North said and slammed his hand down on the table. "Jack told us you like building stuff!" he said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I do." he nodded. "It's one of my favorite hobbies."

"What sort of things have you built?" North asked, resting his elbows on the table.

"Uh, a lot of different stuff actually…weapons, shields, armor, the broomstick for Jack, furniture, saddles, toys-"

"TOYS!?" North said and everyone at the table jumped in their chairs.

"Bloody hell, North, are you planning to give us all a heart attack?" Jack laughed and Anna shook her head, amused by her husband's excitement.

"I've made a few toys once in a while back home for the younger kids." Hiccup explained as he had gotten over the shock of North's outburst.

"What kind of toys? You tell me." North said and leaned forward a little with interest.

"Uhm, things like…wooden weapons, stuffed animals, board games, puzzles, small wooden animals..."

"Wonderful!" North said, as those two large hands gestured eagerly to express his happiness. "I have company that makes toys."

"Yeah, Jack's told me about that." Hiccup said with a smile. "It sounds great."

"It is." North agreed and then his eyes grew large and round. "You must see my workshop!" he said. "We go after dinner!"

"No, North." Jack said, suppressing some laughter. "No."

"Whaaat?" North asked innocently. "Hiccup wants to see my workshop!"

"Yeah, well…it has to be some other time, Nick." Anna said. "The rest of us want to spend some time with him too."

"So? It won't take long." North shrugged.

"Yeah, right." Emma said.

"We all know that's not true." Jack grinned.

"What? We could go quick." North insisted.

"No, you can't, dear." Anna shook her head. "You'll get too excited about your work and you'll end up keeping Hiccup there for hours."

"I would not." North denied but Hiccup had the distinct feeling that he knew this was true. "When have I have done such thing?"

"Uh, remember when Jamie asked if he could see the workshop and you promised it would be quick? He was there for three hours." Jack reminded him.

"So? He enjoyed himself."

"No, he didn't." Anna said, her smile growing.

"Of course he did! We were in workshop? Who could ever be bored in workshop?"

Jack bit his lip to avoid laughing. Hiccup couldn't help smiling at the interaction. Jack's family clearly enjoyed teasing each other, just like their friends did. North had a point though…who could be bored in a workshop?

"Hey, I agree." he said to back up his fellow inventor.

"Ha ha!" North exclaimed triumphantly and pointed a large hand in Hiccup's direction. "See?" he told the others. "Hiccup has wonder for making things!"

"Yeah, he does." Jack agreed. "But you still don't get to hog him all to yourself."

"I don't hog." North shook his head.

"Yeah, you do." Emma said, one side of her mouth lifting into a teasing smile.

"We_know_ you, North." Jack said.

"Pssh." North said. "I don't hog." he repeated. "But this one-" he continued and pointed to Hiccup. "This right here is a keeper, Jack! He likes building stuff!"

"Yeah, I already know both of those things." Jack said before he took Hiccup's hand underneath the table and laced their fingers together. The warm, familiar feel of Jack's fingers entwined with his own made him feel calm and a soft happiness bubbled inside him from his boyfriend's words. Jack thought he was a keeper. He hadn't expected him not to, but even so it was touching to hear him say those words.

"So how did you guys become friends? Jack never told us that." Emma asked, cutting up some steamed green beans on her plate.

"Well…we'd shared a lot of classes over the years but we'd never actually spoken to each other much. Then one day in the beginning of the school year, Jack bumped into me at the library and we just… had our first real conversation and found out that we had some things in common and enjoyed talking to each other." he explained and ran his thumb over Jack's knuckles underneath the table.

"Yeah and then I started to sit next to Hic in classes and we started talking outside of classes too. I got to know a bit about him and I quickly decided that we should be friends, because that dork actually turned out to be pretty awesome." Jack said and glanced at him with amusement in those blue eyes.

"How long did you like each other…_that_ way?" Emma asked, lips twitching in a way that indicated she knew this might be an embarrassing question but that she would only enjoy making them blush.

"About…two months, maybe two and a half months." Jack said.

"Really, that long?" she replied, lifting her eyebrows in surprise.

"Well yeah…" Jack said, seeming a bit hesitant to admit it.

"Man, you two were complete dimwits, weren't you?" Emma grinned and North and Anna chuckled.

"Heeeey." Jack protested. "It's not always that easy to know if someone feels the same way, you know."

"Yeah. I was so sure Jack didn't feel that way about me, so I didn't do anything about it." Hiccup said, even though he could feel warmth spread through his face from the new direction this dinner conversation had taken.

"Well, good thing Jack manned up!" North said. "I told him he just needed moment of courage. Then he could have boy."

"Boy?" he asked, frowning in confusion.

"That's pretty much how North has been referring to you." Jack said and Emma giggled.

"Yes, yes." North said. "Hiccup. I know his name is Hiccup. But I was still right."

"Yeah, you're a real fountain of wisdom." Jack teased.

"I could feel it…in my belly!" North said and grabbed his belly with his hands.

"Not the belly thing, Nick." Anna said, trying to appear stern but failing miserably as she couldn't hold back a bright smile.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow and shot a questioning look at Jack.

"Don't ask." Jack told him, holding back his laughter. "He sees his belly as some kind of sentient being."

"It's never been wrong before!" North declared and they all shared a laugh at that comment.

The remainder of dinner was filled with questions and laughter, as he and Jack's family got to know each other better. He learned more about Anna's passion for her work as a dentist and that she did charity work as well, tending to the teeth of homeless people and others who couldn't otherwise afford it. He heard a lot more about North's company and his enthusiasm towards Christmas and pretty much anything else that kept the childish spirit inside people alive. He found out that Emma did very well in school and wanted to work with animals when she grew up. He also quickly realized that despite her more studious traits, she was _a lot _like Jack: playful, cheerful and slightly childish, caring and protective of others. She told him about some great pranks she had pulled, they had a conversation about bullies and how Emma did what she could to interfere whenever she saw someone who was being bothered and she and Jack took every opportunity they could to tease each other all throughout dinner.

In turn, Jack's family asked him all kinds of questions about Berk and Viking culture in general, about dragons and about the years he'd spent at Hogwarts. He told them the basics of how the archipelago was almost a time warp but with a few modern twists, how they managed to live in peace with the dragons, what it had been like to go to Hogwarts for the first time and how he got on at the magical school. At the end of dinner they had covered all sorts of topics and Hiccup already felt like he was a welcome addition to the family, which left him with a soft, warm relief.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

After dinner they all helped each other clean up and put the leftovers away, before he and Emma temporarily got occupied by a play fight. He ended up tickling her until she surrendered and he basked in his well-earned victory. After all…she had poked him hard in the side so he squeaked and he was not going to let that slide.

Now that he had gotten his revenge, he left the living room to find Hiccup. His boyfriend had disappeared at some point and now he had no idea where he was.

He found Anna in the large, white kitchen, emptying the dishwasher. The clean glasses clinked as she put them into the cupboards and the smell of dishwasher soap made Jack wrinkle his nose.

"Hey Anna, have you seen Hiccup?" he asked from the door.

She turned, a few wine glasses in hand. "Uh, no not since…" a pensive look settled on her face. "Not since Nick was in here getting a cookie. Hiccup was with him."

Jack's mind connected the puzzle pieces and he pursed his lips. "Ah…of course."

Anna nodded slowly. A little sigh slipped out from her painted lips before she smiled fondly. "Nick is hopeless."

"He totally is." Jack agreed.

"Well, tell them I'm making a cake in a minute. That might be able to get them away from there." she smiled knowingly.

He chuckled hefore he spun around and headed towards the place he was now absolutely certain to find his boyfriend.

The huge workshop was a separate building from the house, located in the back of their vast backyard. After a few minutes of walking across the lush grass, savoring the fresh evening air and the soothing sight of the full moon, Jack found himself by North's favorite place in the world. He noticed the door was open and he could vaguely hear North's and Hiccup's voices from somewhere inside the room. When he got to the doorway, he leaned against it and took in the sight before him with a little smile on his face.

He always liked being in North's workshop. It was a massive room with a high ceiling where round lamps in various sizes hung from, their glow bathing the workshop in a warm, cosy light. Large, wooden pillars supported the entire structure and were decorated with carvings of mythical beings like Santa and the Tooth Fairy. The hardwood floors were covered with large rugs in various red hues, there was a huge stone fireplace with roaring flames and along the walls, seemingly endless cupboards, bookcases and shelves were dedicated to various materials and tools, always neatly organized. In one corner, a few large machines were placed in a half circle, ready for whenever North needed them and all over the room, various toys hung from the ceiling or sat on shelves or tables.

"- how you made that?" he heard North say, as he squinted his eyes to take a better look at the sketchbook Hiccup was holding up for him to study.

They were standing by one of North's workstations, one of the most cluttered ones, filled with scattered sketches, pencils, tools and bits and pieces of unfinished toys. The workstations were always a mess, unlike the cupboards and bookcases, a result of North's enthusiastic bursts of creativity. However, no matter how disorganized they seemed to others, North could always find what he was looking for. Apparently, there_ was _some kind of system to the madness.

Jack recognized the sketchbook in Hiccup's hand as the one where he had his designs for everything he had built or planned to build in the future. Toothless was sitting on top of the workstation and of course he had already spotted him. Those green eyes watched him for a moment before returning to Hiccup.

"Well, if you show me how you did that amazing paint job on your sleigh, I'll teach you." Hiccup said and motioned with his head towards the huge, wooden sleigh placed by one of the walls. It was North's pride and joy. He had designed and built it all by himself, it had many different functions, was stunning to look at and he used it every year for playing Santa at Christmas to please the kids in the neighborhood.

"You have deal!" North said and took Hiccup's free hand, shaking it vigorously. Hiccup seemed unprepared for the sheer force of the handshake and dropped his sketchbook.

"Everybody loves the sleigh." North said with a hint of smugness, while Hiccup picked up the book.

Jack shook his head and decided this was a good moment to interfere.

"I knew you two would be in here." he said and they both snapped their heads towards him.

"Uh-oh. Busted." North said with a guilty smile, as if he was a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"We're just having fun. This workshop is amazing!" Hiccup said, those green eyes filled with that familiar excitement he got when he was in dork-mode.

Bloody hell, he was too adorable. And Jack was _not_ surprised by that reaction. North's workshop had so many different tools, machines and materials that it could satisfy even Hiccup's building needs.

His lips twitched as he held back a grin. "Yeah, that-" he said sarcastically and nodded towards the messy workstation. "Looks_really_ fun."

"You and Anna and Emma don't always want to build stuff. But Hiccup here!" North said joyfully and put a large arm around Hiccup's shoulder. "Hiccup likes building!"

"Hey, I tried to bust in here all the time when I was younger." he said and met Hiccup's eyes. His boyfriend lifted an eyebrow in amusement at his comment.

"Yeah, you did. But kids are not supposed to be in workshop alone." North told him and waggled a finger at him.

"I never made it past Phil anyway." he shrugged.

"Phil?" Hiccup asked.

"The security system." he explained and looked towards the door. On the stomach of a big plastic Yeti the size of North himself, was a display where you could control said security system.

"Uh…why is it shaped like some kind of big Yeti?" Hiccup asked, watching the brown and beige plastic creature in confusion.

A crooked smile curved one side of his mouth. "North has this weird theory that Santa would have Yetis as guards and toy makers."

"Doesn't he have elves for that?"

North scoffed. "Bah! Elves are hopeless at building toys! Even oversized rabbit would be better!"

Hiccup shot a questioning look at him, but he just shrugged as his smile spread into a grin. How could he even begin to explain all the amusing but strange theories North had about Christmas and Santa? No. It was probably better to avoid going there.

"Well, Anna said she'd bake a cake so…let's go back to the living room?" he suggested to them, hoping they could be lured away from the workshop with the promise of something sweet.

North perked up. "Cake!" he exclaimed triumphantly. "Come on Hiccup!" he said and dragged Hiccup along towards the door, his boyfriend stumbling and trying to keep up with North's ridiculously long strides.

Jack laughed before he followed them out the door. It seemed like Hiccup and North really got along well and he was beyond happy with that. It was still fun to watch North confuse or surprise Hiccup though.

The rest of the evening went by quickly. They all sat in the soft couches by the lit fireplace, eating the delicious cake Anna had baked and drinking steaming tea in large mugs. They talked and laughed for hours and Anna, North and Emma directed plenty more questions at Hiccup, never seeming to run out of things to ask. They covered all sorts of topics like Hiccup's favorite and least favorite classes at Hogwarts, the many different species of dragons, how Hiccup and Toothless met and much more. By the end of the evening, his family had gained even more insight into the person Jack loved so much and he was happy to see they all got along so effortlessly. He and Hiccup sat closely together on one of the couches, sometimes holding hands, other times leaning against each other. It was comfortable and they both seemed to have an agreement that they wouldn't do more, like kiss, in front of his family yet. Toothless was curled up in Hiccup's lap, his long black tail swishing casually from side to side while Hiccup stroked his back or scratched him behind the ears.

Luckily, Hiccup didn't seem bothered by all the questions, even though his family could be a bit over-enthusiastic at times. Not to mention that North didn't always know what was appropriate to ask someone you barely knew and what wasn't.

By the end of the evening, they all said good night to each other, before he guided Hiccup to his room, Toothless following them.

When he opened the door, he instantly savored the fresh air inside from the window having been open all day, just like he preferred. Anna really did know him too well. This was the first time he had been up here since the last time he was home and as always, it was bittersweet.

He missed his home whenever he was at Hogwarts but he missed Hogwarts whenever he was home. He supposed that was the price of having two homes.

He flicked one of the light switches and strings of white Christmas lights suspended above his bed with the dark blue bedspread lit up. He always liked to have them on when he went to sleep. They reminded him of stars in the night sky and they had a calming effect on him.

"Of course." Hiccup said fondly as he took in the lights.

"Hey, you know me." he replied.

"I sure do."

"So…welcome to my room, Hic." he said and held out his arms.

"I like it. It's very you." Hiccup said, as his eyes darted across the room, taking in the blue walls, the cluttered desk with his laptop and the shelves above with pictures of him and his family and friends, the bookcases brimming with old school books, novels and comic books, the dark blue couch and the square table in front of the TV.

"It should be. It's _my_ room." he replied and shrugged.

Hiccup nudged his shoulder. "Idiot. You know what I meant."

"What?" he said innocently, pretending to not understand. "It's not my fault you clearly don't know how to express yourself."

"I know how to express myself."

"Pssh, obviously you don't because-" he said but was silenced by Hiccup's lips pressing against his. He forgot all about teasing him and closed his eyes, simply enjoying the intimate contact.

When their lips separated, they smiled at each other. The Christmas lights reflected in Hiccup's green eyes like dozens of small sparks. He was beautiful.

"So…time for bed?" he asked, eager to cuddle up with his boyfriend. It wasn't often they got to sleep in the same bed but now they could do that for a whole week and he was going to savor it.

"Yeah." Hiccup agreed.

He quickly removed the bedspread from the double bed, revealing the blue bedlinen with snowflakes on it. He casually put the bedspread on the floor, not really the type to fold stuff up neatly.

"I am so _not_ surprised." Hiccup grinned as he looked at the bedlinen.

"Oh please, don't even go there. If you had bedlinen back home it would be dragon bedlinen and you know it." he retorted and stuck his tongue out.

"Probably true." Hiccup shrugged.

"Probably? You're giving me 'probably'?"

"Okay, _definitely_ true." Hiccup smiled.

"Better" he said, happy to have won that little argument.

He began to remove his trousers and Hiccup quickly did the same. They stripped down to their boxers before they crawled under the soft covers. It wasn't awkward to undress in front of each other anymore. They had done that several times by now when they'd spent the night together in the Room of Requirement and Jack enjoyed how natural it had become.

Their bodies barely hit the mattress before Hiccup's warm arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer to spoon. Hiccup's firm chest against his back, their long legs tangling, his boyfriends face resting on his neck, his warm breath caressing the skin. It made a soft calm emerge within him and he let out a sigh of complete contentment.

"I love you." he said. He took one of Hiccup's hands and squeezed it.

Soft lips planted a gentle kiss on his neck, making the hairs there stand up.

"I love you too."

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

The first few days at Jack's house had been fun and casual, without too much embarrassment. He had imagined that he would probably get awkward and do or say something stupid but it had been surprisingly easy to be around Jack's family. They were all laid back, kind and understanding and they enjoyed spending time together as a family. In the last couple of days they had all baked cookies together, cooked dinner together, played board games, had long talks by the fireplace about all kinds of things and gone on walks in the nearby forest and on the beach. Not to mention that he had also spent some time with them separately. He and North had snuck out into the workshop a few times to discuss projects and teach each other new skills, when the others didn't notice. He and Anna had had long discussions on Viking culture which she seemed very interested in and she especially had a lot of questions about how they took care of their teeth as well as the dragons' teeth. He and Jack had spent time with Emma together, showing her new kinds of magic she hadn't seen before, teasing her and playing different games. Every night before going to bed, he and Jack took Toothless out for a flight, making sure to Disillusion themselves so no Muggles would see them.

All in all, Hiccup had enjoyed himself a lot and he was relieved that everything was going so well. Jack meant the world to him and he was obviously very close with his family, so it would have been a big problem for their relationship if he didn't hit it off with his family. But it turned out all his worries were for nothing. The only thing that had temporarily dimmed his good mood was a letter from his dad. He had told him he was staying at Rapunzel's house, so she had sent the letter to him as soon as she had received it. It wasn't good news. No one had seen Ivar the Bonesmasher and his closest men in weeks and since they still didn't know if the other hostile tribes were even involved in the attempt on his life, they were at a stand still. Berk's allies would never agree to go to war before they had the necessary facts and even though Hiccup desperately wanted to avoid any conflict, it was also frustrating and worrying to simply wait as nothing happened.

He had tried to push it out of his mind by simply enjoying his time with Jack and his family. Today, he, Jack and Emma had played video games together. Something he was terrible at to begin with because he didn't exactly have much experience with it. But he quickly caught on and even won once or twice. Afterwards, they had helped North and Anna do some gardening in their large back yard while Emma played with Toothless, because their magic skills got the job done a lot quicker.

Now the sun was beginning its descent. As he and Jack were headed towards the living room, each with a chocolate bar in hand that they'd taken from the kitchen, orange and yellow hues streamed through the tall windows bathing the hallway in a spectrum of colors that reminded Hiccup of autumn foliage. He had always found sunsets soothing. The way the bright colors danced across the skies, coloring the clouds and enveloping the world in golden fire, only to submit to the darkness, giving way to the dark blue canvas of night dotted with shining stars.

He sighed in contentment and he could see Jack smiling at him out of the corner of his eye.

Suddenly, a blurry shape shot out from behind one of the open doors, ran past them and disappeared around the corner, bubbly laughter ringing through the room.

"Hey!" Jack yelled. "You little thief! You took my chocolate!"

Emma peered at them, most of her body concealed behind the corner. "Hah!" she exclaimed. "Too slow for a ninja!"

"Oh gods." Hiccup said and grinned. "She does the whole ninja thing too?"

"Pssh." Jack said. "She's no ninja. She just admires me so much that she desperately wants to be one." he told him, as they turned the corner and were standing in front of Emma. Jack narrowed his eyes at her and lowered his voice. "But there can be only one ninja in this house. Prepare to meet your doom."

Emma's eyes turned to slits. "You will never defeat me." she spoke calmly and pointed the toy sword in her hand in Jack's direction.

"We'll see about that." Jack replied and glanced around, presumably to find a weapon.

A whistle came from their right and they all snapped their heads towards the sound. An amused, fatherly smile stretched across North's lips before he threw a plastic sword to Jack, who caught it gracefully.

"Thanks North. I knew you had my back."

"Heeey!" Emma protested and glared accusingly at North.

"Emma, in proper ninja fight in this house, you fight with honor. Jack needs weapon. If you have sword and he doesn't, that is not honor." North explained like he was some kind of Russian ninja master generously sharing his wisdom. Hiccup could relate though. There wasn't much honor in defeating someone who was unarmed.

"Fine." Emma said, an almost invisible smile flickering across her lips.

"You will rue this day, sister." Jack spoke in a deep, threatening voice. "Long have you envied my commitment to the ninja way of life, my mastery of the sword-"

Hiccup snorted in amusement and Jack quickly scowled at him, before returning to his little speech.

"You've seen how people adore me. How everyone is fascinated with my good looks and my superior skills." Jack said and lifted his head a little, pretending to be proud. "And you have grown envious. You've been lurking in the shadows, waiting for your time to strike. To stab me in the back."

"No, brother." Emma said, her face stoic. This whole interaction reminded Hiccup of a movie, where two siblings fought for different causes due to a long history of conflict between them. "Long have you been poisoning everyone around you with your arrogance. You think yourself better than everyone else. You believe you are infallible."

"She has a point." Hiccup grinned.

"Shut up, Hic." Jack told him and nudged his shoulder.

"And now it is time to take you down." Emma said, wrinkling her nose pretending to be disgusted. "Your time as a ninja is over."

"I will die by the sword before I give up the ninja way of life!" Jack said dramatically and Hiccup chuckled.

"Then let it be so." Emma said calmly. She was only 11 but she had a real flair for dramatics and Hiccup suspected that she got it from Jack.

Jack surged forwards, holding out his toy sword and the two plastic weapons clashed against each other. Emma and Jack danced around each other, their swords colliding over and over, their faces scrunched in concentration. He and North chuckled once in a while, when one of them delivered a particularly clever taunt or did an amusing, yet effective move.

"You'll never best a ninja master, Kiddo!" Jack teased as he blocked a strike from Emma.

"Your arrogance will be your downfall!" Emma said before the two of them began to edge around the couch, thrusting their plastic swords forward to attempt to strike the other.

Hiccup felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced to see Anna smiling. "What are those two up to now?"

"They're ninjas." he explained with a bright smile.

"Ah yes. Of course. That happens on a regular basis in this house." she said and laughed that soft, bubbly laughter that Hiccup thought fitted her petite, colorful appearance.

"I bet it does." he chuckled, as the three of them continued to watch Jack and Emma fighting each other with their plastic weapons, making their way around different furniture in the living room, striking and blocking. It was clear that Jack was holding back, letting Emma get a chance to fight him.

Suddenly, Jack left his stomach exposed and Emma thrust her plastic sword into it with a fierce look on her face.

Jack clutched his stomach, dropping his sword. His blue eyes were round with mock horror. "No…" he whispered. "No…" he fell to his knees. "My own sister…has betrayed me. I'll come for you in the afterlife, Emma. This… isn't…over." he wheezed as he collapsed on to his side, eyes shut, pretending to be dead.

"And so it ends." Emma said solemnly, waiting a few seconds before her face split into a huge, beaming grin. "Yes!" she jumped. "I won!"

Hiccup thought about how great a brother Jack truly was. He was older, stronger and had better reflexes than Emma. He could easily have won right away, but he had held back and even though he loved winning games, he had let her beat him to make her happy. Hiccup found himself smiling softly at his boyfriend, as he continued to fake being dead. The way Jack was with Emma was truly endearing and heart warming to watch.

"Good job, Emma!" North praised her, before he lifted her on to his broad, strong shoulders.

"I can't believe we have such a skilled fighter in this house." Anna told her with a bright smile and squeezed her leg.

"Let's celebrate victory with cookies!" North declared.

"Yes, a ninja master deserves a reward!" Anna agreed.

"Yes!" Emma cheered from her place on North's shoulders, before the three of them disappeared into the kitchen.

Jack was still lying on the floor, completely still. Dedicated to his fake death. Hiccup approached him and then poked his side with a foot.

"Jack? Are you actually dead?" he asked, as a small smile appeared on his lips.

No answer. Jack didn't move.

"Huh." he said. "Well, you look pretty dead...I guess I'll have to find another boyfriend then. Too bad…I kind of liked you."

"Kind of!?" Jack protested, as he suddenly rolled onto his back and stared at him.

Hiccup shrugged, holding back a grin. "You're all right."

"All right?" Jack said indignantly, as he quickly got to his feet. "I'm way more than all right, Haddock."

Hiccup shrugged again. "I can live with you."

"Is that so?" Jack asked, tilting his head as he slowly stepped closer to him.

"Yup."

"You're sure it's nothing more than that?" Jack said, as their chests pressed together and their faces were only inches apart.

"Pretty sure, yeah." he said and pursed his lips so he wouldn't smile.

"So you don't really feel anything when I stand this close to you?" Jack said, his voice now a whisper. His soft, warm breaths touched Hiccup's mouth.

"Nope."

"And your heart doesn't beat faster, when I do this?" Jack asked before two palms rested on his lower back and pushed their bodies together, closing the tiny gap between them. Their lips met and one of Jack's hands found his neck, fingertips softly rubbing the skin and tugging at brown strands.

Jack kissed him tenderly, patiently pushing their lips together and pulling them apart so slowly that Hiccup's heart fluttered. It was so delicate yet so full of love and Hiccup found himself surprised by how much even such soft contact could affect him. Their lips were barely touching but it still left him breathless.

When Jack broke the kiss, they gazed into each others' eyes in silence.

One side of Jack's lips lifted into one of those teasing, smug smiles that Hiccup knew so well.

"I thought so." Jack said and put his hands on his hips.

Hiccup didn't even bother to come up with a clever retort. "Whatever."

"Ooh, has my amazing kissing shut down Mr. Sarcasm's ability to banter?" Jack grinned and Hiccup quickly pushed him, so he took a few steps back. That only made Jack's smile widen though and Hiccup couldn't help smiling back.

"Come on, let's go get some cookies too. Those three shouldn't get them all to themselves." Jack said and took his hand, leading him towards the kitchen.

"So, how are you going to maintain your superiority now that you let Emma kill you?" he asked.

"Pssh, no problem. I can always come back from the dead." Jack shrugged as if that possibility was obvious. "I've done that plenty of times already."

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

TIME SKIP: THE NEXT DAY

"And the Tooth Fairy takes off in a mind-blowing escape!" he yelled happily, running as fast as he could into the living room, holding the Tooth Fairy toy he gave Emma for Christmas in one hand.

"But Santa chases after her in his sleigh, eager to get his toys back!" Hiccup shouted and Emma laughed, as they continued chasing after him.

"But the Tooth Fairy is too sneaky for Santa, so she suddenly turns a corner-" he said and skidded around the couch to change direction. "- eager to get away with the stolen toys."

"Hey, that's not proper Tooth Fairy behavior!" Anna protested with a smile from her place on the couch.

"Get back here, Tooth Fairy!" Emma yelled from behind him.

"You'll never catch me alive, Santa!" he yelled dramatically and laughed, as he navigated between some chairs.

"Oh really!?" Hiccup shouted.

"Really!"

"We'll get you!" Emma insisted.

"Never!"

"Emma, reindeer split!" he heard Hiccup shout.

Reindeer split? What the…?

Before he knew it, Hiccup and Emma had split up, approaching him from two different directions.

He was surrounded. Santa and his sleigh with a few reindeer on one side and the rest of the reindeer on the other side.

"You're surrounded, Tooth Fairy! Give up the toys and no one gets hurt!" Emma narrowed her eyes at him and held up some of the plastic reindeer menacingly.

He let his eyes drift across the room trying to find an escape but couldn't see one.

"Damn." he said and handed the miniature bag of toys back to Emma.

"Team Santa wins!" Emma cheered and did a little jump. She and Hiccup high fived.

"Pssh. I'll find some other way to get those toys. You haven't seen the last of the Tooth Fairy."

"Again Jack, that is not proper Tooth Fairy behavior!" Anna grinned.

"The Tooth Fairy has been poisoned and turned dark, Anna. And she's angry with Santa."

"Ah, I see." Anna said and nodded, her lips twitching with amusement.

"Well, you lost, Snowflake." Hiccup told him with one of those rare self-satisfied smiles that he adored.

Well...Jack's pride was hurt now. He'd have to do something about that.

"So?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow in what he hoped was a superior way. "At least I get to do this!" he said and rushed forwards to shove Hiccup into the wall. Then he took off down the hallway, laughing loudly.

"I'll get you for this, Snowcone!" he heard Hiccup's voice yell as quick footsteps followed.

"You'll have to catch me first!" Jack yelled back, glancing over his shoulder to see Hiccup chasing him. He loved when they chased each other. The childish glee and excitement of being chased or chasing someone was something he enjoyed immensely.

He ran through dozens of large rooms, darting around furniture, and they even did a quick route through the garden, before Hiccup had caught up with him by the door to one of the bathrooms.

He was forced to back inside the room, as Hiccup approached, smiling darkly like a predator that had finally caught its prey.

"Finally, I got you." he said breathlessly.

"So…what are you going to do to me?" he said and it came out a lot more suggestive than he had intended.

They stood in front of each other, their chest heaving and their lips parted, quick hot breaths leaving their mouths. Their cheeks were blooming with pink from all the running and laughing, not to mention the sudden tension between them that had appeared with Jack's words.

They slowly moved closer to each other, so they were standing only inches apart. Jack's heartbeat was already galloping from their chase but now it was in full speed, throwing itself against his ribcage. A familiar fluttering emerged in his stomach.

"DINNER!" Anna's voice shouted from somewhere in the house.

Neither of them reacted. They stared into each other's eyes in a trance, and their warm breaths joined as they inhaled and exhaled the same air.

"We should get down there." Hiccup said quietly.

"Yeah, we should." he agreed.

Neither of them moved or broke eye contact.

He chewed on his bottom lip and Hiccup's green eyes fixed on his mouth. Jack sucked in a breath in anticipation.

Here they were in the bathroom of all places. Anna had just yelled at them that dinner was ready. And yet, all he could think about was how he wanted to snog Hiccup into the floor.

As if Hiccup had read his mind, he slammed their lips together and strong arms enveloped him. He let himself melt into his boyfriend's warm, eager kisses, savoring the way his stomach tickled and the hairs on his neck stood up.

They claimed each others' mouths over and over, the pace quickly growing frantic. Hiccup's hands slid down his back and rested on his ass, and he let his own hands snake underneath Hiccup's shirt and hungrily touch every part of his chest and stomach. He relished the warmth, the closeness, the smell of Hiccup and the world around them slowly faded.

Their wonderful bubble was burst when suddenly, the door was opened and someone shot through it.

"WHATAREYOUDOING?!" North yelled.

They both jumped and stepped away from each other as quickly as possible.

"Nothing!" Jack said. It was the first thing he could think of. But of course he knew North wouldn't believe that.

"Hah! Not true!" North laughed heartily, holding his belly. "I knew it! Snogging!"

Jack felt the blood stream to his cheeks and as he glanced at Hiccup, he saw his boyfriend hiding his face in his hands.

"Bloody hell, North, what are you doing? Why are you bursting in here like that?" he asked, now growing seriously embarrassed. He and Hiccup hadn't even kissed each other in front of his family yet and now his adoptive father had caught them making out.

"Me and Anna had little bet. About what was taking you so long." North shrugged.

"What?!" he said and it came out a lot more high-pitched than he had intended. "Why would you do that? What did you think we were doing?"

"Well…she said you probably hadn't heard her yell. I said snogging. I win!" North said happily and chuckled.

"Oh gods…" Hiccup mumbled, rubbing his forehead.

"Don't worry, Hiccup!" North said and gave him a strong pat on the back that almost sent him a few steps forward. "Is nothing to be embarrassed about! Is natural!"

Hiccup sighed in response. His freckled cheeks were invaded with a pink tint and Jack was sure his cheeks looked the same right now. His face felt like it was on fire.

North shook his head, amusement shining in blue eyes. "You two…just get over it." he said and grinned. "So I caught you kissing. Big whoop. Now, come on…dinner is ready."

With those words, North left the bathroom and headed back towards the dining room, the sound of his heavy footsteps slowly fading.

"Well that was embarassing." Jack said and smiled apologetically. North was such a great adoptive father but he could really embarrass people sometimes because he never got embarrassed about anything himself. To him, it was just amusing to find his teenage son making out with his boyfriend in the bathroom.

"Err, yeah." Hiccup agreed. "But at least he's not one of those parents who would be angry."

"True." he said. "But we're probably going to hear about this for a while."

They stared into each others' eyes for a moment before both of them chuckled.

"Well...I guess we should just kiss each other in front of them now?" Hiccup said.

"Yeah, there isn't really much to hide anymore." he laughed and Hiccup's small smile spread into a grin.

"Come on. Let's get some food." he said and grabbed Hiccup's hand.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

He was relieved to find that dinner was not as awkward as he had imagined. When he and Jack had joined the others in the dining room, Jack's family had all smiled teasingly at them, causing him to blush furiously but after that, none of them had brought up the incident in the bathroom. Hiccup was grateful for that. He was sure he and Jack were going to hear about it again at some point but at least it had been temporarily set aside.

After dinner, Jack and Emma helped Anna clean up while North asked him to help get some firewood, as the flames in the fireplace were slowly dying out.

When they found themselves by the shed in the garden where heaps of firewood was neatly stacked, North turned to him and crossed his arms. His beard was pure white in the light of the moon and shadows seeped into every wrinkle and contour of his face, making him appear older and more serious than his personality suggested.

"So, Hiccup…" North began and Hiccup was beginning to realize that North had not only brought him out here to help get firewood but to talk to him about something. Nervousness emerged within him, wiggling unpleasantly in his gut.

"Yes?" he asked, looking up at the man who was just as large as his father. He was hoping this wasn't going to be some kind of interrogation about his relationship with Jack.

"Who are you, Hiccup? What is your center?" North asked him, moving a few steps closer.

"My center?" he asked, not knowing at all what North was talking about.

"You have Jack's love. That means you have something very special inside." North explained, rubbing his chin with his thumb and his index finger.

"If I do, I don't know what it is." he said and pulled on one of his braids.

"Hmm..." North hummed. His blue eyes squinted a little in thought and Hiccup didn't like the feeling of being analyzed like some bug under a microcope. How was he supposed to have answered that question?

"Well...what is yours?" he asked him to better understand what North was thinking.

North smiled at him. "When I look at the world, I see it through eyes full of wonder!" he exclaimed, gesturing wildly with those massive hands. "It is what I was born with. Eyes that have always seen the wonder in everything! Eyes that see lights in the trees and magic in the air." he said and looked at the moon. "This wonder is what I put into the world. That is my center. What is yours?"

"I don't know." Hiccup said, not sure why he felt uneasy in this moment. Perhaps it was because North was so sure of himself and his place in the world, while he himself was still uncertain of this. His gaze turned to the grass, blades darkened below the night sky, swaying softly in the mild Spring breeze.

"Hiccup." North said.

He raised his head to meet his eyes. North's expression had softened. It seemed almost fatherly. "There is no rush. You will find your center. Jack did."

"What's his center?"

"What do you think it is?"

He thought about it for a moment and it didn't take long for him to speak. "Fun."

That was what Jack brought into the world. Fun and all the laughter and happiness that came with it, brightening the lives of everyone around him, making the world better just by being in it.

"Exactly." North's eyes gleamed with joy and a smile flickered across Hiccup's lips.

He nodded mutely. Maybe he would find his so called 'center' too some day when he had come to understand himself and his place in the world better. Maybe.

"You make Jack happy." North told him. "I see it in his eyes."

"I really hope so." he said with a tiny smile.

"You do." North stated without any hint of doubt. "I'm sure you know Jack has...problems. With past."

"Yeah, I know..." he agreed, that familiar poke of sadness emerging from thinking about the things Jack had gone through as a child.

"But...I can tell he is happier now than he's been in long time." North said. "Is like..." he continued, gesturing with a hand as if physically searching for the words he needed. "...you help him...with his demons."

"He does the same for me." he said, echoing the words Jack had told him in the Room of Requirement when he was comforting him after his confrontation with Professor Cooke. If he truly calmed Jack's issues as much as Jack did his, if he was just as good at bringing him comfort, then he was grateful for that.

North nodded, the smile on his lips clearly stating his approval.

Weight pressed down on his shoulder, as one of North's large hands rested there. "You are good together." North said and squeezed his shoulder. "I feel it."

"In your belly?" Hiccup asked, raising his eyebrows in a question, a crooked smile on his lips.

"Yes!" North exclaimed happily, as the soft smile expanded into a bright grin. "Now...let's get firewood!"

"Yeah. Let's do that." he agreed before they started stacking pieces of wood into their arms, both eager to get back into the warm house and spend time with the others by the fireplace.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

Soft strands brushed against his lips, as he planted a kiss in his boyfriend's hair. Hiccup's body comfortably leaned against his side, his cheek on his pale chest. His bed was warm and snug, his back resting against the comfortable mattress. Outside, the wind howled, a high-pitched wail that reminded him of a grieving ghost. They had closed the window, as the strong gusts of wind kept slamming it shut anyway. Jack kind of missed the fresh air but he was content simply lying here with Hiccup. After stripping down to their boxers, they had decided to talk for a while, since neither of them were particularly tired yet. They had talked about several things that had happened during the day and a bunch of random topics before Hiccup brought up something unexpected.

"He did what? He _actually_ gave you the whole "what is your center?" talk?" he asked.

"Oh yes." Hiccup said, lifting his head to look at him.

"I can't believe he did that." he replied and chuckled a little. "He is unbelievable."

"Yeah, but in a good way."

"I'm really glad you think so, Hic."

"Of course I do. Your whole family is great." Hiccup told him.

Calloused fingertips began skating slowly back and forth across his stomach and Jack smiled down at his boyfriend.

"So what's your center then?" he asked. He clearly remembered the talk he had had with North all those years ago about his own 'center'. Apparently, North knew right away what it was but it took Jack years to realize it himself. Well, to be honest he wasn't sure if everyone_ did _have a center but the thought was comforting.

"I don't know." Hiccup said, continuing to trace patterns on his stomach.

"Yeah, I didn't either."

"Yeah, North told me about your 'center'. Or...he asked me what I thought it was and I said fun."

"Clever guess."

"Not really, it was pretty obvious." Hiccup said and he could feel him smile against his chest. "You make everyone around you happy by bringing them fun."

"Thanks." he said, touched by those words, and kissed Hiccup's hair. He hoped it was true. That he _did_ make the people he knew happy. He wasn't an ambitious person. He didn't have dreams of wealth or power or status. He just wanted to enjoy life and make everyone around him enjoy it too.

He reflected on that for a few moments before all the thoughts of fun and happiness made him briefly think of a question that had been on his mind for a while.

"Hey Hic?" he said.

"Yeah?"

"What do you think about when you conjure your Patronus?"

Hiccup was quiet and Jack briefly wondered if he was reluctant to share his thoughts on this particular matter. The silence stretched on between them. He could hear the shed in the garden creak, the wood complaining from the powerful wind.

Then Hiccup spoke. "Remember how I couldn't do it at first but then suddenly I got the hang of it?"

"Yeah?"

"Well…at first I thought about my first flight with Toothless. How exciting and amazing it was. Then I tried thinking about the time I woke up after fighting the Red Death and I discovered everything was okay. But...I realized those memories were more about exhilaration and relief than...deep, genuine happiness. And when I look back there's one memory that stands out above all others."

"What?" he asked, his curiosity having now risen to an almost unbearable level.

"When I first started to convince Toothless I wasn't a threat to him, you know, back in the cove when he couldn't fly...there were all these little steps we went through. I kicked away my knife, I gave him food and so on. But there's a difference between trust and not feeling threatened and I wasn't sure if he was ever going to trust me. I desperately wanted to form a bond with this huge, fire-breathing reptile that I had always been taught was a killing machine but had now put _everything _I thought I knew into question. I identified with him...he was much more than people's assumptions. What I think about when I conjure my Patronus...is the moment I reached out my hand and looked away, making myself completely vulnerable. He could have killed me any time he wanted to but instead...he softly pressed his snout into my palm. He let me touch him. He showed me trust, despite only having bad experiences with people. That's what I think about because that was the real beginning of our friendship." Hiccup explained and his voice was so soft and laced with love for his best friend that Jack couldn't help smiling.

"That sounds amazing." he said. "I wish I could have seen that."

Hiccup was silent for a little while, as Jack began to weave his fingers through his brown locks.

"You can." his boyfriend said.

"What?"

"If you want to see it...you can. When we get back to Hogwarts, I can show you through the Pensieve."

"Oh..." he said, not having thought about that possibility. "If you're sure then...yeah. I'd love to see it." he finished. After all...memories were something very personal and even though he would really enjoy seeing Hiccup and Toothless bond for the first time, he wanted Hiccup to be certain.

"I'm sure." Hiccup told him and lifted his head for a brief moment to kiss him on the chest.

There was a comfortable silence in the room for a few minutes, only the sound of the screeching wind outside keeping them company, before Hiccup spoke again.

"What do_ you _think about when you conjure your Patronus?"

He sighed and moved his hand from Hiccup's hair down to his upper back, stroking it lazily. "My parents."

"Oh..." Hiccup said. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's all right." he reassured him. It was painful to relive this memory but it also brought him an intangible, soft joy to remember his parents. How wonderful they had been. How safe and loved he had felt around them. "It's just...we had been outside playing in the snow all day. When we came inside, we were all exhausted and cold, so we made hot chocolate and cuddled together on the couch, watching some Christmas movie that was on the telly. At some point, Emma fell asleep on me and when the movie was over, I was close to falling asleep too. Our parents carried us to our rooms and tucked us in and told us they loved us. A few days later, they died." he explained quietly. "It's a simple memory but...it's one of the happiest and yet saddest ones I have."

"Jack..." Hiccup said and lifted a hand to brush it against his cheek. His boyfriend pulled himself upwards and leaned in to softly make their lips meet.

Jack's eyes closed as he let Hiccup comfort him with those feathery, almost careful kisses. Hiccup grabbed him and rolled him onto his side, so they were facing each other. His boyfriend's green eyes glistened with conflicting emotions, saddened by his past but protective and determined to make him feel better. A conflict Jack himself knew very well.

A rough hand gently rubbed his arm and Hiccup slowly pushed their lips together again. Jack let his body soften, letting go of the tension from his emotional turmoil. Here in the darkness, Hiccup's affections dimmed the pain stinging in his heart.

Their lips grazed each other again and again as they showered each other with gentle, delicate kisses until they fell asleep in each other's arms.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: TWO DAYS LATER

His eyelids slowly lifted, the world coming into focus. He blinked a few times, taking in the blue wall in front of him, as the haze of sleep began to float away. He remembered that he was at Jack's house and that this night had been terrible.

The soft mattress supported his tired body, the comfy surface making his muscles relax. He was lying on his side, legs outstretched and his head on one of his palms. He sighed and savored the warmth of the comforter on top of his skin, soothing his mind and making him wish that he could simply go back to sleep. But he didn't know what time it was and he knew Jack's family had a lot of activities planned for today, so he would have to somehow get out of bed no matter how much he wanted to stay here.

He looked down and spotted Toothless curled up in a ball next to the bed. He reached out and petted his best friend, who instantly woke up and began to purr in contentment.

"Hi bud." he smiled and received a happy meow and a gentle swat of a paw in reply.

He reluctantly rolled over, scrunching his face from the strain on his poor body. Jack was still asleep next to him, lying on his back, clutching the comforter to his chest like some kind of lifeline. He smiled softly, as he simply watched Jack sleep for a few moments. His lips were parted, deep, slumbering breaths pouring from them and his snow white locks were in disarray, a result of the quite frequent tossing and turning he did, even when he claimed to have slept comfortably. A faint touch of pink had snuck into his pale cheeks, most likely from the heat that had gathered from their bodies underneath the comforter and his thick, dark eyelashes fluttered ever so slightly.

He was captivating. And as the memories from last night began to flood his mind, he once again found himself so incredibly grateful that Jack was in his life. That he had his love.

It had been a rough night. Only about an hour after they went to bed, he began to get phantom pains, making it impossible to sleep. He had spent most of the night in agony, his missing limb taunting him with the twisted, stabbing pain that had become a regular occurrence in his life.

Jack had been amazing, as always. He had held him, talked to him and joked around to try to keep his mind occupied with something else. He had kissed his forehead and squeezed his hand, stroked his back and run his fingers through his hair. He had done everything he could to bring him some kind of comfort and distraction from the pain and the frustrations that came with it.

He reached out and brushed some white strands away from Jack's forehead. His boyfriend's forehead wrinkled a little in response. He wiggled closer to him and pressed his lips on his cheek.

Jack's eyes slowly opened and he shifted a little. He blinked before blue orbs focused and a small smile reached those pale lips. "Hey." he said. "Feeling better?"

"Still really tired. And my leg still hurts a little. But yeah…better." he returned the smile.

"Good."

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" he asked.

"Uhm…" Jack said as he found his alarm clock on the nightstand. "3 PM."

"What?" he asked in disbelief. "3 PM? But…we were supposed to do all kinds of things today weren't we?"

"Yeah, but around 10 AM when you were still sleeping, I found North and Anna and told them we needed to do that stuff another day because you need to rest."

He felt an immediate twinge of guilt and groaned. "So I pretty much messed up everyone's day."

"Don't be an idiot." Jack said and slapped him gently on top of the head. "It's not your fault you get phantom pains."

"No, but-"

"No 'buts'." Jack said and his voice had taken on that stern tone that he used so rarely. "You didn't mess anything up, Hic."

"So you don't think the others will be disappointed that we didn't get to do any of the stuff they had planned for today?" he asked, not sure if he truly wanted to know the answer. He would feel terrible if Emma or any of the others missed out on something because of him.

"No, of course not." Jack told him before his lips formed a warm smile. "Don't worry about it. They don't mind."

He sighed a little in relief. "Good. I'd hate to ruin anything."

"You won't." Jack said before his mouth opened wide in a huge yawn.

"Yeah, I'm still beat too." he said and smiled at his boyfriend.

"Come here." Jack said and gestured with his hands for him to come closer.

Hiccup shuffled towards him and turned to lie on his side. Jack pressed his chest against his back and put his arms around him.

He sighed happily as they cuddled together in the soft, warm bed. Jack placed a few kisses on his neck and he squeezed his hand and let his thumb brush over the knuckles. In this moment, he was so relaxed that his eyelids began to droop and his body sunk into the mattress.

Suddenly, Jack leaned in and whispered in his ear. Hiccup was not prepared for the words.

"Let's play a game."

Every large muscle in his body clenched as the tension spread through him. His heartbeat went from lazily thumping behind his ribcage to racing like a spooked horse. The swarm of terrible memories invading his mind made nausea rise within him, threatening to make its way all the way up to his throat. He saw fragments of blood, of wands, of narrowed eyes. He heard screams and splintering wood and flesh ripping open.

"Shit!" Jack said, panicked. His voice sounded far away, like he was in another room.

"I'm so sorry, Hic!" Jack said and hugged him closer. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." he chanted over and over with regret and horror.

Hiccup tried to calm himself. To will away the anxiety. But his heart kept racing, his muscles refused to relax and he felt like he might be sick from the memories.

"Hic?" Jack asked. "Hic? Please say something."

He tried to take some deep breaths but they only came out shattered. He felt a warm presence by his hand and he knew it was Toothless. His chest was beginning to hurt from the anxious, sharp breaths that didn't give him enough air.

"Hic...focus on something specific." Jack told him. "Focus on me and Toothless. Just listen to my voice and pet Toothless. Let everything else fade away."

He tried to do what Jack told him. He began to stroke Toothless absent-mindedly as memories continued to show him things he would rather forget. Jack started to tell him about all sorts of random things to distract him and he did his best to simply concentrate on the words and what they meant instead of the thoughts and panic swirling in his mind and body.

After a while, he could feel himself calm down slowly. His heart no longer seemed like it was about to rip through his ribcage and his muscles had begun to unclench. The soft feel of Toothless' fur against his fingers, his best friend nudging his cat head against his cheek in concern, Jack's deep and soothing voice, the warmth of his body against his, pale arms wrapped around him protectively. It all helped him push away the unpleasantness in his head.

"Better?" Jack asked, as he kissed his cheek softly.

"Yeah..." he said, the first words he had spoken since Jack had said that anxiety inducing sentence.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that. That was so stupid." Jack told him and his voice was close to breaking.

"It's not your fault." he told him quietly.

"Of course it's my fault. I know you can't hear that phrase without thinking about...all of that." Jack said, the fragility of his voice giving way to strong self-loathing.

"You're only human, Jack." he said and squeezed his hand. "I don't blame you for slipping up and neither should you."

"I promise it won't happen again."

"Even if it will...that's okay." he told him and meant it. Yes, it was horrible to be reminded of what had happened that day and it was difficult to push away but he would never blame Jack for accidentally sending him into a small anxiety fit.

They took it slow for the rest of the day, making sure he got his rest. When he and Jack had joined the others after more cuddling to help him relax, Anna was preparing lunch. Just like Jack had told him, Emma, North and Anna were completely understanding of his phantom pains and assured him it was okay they didn't get to do anything special today. After lunch they occupied themselves with easy, calm activities like playing board games together, watching a movie and going for a short slow walk in the nearby forest, where Toothless got to chase birds and explore new surroundings.

Now, he was resting on a chair in the garden, a book in his hands. The delicate Spring breeze played with his hair and settled on his skin. The sun had begun its journey towards the horizon, golden clouds floating across skies illuminated with soft pinks, yellows and reds.

A pleasant peace had descended on the garden. The large trees, the lush bushes and the plentiful flowers appeared almost luminous in the golden light. Bumblebees lazily buzzed around the flowerbeds, small, plump fuzz balls with wings just going about their business of pollinating. On the grass next to his chair, Toothless rested in the sunlight, his black fur shining , eyes closed in relaxation.

As his eyes took in the words on the pages, he could hear Jack's, North's and Emma's voices from further down the garden. They were doing some kind of contest to see who was the most athletic one after some teasing being exchanged between Jack and Emma. So far, they had done long jumps, high jumps and raced from one end of the garden to the other. It had been very amusing to watch and as he lifted his eyes from the pages, he saw they were seemingly getting ready to compete in throwing a ball the longest.

He closed the book and rested his hands on top of it. He inhaled deeply, savoring the mild air, before he slowly exhaled.

North had picked up the red ball and made a big thing out of positioning his feet just right before throwing it, earning him some laughs from Jack and Emma. He hurled the ball forwards and it shot through the air at massive speed before landing all the way in the other end of the huge garden.

"Yes!" North happily threw his muscular arms in the air. "Beat that, little ones!" he teased Jack and Emma who both quickly agreed that they could easily do better than that. Hiccup seriously doubted that though. North was freakishly strong, so there was no way Jack or Emma could throw something with as much force as he could. It would be funny to watch them try though.

Jack retrieved the ball and jogged back to North and Emma. He gave it to Emma, whose eyebrows knitted together in concentration. She bit her lip and threw her arm back, holding the little red ball in her hand, before she threw it through the air. It landed on the soft grass further away than Hiccup had expected but not even close to what North had achieved.

Emma instantly frowned at her result and had to listen to some teasing from Jack and North, as she went to retrieve the ball.

When it was Jack's turn, Hiccup smiled as his boyfriend goofed around, doing all kinds of stupid, unnecessary preparations just to annoy North and Emma, who were both growing impatient.

"Come ooooon, Jack!" Emma prosted, when Jack inspected the red ball for the 10th time to make sure it was just right.

"Alright, alright." Jack agreed before he swung his arm back and propelled the ball through the air. They all watched it land on the ground, further than what Emma had managed but not as far as North had done.

"Yes!" Jack said and did a little jump. "I win!"

Hiccup couldn't help smiling. Jack's joy was always infectious.

"What?" North asked. "How you win?"

"I won the other two contests and I'm second in this one. Clearly, I'm the winner." Jack told him.

"Pssh." North said. "Who said we were done yet?"

"I did. And I won!" Jack grinned in that smug way of his.

"Hey, you don't decide when we're done." Emma said and put her hands on her hips.

"Of course I do. We've clearly established that I'm the better athlete, so I get to end the competition when I want to." Jack said and laughed happily.

"You so don't!" Emma protested.

"Yeah, I do."

"We don't agree." North said, pretending to be annoyed even though the amusement was evident in his voice.

"Well, what are _you two_ going to do about it?" Jack said, as a devious smile spread across his lips. Hiccup knew that look. Jack was planning something.

Before Emma or North could answer, Jack pulled out some balls he had hidden in his pockets and bombarded them with them. Then he took off laughing, running through the garden.

Emma and North didn't take long to begin running after him and thus, Hiccup watched his boyfriend being chased by his little sister and his huge Russian adoptive father.

"Jack's something special." he suddenly heard Anna's soft voice say from behind. He turned on the chair and met her eyes. Her lips twitched in a smile.

"Yeah. He really is." he agreed, as he glanced at Jack, Emma and North running around, laughing and shouting taunts at each other.

"It's just…surprising he has such a dark past. He's always so...happy and full of fun." he told her, expressing something he had been thinking about so many times he had lost count.

"I know…it's one of the best things about him, wouldn't you say?" Anna said.

"Yeah..." he agreed, as he watched Jack speed around some flowerbeds.

"You know, Hiccup…" Anna said as she sat down in a chair next to his. "I'm really glad you and Jack have found each other."

"Thank you." he said and gave her a fond smile. "So am I."

"What you have is a rare thing..." she said. "I hope you'll both hold onto it."

"Me too." he said. "I'm certainly going to do everything I can."

"Are you planning to let Jack meet your dad?"

"Uhm, it's…kind of complicated."

"He doesn't know?" Anna asked, her almost purple eyes now shining with concern.

"No."

"Do you think he wouldn't accept it?"

"That's what I fear." he said, as his gaze followed Jack around the garden. His boyfriend was doing sharp changes in directions, jumping over small bushes, running around trees to escape Emma and North.

That familiar bittersweetness swirled inside him. He loved Jack so much and he would never let go of him. But until he came out to his dad and told him about their relationship, it would be hanging over their heads. And what would happen, once he did tell him about it? Maybe he would be an outcast, forced to leave his home and never speak to his father and several of the other Vikings in his life again. He would choose Jack over staying on Berk any time but the prospect of being shunned by the people he cared about was terrifying.

"I'm sorry to hear that…" Anna's voice was gentle and soothing. "If you ever need a place to stay or anything else, you're always welcome here." she said and put a slender hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Anna. That…really means a lot to me." he said, swallowing to get rid of the sudden lump in his throat.

"No problem. You're a part of the family now and family takes care of each other." she smiled at him and it was so kind and caring that he almost had trouble looking at her.

"Thank you." he said once more, a tiny but grateful smile on his lips.

"Of course." she said and removed her hand from his shoulder. She let her gaze drift to her laughing family still speeding around the garden. "You know...Jack always manages to make me happy. Even if I've had a terrible day, I can come home and he'll cheer me up with his clever teasing or his goofing around."

"Yeah, he does that for me too." he said and filled his lungs with more fresh Spring air.

"And even after he went off to Hogwarts...whenever I write him and tell him about something that's bothering me, he'll write back and include some silly jokes or tell me about the pranks he's pulled or what other sort of mischief he's involved his friends in. It always puts a smile on my face." she told him.

Her eyes appeared almost pink in the colorful light of the sunset and the rainbow streaks in her short, brown hair were illuminated, standing out against the dark tresses even more than usual. The sun had dipped lower in the horizon, darkness bleeding into the colorful hues from above, signaling the approaching night. It's continuous distancing made the temperature drop slowly, the mildness of the breeze evaporating, giving way to the chilliness of evening.

He locked his gaze on Jack again. He ran swiftly across the grass, long limbs moving gracefully, navigating around any obstacles in his way. His snow white hair was almost golden, touched by the sunset. His pale skin was rich and creamy with shadows of trees playing across it. Laughter spilled from his lips, the joyfulness of it seeming to stem from a warm place in his heart reserved for the people closest to him.

"Yeah...he is special." he said and smiled.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

TIME SKIP: THE NEXT DAY

He padded down the hallway, enjoying the way the plush carpet tickled his bare feet. The fresh feeling dancing across his skin, purged of any dirt and sweat, the clean scent of soap enveloping him, the chill running along his scalp under damp, white locks. It all contributed to that lovely revitalization he experienced after taking a cool shower.

He briefly wondered if Hiccup was still reading comic books, as he made his way towards his room where his boyfriend had been occupying himself while he was showering. He wrapped his arms around himself, snuggling into his blue hoodie. It had just been washed today and the faint scent of the washing powder and the dry, crisp sensation of the freshly cleaned clothes increased his contentment.

As he passed North's office, he noticed the door was open. He glanced inside and saw his adoptive father sit by his large desk, sketching something. Probably a new design for a toy. North's forehead was full of wrinkles from concentration, his blue eyes were focused on his current task and his large hand gripped the pencil tightly, moving it quickly across the paper, as if it couldn't fully keep up with the thoughts swirling through his mind. Jack smiled a little to himself before he decided to move on.

He turned to walk away, but flinched suddenly by the sound of North's loud, deep voice.

"Jack! My boy!"

"Uh. Yeah?" he asked, looking inside the room once more. North had put the pencil down and was now watching him with one of those warm, fatherly smiles of his that always made Jack feel lucky to be adopted into this wonderful family.

"We need to have little father son discussion." North explained and gestured for him to come closer.

Uh-oh. This couldn't be good. Jack was sure of it. North and Anna were very tolerant, understanding parents. There weren't any strict rules in this household and they never became angry and scolded him or Emma. However, since he was a teenager (and a particularly mischievous example), it was unavoidable to have a serious conversation once in a while about how to behave.

"Uhm…okay?" he replied, looking into North's eyes in an attempt to decipher what this was about. He couldn't see anything but determination. Clearly, he was not getting out of this.

"Sit." North told him and motioned with a large hand towards one of the chairs in front of the desk.

Jack approached it hesitantly. This conversation could only go two ways: either he had done something that required a mildly serious conversation or this was somehow related to his relationship with Hiccup. Either way, he had a feeling he wasn't going to like it.

He slumped down on the soft, red armchair. North stroked his chin with a thumb, blue eyes squinting in thought, as if he was simultaneously thinking about how to start this 'discussion' and wondering how Jack would respond to it.

Jack fiddled with his hands, wringing them, scratching a palm, lacing and unlacing fingers. His cheeks heated a little from the intense gaze of his adoptive father, because this uncertainty was making him uneasy.

"So…" North began, entwining his fingers and resting them on his belly. "You and Hiccup…you seem very happy." he said, a content smile appearing on his lips, caught between his bushy moustache and the rest of his long, white beard.

He stopped fidgeting and returned the smile. So it_was_ about him and Hiccup. He should probably have expected that. After all, he'd never been in a relationship before and Anna and North always tried to give him the right amount of support, honesty_and_ information to make good choices that would bring him happiness.

"We are." he replied and nodded as extra reassurance for North. He had no doubt that North and Anna really liked Hiccup, but they were his adoptive parents so it was their job to worry about him nonetheless.

"Good. That is good." North said, nodding to himself, seemingly satisfied by that answer. His gaze drifted towards the window and he stared into nothing for a few moments.

"So, uhm…North? What's this about?" he decided to ask, wanting to get it over with as fast as possible. He wasn't sure what it was North wanted to discuss about his relationship with Hiccup and he wanted his curiosity sated.

"Ah, yes." North said, shaking his head a few times, as he snapped back to reality. "There's something we need to talk about."

"Yes, I got that much." he smiled at him, lifting his eyebrows in amusement.

North chuckled, his deep voice humming in his throat. "Yes, I'm sure you did. Now…how…far are you and Hiccup in relationship?" he asked, those piercing eyes fixating intently on him.

"What?" Jack replied, eyes narrowing in confusion. How far? What did that even mean? Sometimes North's grasp of the English language could leave one a bit baffled.

North cleared his throat and shifted his position on the chair to sit more comfortably. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. Dark, bushy eyebrows lowered, creating one of his familiar looks of seriousness. "I mean…have you done the sex yet?"

Jack could sense the blood rush to his cheeks, as the unpleasant warmth spread through the skin and he instantly tore his eyes off North and stared at the desk.

Oh no. No no no. This was a _sex talk_.

Shit and fuck and bloody Boggarts on a broomstick! ABORT! ABORT!

"Uh…" was all that left his mouth, while his brain was frantically trying to process how to handle this situation. Was there any way he could get out of having this conversation?

Usually, he was never uncomfortable around his family whatsoever but this…this was horrible. He had never had a sex talk before and he certainly wasn't interested in getting one now.

"Come on, Jack. No need to get nervous. Is all natural." he heard North say reassuringly.

He peeked at North who was smiling a little and then shrugged in an obvious attempt to put him at ease. It didn't work though.

"Well, uhm…I…we…uh…we haven't…done that." he managed to say, as the heat in his cheeks grew. He was certain his pale skin must be embarrassingly pink by now.

"Good!" North exclaimed happily, two large hands clapping together once.

Jack jumped in his seat from the sudden noise. He should really be used to North doing that but he wasn't. The man was capable of the most unexpected changes in volume that could catch almost anyone off guard.

"Good?" he asked, confusion rising within him again. North and Anna weren't strict parents. They weren't parents who were desperate to keep their children naïve and inexperienced for as long as possible. He couldn't imagine that they would have anything against him having sex, as long as he was in a relationship with someone and he was ready, so he wouldn't regret it afterwards.

"Yes. Good!" North nodded enthusiastically. He began rummaging through one of the drawers in his desk. The sounds of ruffling papers and various small, unidentifiable items rolling around reached Jack's ears and he could do nothing but watch North in utter bafflement.

"Aha!" North exclaimed triumphantly, as he pulled out a white plastic bag from one of the drawers. It had some items in it but he couldn't tell what it was. Right now though, he was fearing the worst. His stomach was starting to squirm in nervousness as a sense of dread grew within him. He had the distinct feeling that he was going to be ready to die of embarrassment in a moment.

North leaned over the desk and planted the plastic bag in his lap, before he took his seat in the red chair behind the table again. Those blue eyes were focused on him, seemingly waiting for him to do something.

Jack took a slow breath and hesitantly opened the plastic bag. Horror went through him, as he realized what the items inside it were.

Condoms. Lube. Pamphlets about safe sex.

Crap.

He instantly closed the bag again. A nervous cough left his lips and he quickly put it down on the floor to distance himself from it. His entire face was burning and he looked at his hands as if they were the most interesting things in the world.

North's booming laughter echoed through the room.

Jack flinched from the sound and his eyes found North again. He was holding his large belly, as the laughter poured from his mouth. The corners of his eyes crinkled.

Jack could only stare, meeting North's eyes for the first time since that embarrassing plastic bag had been given to him. It wasn't unusual for him to be perplexed by North's reactions but right now it was a tad unsettling.

"Jack, Jack, Jack." North began and waved a hand dismissively. "No need for nervous. You take things too serious, eh?"

"Uh…" he forced out of his mouth, unsure of what to say besides that. He couldn't remember ever having been told he took something too seriously.

"Is nothing to be embarrassed about!" North insisted and threw his huge arms to the sides. "Is all part of life and you are almost grown man now…but you should_never_ be stupid about it. Anna and I want you to be safe."

"Yeah…" was all he could say. Of course they were concerned with his safety and he completely understood that but it didn't lessen the awkwardness of this conversation. This was going to be a moment that would probably haunt him forever.

"Jack." North said, his voice lowering to the tone he only used to say very serious things.

"Yeah?" he asked, hoping there wouldn't be more unpleasant surprises.

"Promise." North said, his eyes boring into him as if this was one of the most serious conversations they would ever have. "You promise you will be safe?"

"I promise." he agreed. He _had_ intended to do things safely whenever he and Hiccup were ready but he understood North's need for reassurance.

"Good!" North yelled happily and gestured wildly with his hands. "That is all we want!"

Jack jerked a little in surprise. Bloody hell, that man should come with a 5 second warning before any changes in volume or body language occurred.

"So…" North said, calming down. He leaned back in his seat. "Do you have question?"

"Question?" he asked.

"About the sex." North said, putting his large, tattooed arms behind his head, leaning on them casually, as if this was just any random thing they were discussing.

Jack squirmed in his seat.

This wasn't over yet?

_Permission to say shit?_ his mind asked him.

Permission granted.

_Shit._

"Uh, no…I don't think I have any questions." he said, trying his best to seem confident, so North would believe him. He really didn't want this conversation to stretch on. He was 17, he knew the basics and whatever he didn't know, he could find out on the internet. There was no need for more awkward moments with North.

North narrowed his eyes and watched him intently to gage the sincerity of his words. He hummed in thought, a deep sound that matched his size.

"Are you sure?" North asked.

Yes. Hell yes.

"Yeah, I'm sure." he said and did his best to form a casual smile.

North nodded slowly. "If you are sure." he said. "Then I will not press matter."

Jack sighed in relief. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could handle.

"Okay." he nodded.

"But you should know, Jack…" North began. "Is nothing to get all-" he gestured up and down to him "- what is word…flustered for."

"Yeah well, it's not exactly on any teenager's wish list to have this kind of conversation with a parent." he said, an amused smile on his lips.

North laughed at that, the familiar jolly sound making Jack's smile widen.

"I know, I know." he said. "But is necessary. We worry."

"Yeah, I know. But I promise I'll be safe."

North nodded in approval, before he stroked his long beard with one hand.

"Will Hiccup be…first time?" he asked.

Jack was certain the blush had spread all the way to his ears now and he resisted the strong urge to bury his face in his hands. "Uhm…yeah."

"Anna and I assumed but…you never know with teenagers."

"Yeah, I guess so." Jack agreed with a small smile. "So…is that it?" he asked. "Can I go?"

North smiled. "Yes. You can go now."

He got to his feet and was at the door in a few seconds, eager to leave this conversation behind and try his best to forget the embarrassment.

North cleared his throat from behind him.

He turned and caught something that was suddenly thrown at him. It took him a few seconds to register that it was the plastic bag.

"You forgot this." North told him, his lips twitching with amusement.

"Yeah...thanks."

"And Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"If you have question some time, you can always come to me."

"Thanks North." he said. Even though there was no way in hell he was going to ask North anything even remotely related to sex, he was still grateful to know that he was there for him.

North lifted an eyebrow skeptically. "You're not going to do that, are you?"

"No, probably not." he said and shrugged.

North shook his head. "Teenagers…" he said and rolled his eyes, a barely contained smile on his lips. "When you get older, the sex will not be so embarrassing."

"Uh…I guess." he agreed.

"Everyone does it!" North said and waved a hand in the air. "You know, Anna and I are-"

"Yeah, nope!" he said and quickly spun around, escaping into the hallway. "No. No. Nah-uh."

He hurried towards his room before he would find out something that would traumatize him for life. He heard North chuckling deeply inside the office, as he briskly walked away.

In his room, he found Hiccup lying on his stomach on the bed reading comic books, just like when he had left to take a shower. His boyfriend lifted his head as he approached after shutting the door quietly.

"Hey. Nice shower?" Hiccup said and smiled at him.

"Yeah..." he said. It _had_ been a nice shower. What had followed had _not_ been nice.

Hiccup's eyes drifted towards the bag in his hand. "What's that?"

"Uh…North sort of gave me a…sex talk." he said and grimaced. He threw the bag on the bed. "Look for yourself."

Hiccup frowned in confusion but sat up and opened the bag. Green eyes widened and he instantly closed it again. Jack imagined that must be how he looked when he opened it himself.

"Oh gods…" Hiccup said, rubbing his forehead with a hand.

"Yeah." he agreed.

"Do they think we're…?" Hiccup asked, breaking eye contact to stare at the floor. Clearly, this was awkward for him.

Oh, who was he kidding? It was awkward for him as well.

"No. They just want us to be safe when the time comes." he explained, trying to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal even though it was.

"I see." Hiccup said and met his eyes again. "Well…that's…pretty embarrassing."

"You have no idea." he chuckled. "I had to sit through a bloody sex talk with North!"

"By Thor, I'm glad my dad has never tried to talk to me about that sort of thing." Hiccup told him with a smile that seemed to be a mix of relief and amusement.

"Yeah, be grateful for that. I think it'll haunt me forever." he joked.

Hiccup chuckled. "Yeah, I can imagine."

"Anyway..." he said, eager to leave the awkwardness of everything that had just happened behind. "What are you reading?" he asked and slumped down on the bed.

"Some of your graphic novels." Hiccup explained and grabbed a few of the scattered graphic novels lying on the bed to show them to him.

"You seem to like The Joker." he said, as he examined the ones Hiccup had chosen from his bookcase.

"Yeah, he's interesting. Unpredictable. And the artwork in most of these is stunning."

"I figured you might like that." he said before he had an idea.

He quickly left the bed and let his eyes scan the titles of the comic books in his bookcase until he found the one he was looking for.

"Try reading this." he said and threw a Thor comic book in Hiccup's lap.

Hiccup looked at the cover of the comic book and his face instantly contorted in a look of confusion and disgust.

Jack laughed. That was exactly what he had expected to happen.

"Thor?" Hiccup asked rhetorically, as he began to flip through the pages. "This does _not_ have much to do with Thor."

"Oh, I know." Jack said. "I just wanted to see that look on your face." he explained as he sat down on the bed again.

Hiccup's features twisted into a disgusted look.

"That's the one." he said and chuckled before Hiccup hit him gently on the head.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

The chill of the air in his room was refreshing, as he left the comfort and warmth of his bed and his boyfriend to go to the bathroom. The moonlight shone through the windows as he walked down the hallway as quietly as he could to not wake anyone up. As he passed Emma's room, he noticed the door was open. He peeked inside and found her bed empty.

That wasn't good. He knew where to find her though. He padded further down the hallway, the bare soles of his feet against the soft carpet. When he reached the room he was looking for, the door was open just like he expected.

Emma was sitting on a couch by the window of the guest room, gazing out into the night. The pale light of the moon bathed her in a white glow and she looked so fragile in this moment that Jack's protective instinct immediately surfaced.

"Why are you in here, Kiddo?" he asked from the door.

"I couldn't sleep." she said, not turning to face him. Maybe she had already known he was there.

"Ah." he said, as he quickly approached her and slumped down next to her on the couch. "Bad dreams?"

"No…I just couldn't sleep." she said quietly, watching the full moon. Just like him, Emma remembered the stories about the man in the moon their father had told them and in times of emotional turmoil, she also still turned to that glowing orb in the sky for comfort.

"Something you want to talk about?" he asked and rubbed her back a few times.

"Maybe…" she said and bit her lip. She tore her gaze off the moon to meet his eyes.

He hummed. "Well…I'm here."

She watched him in silence, a ghost of a smile appearing and disappearing in a second.

"Jack?" she asked and the hesitance was obvious in her insecure eyes.

"Yeah?"

"When you graduate…will you be moving away?"

"Away?"

"With Hiccup."

"Yeah…that's the plan." he said. He and Hiccup_ were _planning to move in together and settle down somewhere in the archipelago after they had graduated. Whether it would be on Berk or on some other island depended on the reactions from the other Vikings once they found out about their relationship.

"Oh…" Emma said, disappointing marring her usually cheerful face. "So…I won't see you much?"

"What? No, of course you will." Jack quickly assured her. "I'm going to learn how to apparate! Then I can come see you guys whenever I want! And I can bring you back to the archipelago with me as much as I want too." he explained and gave her a bright smile.

Emma's face lit up at that. "Really?"

"Yeah!" he said and grinned at her sudden change of mood.

"Well, that's not so bad then." she smiled, seeming at ease with this new information. He felt a little guilty for making her sad and worried like that. He hadn't thought she might think he would move away and almost never see her.

"No, it isn't. We're actually going to see each other a lot more than we do now, because I'll be able to come home whenever I feel like it."

Emma nodded, before the smile slowly vanished from her lips.

"What's on your mind, Em?" he asked, eager to comfort her in any way he could.

"I wish I was magical." she sighed and tore her eyes off him to watch the moon again.

"You're incredible just the way you are." he said and meant it. "Don't wish you were different."

She bit her bottom lip. "It's just…I could come with you to Hogwarts if I had magic and…you can do all of these amazing things…and I can't. I'm just a Muggle."

Jack put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. "You'll never be "just a Muggle". And you don't have to have magic to be special."

"You think so?"

"I know so. Think of all the great people there has been throughout history. Most of them didn't have magic. And think about all the wonderful people we know, who don't have magic either. Like North and Anna. Wouldn't you say they're still special?"

"Yes."

"And so are you." he said and planted soft kiss on her cheek.

"Thanks Jack." she said, those brown eyes brimming with gratefulness.

"Any time, Kiddo." he said and nudged her shoulder. "You're the best little sister anyone could ask for."

Emma smiled at him, before a small yawn escaped her lips.

"Maybe we should get you to bed." he said.

"Yeah." she agreed and they both left their comfortable seats on the couch.

They padded down the hallway to Emma's room, where the door was still open. She crawled into her bed and Jack pulled the covers over her body. He stroked her hair a few times and she watched him with a wrinkled forehead, her brown eyes turning serious.

"Something else on your mind?" he said and tucked a lock of hair behind one of her ears. He needed to know she was okay before he could go back to sleep.

"Is Hiccup okay?" she asked quietly, seeming almost regretful to ask.

"What do you mean?" he said, his soft smile disappearing.

"Something bad happened to him...right?" she said, her eyes softening with sympathy.

He bit his lip and observed her for a few moments in silence, wondering what she had noticed. "How did you know?"

She shrugged. "I just...had a feeling."

He sighed. This was yet another situation where Emma had figured something out on her own. Whether she really did have a sixth sense or she was just incredibly good at reading other people, he didn't know.

"Don't worry too much about him, Em. He's strong. He'll pull through." he told her and put on a reassuring smile.

It was true. Hiccup might struggle with the psychological effects of the torture for the rest of his live but Jack was certain that things would slowly get better and better in time.

She nodded, a ghost of a smile appearing and disappearing on her lips.

"Sleep tight. I love you." he said and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"Love you too." she said.

When he slumped into his own bed, he shuffled closer to Hiccup and carefully put his arms around him. He buried his face in his hair and inhaled deeply before he closed his eyes and began to slowly drift into the sleeping world.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: THE NEXT DAY

"Em, why are you walking like this? Are you drunk?" Jack said and grinned as he held his sister's arms and forced her to walk all wobbly.

"No!" she said and giggled.

"I don't believe you! Look! You can't even walk in a straight line!" he said and made her wobble even more.

"You're doing that!" she said, continuing her unsure movements across the living room.

"I'm not even touching you!"

"Yes, you are!"

"Em, drinking is not for kids! You're in so much trouble!" Jack said and Hiccup laughed at that. His boyfriend came up with the weirdest ways to tease his loved ones sometimes.

"I haven't done anything!" she said, stomping a foot into the floor and glared at Jack, her twitching lips revealing her amusement.

Jack's smile fell for a brief moment before he caught himself. Hiccup found himself worrying. What was that about? What had made Jack sad all of the sudden?

"You clearly have!" Jack said and put on a smile. He looked at him. "Hic, back me up on this."

"You're clearly drunk, Emma." he said, his face in serious folds.

"Am not!" she said and tried to squirm out of Jack's grasp but failed.

"The wise elders have spoken!" Jack declared and chuckled. Hiccup was relieved that his boyfriend had quickly regained his cheerfulness.

"You're lying!" Emma spat, though it was clearly in good fun.

Jack gasped. "Are you accusing us of lying? That means…that _you're_ lying! And you know what the punishment for lying is!" he said and let go of her.

Emma's eyes went round and her mouth formed a bright grin. Clearly, she knew what was coming. She turned and bolted across the room. He and Jack quickly followed and easily caught up with her by the front door before she managed to escape out into the front yard.

Emma was backed into the wall next to the door and she looked around her to find a way out of this even though there wasn't any. She reached into her pocket and pulled a pink object out.

"Get back! I have a glitter gun and I'm not afraid to use it!" she said, as she pointed a plastic gun at him and Jack.

"Bloody hell." Jack said. "Hic, we seriously don't want to mess with that shit."

"What?" he asked, looking back and forth between Jack and Emma.

"Do you know what that thing is?"

"Uh…yeah. A glitter gun?" he said, not quite understanding why Jack was so wary of a toy.

"Yeah. Have you ever been fired at with one of those?"

"Can't say that I have." he admitted.

"Trust me…we don't want to get involved with that diabolical toy. It takes weeks to get all of that glitter off again, so unless you want to walk around looking like a homemade birthday card from a 5 year old, we should back away."

"Point taken." he said. That was a situation he definitely wanted to avoid.

They both started to slowly back away and that was how 11 year old Emma intimidated two 17 year old guys with magical abilities by simply pointing a glitter gun at them.

They had spent the whole evening together as a family. He and Jack were returning to Hogwarts tomorrow, so it was their last night at Jack's house and they were both intent on enjoying the company of his wonderful family as much as possible. After a delicious dinner and all the talking and laughing that came with it, North and Anna had shown him pictures of Jack and Emma as little kids. He had enjoyed seeing all of those cute pictures of Jack doing all kinds of stuff, like building abnormal snowmen with a large number of carrot noses and arms, having waterballoon fights with Emma in the garden, stealing cookies from the kitchen when he thought no one was watching, dressing up as a Yeti, a snowman, a polar bear and other winter-related costumes for Halloween and plenty of other situations that made Hiccup smile. They had spent all evening by the fireplace, seeing pictures from Jack's and Emma's younger years and listening to the anecdotes North and Anna provided with the pictures. Of course there were only pictures from after Jack and Emma were adopted but Hiccup didn't think that was necessarily a bad thing. He knew Jack and Emma had pictures of their parents and their time with them but he assumed it was very bittersweet for them to look at.

When midnight approached, North and Anna decided it was time for Emma and them to go to bed. He and Jack however, weren't tired yet and they both felt like getting some fresh air, so they had decided to take a walk in the chilly night.

They had strolled along the empty streets, passing rows and rows of large, double story houses bathed in pale light and shadows. Some still had the lights on inside, others were darkened. The leafy crowns of the trees neatly placed along the sidewalks were swaying gently, the wind playing a soft melody that calmed Hiccup's mind. Above them, the stars were concealed by endless dark clouds, stretching across the heavens like a thick fog. The moon was occasionally permitted a moment to shine before the wispy darkness enveloped it once more, dimming its glow.

They laughed and discussed all kinds of things like what their friends had written in their letters and how happy Emma had been to get a ride on Toothless, as they made their way down sidewalk after sidewalk, hands entwined. It had only been a quick, careful flight but it was enough to send Emma into a frenzy of joy and laughter and she talked about it almost non-stop for the following days.

He glanced at his best friend, who trotted next to them. Toothless seemed happy to be out in the world. He explored their surroundings, occasionally stopping to sniff some flowers or bushes, listen to the sounds around them or scratch his claws against something.

As a lull in the conversation appeared, Hiccup's mind returned to their earlier encounter with Emma, when he had wondered why Jack's smile suddenly fell. He briefly considered if he should ask or not but quickly decided to do it. Jack was his boyfriend and he would give him any emotional support he needed.

"Jack?" he asked.

"Yeah." he felt his boyfriend's eyes on his skin.

"What's on your mind?"

"What do you mean?"

"The way your smile disappeared suddenly when you were playing around with Emma earlier…what's wrong?" he said, hoping Jack would tell him even if it was difficult.

Jack sighed. Hiccup squeezed his hand tighter.

"It's just…" Jack began, eyes downcast, as they turned a corner and strolled down a new sidewalk. Shadows stretched across his pale skin, making it impossible to read his expression. "Emma, she…she looks so much like our mum."

"Oh…" Hiccup said, understanding washing over him.

"And the older she gets the more she looks like her and she…she has all this mannerisms that our mum had too and sometimes…sometimes I just get this…stab of sadness all of the sudden because she reminds me of her…and then I hate myself for it, because it's not Emma's fault and I really shouldn't feel that way." Jack explained, his voice almost lowering to a whisper as if he was ashamed to even speak the words.

He stopped abruptly and pulled Jack towards him. He couldn't stand hearing the self-loathing in his voice. He had to make it better somehow.

He put his arms around Jack in a gentle embrace and stroked his back slowly with a flat palm to soothe him. Jack wrapped his arms around him in response.

"Don't hate yourself for that." he told him. "You're only human, Jack. You miss your mum and you remember a lot more of her than Emma does. No, it's not Emma's fault but it's not your fault either."

"I just feel like such a…horrible brother when it happens. Like I'm somehow blaming her." Jack whispered, resting his chin on his shoulder.

"Hey, look at me." he said and carefully pushed Jack back just a little, enough for them to look into each other's eyes. His hands held on to each of Jack's shoulders. "You are _not_ a bad brother. You are wonderful with Emma and don't ever tell yourself otherwise. She adores you and you're always there for her no matter what."

"I just...wish I didn't feel that way sometimes...that she didn't remind me of her." Jack told him quietly, his blue eyes brimming with an insecurity that made Hiccup's heart ache for him.

"I know." he said softly. "But it's understandable. Emma looks like her. She does some of the same things. Of course that would remind you of her. But that doesn't make you a bad brother. And being sad once in a while because of that doesn't make you a bad brother either."

"Thanks, Hic." Jack said, an almost invisible smile flickering across his lips.

"Any time." he said and returned the smile as he let his arms drop to his sides.

He laced their fingers together and they looked at each other in comfortable silence as the self-loathing seemed to leave Jack's eyes bit by bit.

As sudden as a lightning strike, the dark skies opened and ropes of water came pouring down on them. Endless droplets smashed into the ground surrounding them in a blanket of noise. Gusts of wind swept chilly beads straight into their faces.

"Whoa!" Jack said, his lips parting into a grin as he looked up into the sky, letting the rain trail down his face.

"Yeah! We better get back!" he said, raising his voice to be heard properly over the myriad of wet drops shooting out of the clouds.

"Good idea!" Jack agreed.

They turned on their heels and began running down the sidewalk. Toothless quickly followed, the feline moving swiftly beside him, paws striking onto the ground.

Their wet shoes slapped down on slick stone, as they ran in the direction of Jack's house. Their clothes were already soaked and sticking tightly to their skin, the fabric gaining weight from absorbing the chilly water from the cloudy heavens. Hiccup's skin was cold, enveloped by drenched clothing and raindrops colliding with his face, running down his nose and cheeks. His hair had turned into a mess of thin soaked strands, some clinging to his forehead, others lying flat against his scalp and neck.

"We're almost there!" he heard Jack yell next to him.

He squinted his eyes to look ahead but his vision was obscured by the endless raindrops traveling towards the ground, resembling long white lines in the light from the lamp posts. As they turned another corner, Toothless meowed grumpily from next to him, the black feline clearly not content with raindrops soaking his fur. Along the slick, dark streets, large puddles had formed, some spilling into the sides of the road, flowing down the asphalt at a fast pace.

When they reached the private road that lead to Jack's house, Hiccup let out a sigh of relief. He was shivering from the cold, his sticky clothes were confining and water was sloshing around inside his shoes as he ran. He couldn't wait to get inside the house. He liked rain but he didn't like running in it and especially not when he wasn't properly dressed for it.

They quickly made their way through the gate to the front yard and in seconds, they had reached the red front door. Jack stuck his hand into one of the pockets in his soggy hoodie and fished out his keys, before unlocking the door.

Hiccup closed the door behind them with a soft click, while Jack flicked one of the light switches and the room was dimly illuminated by a single lamp on the wall. Rainwater dripped from their clothes, leaving tiny puddles on the stone floor. His shirt and trousers were wet and wrinkled, gripping his skin and chilly trails traveled down his neck and the sides of his head from his drooping locks.

They both removed their wet shoes and placed them by the door to dry. A few seconds later, their socks were off too, completely drenched.

Toothless shook his body, drops of water expelling from his black fur. His best friend slowly walked in the direction of the kitchen, probably wanting some food.

Jack hummed in thought and looked around them, both of their pairs of socks balled up in one hand.

"What?"

"I'm just…trying to figure out how to get our clothes in the washing machine without leaving water and dirt all over the house." Jack grinned.

"Ah." he said and took a few seconds to think about that as well. The room with the washing machine was at the other end of the house, so getting there without leaving a wet, muddy trail would probably be impossible.

When he looked at his boyfriend again, Jack's piercing eyes were fixed on him. There was something hidden in the depths of that blue gaze that made excitement and nervousness spread inside him instantly. He swallowed thickly as Jack slowly came closer and closer until they were standing right in front of each other.

They kept staring into each other's eyes, as Jack reached out and his slender fingers zipped down his hoodie carefully. That simple act already had Hiccup breathing irregularly with anticipation of where this might lead.

Jack grabbed one of the sleeves and pulled the drenched hoodie off him, liberating him from the unpleasant stickiness that clung to his arms. The hoodie was thrown to the floor and long, pale fingers moved on to clutch the bottom of his soaked green T-shirt.

They watched each other, completely mesmerized, as Jack slowly tugged it upwards. Hiccup put his arms in the air and felt the dripping shirt slide across his skin, as it was pulled off him obscuring his vision for a brief moment. Goosebumps formed endless tiny hills across his arms and neck, as the moist skin came into contact with air. He shivered, a chill creeping up his spine.

Jack dropped the shirt on top of his hoodie on the stone floor, forming a little pile of soaked fabric. Blue eyes lingered on his naked chest and stomach, the skin moist from the rain. Hiccup's heartbeat sped up as the familiar, intangible tension seeped into the very air around them.

His eyes drifted towards Jack's torso, where his soaked grey T-shirt hugged his skin tightly as if it wanted to be absorbed by him. The thin wet fabric made him able to see every plane, every curve and dip of Jack's chest and stomach through it and the beginnings of a deep craving was awoken from somewhere within him. Like a low rumble rising from the depths of a cave. His fingertips suddenly itched with the need to touch flawless skin. His lips tickled from the wish to capture that familiar warm mouth.

He gripped Jack's hoodie and got it off him as quickly as he could, his eagerness making the act clumsier than it had to be. The wet fabric joined his own clothes on the floor. He hastily pulled off Jack's T-shirt, exposing that delicious paleness. He licked his lips as he let himself take in that perfect skin. The unmarred smoothness of Jack's body was a contradiction to him; the lack of markings left him looking almost innocent, while the sheer creaminess of his skin; the paleness that seemed to almost glow, the delectable softness, made him the most irresistible temptation Hiccup had ever experienced. The thoughts of what he would like to do made his trousers tighter, as the blood rushed to his lower body.

Jack's soft hand brushed up his arm and the touch sparked an excited tickling in his stomach. He tore his eyes off his boyfriend's enticing chest and met his stunning blue eyes. There was something clear but unspoken in them. Something Hiccup understood without the need for words. Something that left him nervous and eager at the same time. The tension between them seemed to crackle in the air like flames consuming dry wood.

Droplets trailed wet paths down Jack's face from drenched, white locks. Hiccup followed them with his eyes and watched them slowly travel down Jack's delicate collarbone and onto his chest, caressing the smooth skin with their chilly touches. His boyfriend's pale chest rose and fell quickly, evidence that his breathing and his heartbeat was just as hectic as his own. That they shared that urgent yet hesitant desire. The inexperience that made them both uncertain but also the lust and the need to express their love for each other. Something deep inside him was incredibly pleased with that realization.

Jack's touch on his arm tightened. A thumb glided back and forth over the damp skin, smothering raindrops that rested there. Jack's intense eyes fixed on his chest as one of his hands slowly moved from his arm to his torso, soft fingertips gently outlining bones, muscles and scars. Slender fingers ghosted across his skin, making the hairs on his arms stand up. Jack's touches were teasing but almost non-existent. Skin barely grazing skin. And yet Hiccup's cheeks were flushed with desire and his hard on was pressing against his soaked trousers.

He met Jack's eyes again. His lips parted and shattered breaths left his mouth, as one of Jack's fingers carefully skated down his sternum. Those fingers had a talent for making his mind shut down and his throat go dry.

Jack bit his bottom lip and a small but definitely _devious_ smile flickered across his tantalizing lips. Something snapped inside Hiccup and the last remnants of his self-control vanished. He had to get his boyfriend closer. He needed it.

He pulled Jack to him forcefully and smashed their bodies together, feeling their hard ons pressing against each other. His mouth captured those pale lips and his eyelids slammed shut. They both panted against each other's mouths as they consumed each other with kisses that were heated and hard; hungry and desperate; as if they had been starving but were finally allowed to eat.

He forced Jack backwards a few steps and pushed him into a nearby wall. Their naked, damp chests pressed firmly together and Jack gasped in surprise but quickly recovered and dug his fingernails hard into his back. They greedily ravaged each other's mouths, teeth clacking and noses brushing from the sheer urgency of their desires. His hands slid from Jack's neck to his shoulders, reveling in the moist warmth of the skin, gripping onto lithe muscles.

The feel of Jack's fingers delving hard into his back only made him more eager. He parted his lips and their hot tongues met in open-mouthed passion and playfully circled around each other. His fingers found dripping white locks and carded through them in erratic movements, mirroring the impatient hunger tightening inside him.

He let himself fall under the spell of slick lips and tongues, ragged breaths and demanding fingertips. Jack rolled his hips and rubbed their groins together. Hiccup was unable to hold back the moan that passed his lips but it was eaten up by Jack's mouth in their frantic tongue kissing. Jack's fingers raked along his back and sides urgently. Soon, they were both moaning and groaning into each other's mouths, fondling every part of each other's naked backs and necks and arms they could reach.

That familiar thirst was deepening inside him by the second but he wasn't sure he could hold back this time unless they stopped soon.

He tore his lips off Jack's and their dilated pupils locked, their faces so close to each other that their broken breathing was the only sound reaching his ears. He felt light headed from the arousal and need that had settled inside him and begged for him to continue this.

Jack tightened the grip around his back. Those blue eyes suddenly gleamed with determination and something needy that did unfair things to the restlessness in his boxers.

"I don't want to stop." Jack whispered breathlessly.

The implications of those words and the desire lacing every syllable left heat pooling in Hiccup's lower body. He wanted this. He wanted it so much it was almost unbearable.

"Me neither." he said and swallowed.

They gazed into each other's eyes for a second longer before they clashed their lips together again. Arms snaked around each other's bodies, pulling them as close together as physically possible, as their feverish French kissing resumed. Jack lowered his hands, long fingers gliding down his side and around his waist before they landed on the buttons on his trousers.

Hiccup exhaled shakily into the wonderful heat of Jack's mouth, as his boyfriend quickly undid his drenched, clingy trousers and let them drop to his feet. He stepped out of them and kicked them away, not breaking their fierce, sweltering attacks on each other's lips. He wasn't going to be the only one with no trousers on though and that thought only deepened the barely contained excitement inside him.

He found the button and zipper on Jack's black trousers and fiddled with them a little, as they continued to melt into each other's arms and mouths. As Jack moaned into the kiss, the sound pleasantly tickling the inside of his mouth, the trousers dropped to the floor with the satisfying noise of wet fabric slapping down on stone.

They rubbed the bulges in their boxers together, their hard ons only separated by the thin fabric. Gasps escaped their mouths from the amazing, torturous sensation and they increased the pace, trying to keep up with the emotions and urges creating chaos inside them.

They kept up the frantic pace for a while and when they slowed down again, their foreheads rested against each other. Warm breaths mingled and they seemed to simultaneously decide that enough was enough.

They slipped out of each other's embrace, panting heavily, and for a moment they were simply taking in the other's heaving chest, wet lips and large dark pupils brimming with the intense combination of love, lust and nervous excitement.

Jack licked his lips and even that small, seemingly innocent action made Hiccup want him even more.

"My room?" he asked.

"Yeah." he agreed breathlessly and was grateful that Jack's room was far away from his family's.

~~~~ Jack &amp; Hiccup ~~~~

The door shut behind them and they were alone in the darkness, only the pale light of the moon flooding through a half open window making them able to make out their surroundings. The chill of the Spring night left the air around them refreshing and cool, a sharp contrast to the restless heat growing between them.

It only took Jack a few seconds to get back to where they were. He wanted to feel that warm, wet mouth, let his hands explore that slender body, rake through that soft brown hair. He wanted _everything_. And the urgency was rising inside him to dangerous levels.

Hiccup hummed with pleasure as their mouths joined again. Calloused fingertips rubbed Jack's back and he grabbed Hiccup's ass, the firmness of it beneath his fingers only adding to the thrill of arousal inside him. He kneaded it hard and eagerly, matching the rhythm of their greedy kisses.

Soft, cool droplets slowly made their way down Jack's face and onto his mouth from his still wet, drooping locks. Hiccup consumed them, kissing them right off his lips, before he pulled away. Jack sighed in contentment as his boyfriend began to kiss every wet bead on his face, drinking the rainwater right off his skin with heated lips.

His eyes slowly fluttered open and Hiccup made his way lower, down to his throat and onto his collarbone, sucking up every little drop as he went along like it was a delicious nectar. Wonderful tremors ran through his bones from the soft, warm lips on his moist skin and it made his cock twitch more eagerly in his boxers, reminding him of his desperate craving for his boyfriend.

Every aroused sound Jack made, every jerk and shiver that shook his body was a boost to Hiccup's confidence. His inexperience mixed his desire with uneasiness about what to do, but the way he could make Jack react with his touches and kisses made him feel bolder.

Jack's desire was strengthening inside him as warm, wet lips moved down his pale chest. He could only watch with love and arousal as Hiccup drank the last raindrops from his skin and lifted his head, letting their eyes meet.

Raindrops smashed onto the roof and the wet earth outside and the white glow of the moonbeams stretching into his room reflected beautifully in Hiccup's green eyes.

His chest swelled in that familiar way when he experienced a sudden burst of love for his boyfriend. He smiled before he gently pulled Hiccup into his arms and placed soft kisses on his lips, a calm contrast to the franticness of before. He brushed fingers along that strong, defined jawline and the subtle stubble that rested there. It was one of the things he found so insanely attractive about his boyfriend and it reminded him of how Hiccup had grown from small and scrawny to tall, strong and masculine.

He pushed Hiccup carefully towards the bed, not tearing his lips off him. He wanted to feel their naked bodies against each other. He wanted to uncover every part of Hiccup. Every bone, every muscle, every mark.

When the back of Hiccup's legs hit the edge of the large bed, he shoved him backwards gently and they fell onto the mattress together, bouncing a little as they connected with the soft surface. He rested some of his weight on his elbows as their lips kept separating and meeting again, picking up the pace once more in endless wet, blazing kisses that turned his mind to slush.

His hands slithered down Hiccup's lithe chest and stomach, still damp from the rain, savoring the way every scar, every freckle, every hair brushed against his palms. Their groins pressed together and the feel of Hiccup hardened underneath him took away the last of his restraint.

His fingers quickly moved further down his boyfriend's stunning body with a destination in mind. Hiccup took one of his lips into his mouth and bit on it, making him shudder with delight.

When he reached the top of Hiccup's boxers, he hesitated for a moment. This was another step in their relationship. The buzz of desire and thrill inside him blended with the uncertainty that came from never having done this before.

He pushed the nervousness down and focused on how his and Hiccup's lips fused together perfectly in a hot mess of jagged breaths, soft skin and warm saliva. How Hiccup's rough hands caressed his back sending trembles through his skin. How the arousing sounds spilling from Hiccup's mouth made him want him so badly. All the ways in which Hiccup drove him crazy. He relaxed as he lost himself in the moment and one of his hands glided across that wonderful firm stomach and stroked those two long, familiar scars.

Hiccup's head was spinning from all the intense sensations that filled him up. Jack's hands resting on his hips, so very close to his hard on, their slick tongues twirling around each other making his nerve endings tingle, the weight of his boyfriend's body on top of him. He inhaled deeply through his nose, savoring the familiar scent of Jack; refreshing peppermint and warm skin.

He could feel Jack's fingers move lower and run along the elastic on his boxers. He stiffened for a second, before he forced himself to relax into their kisses again. He wanted them to do this. There wasn't a doubt in his mind about that. Still, a small amount of anxiousness swirled in his gut but he tried to drown it out with the sheer intoxication of finally being so close and intimate with his boyfriend.

When Jack broke their kiss, Hiccup slowly opened his eyes. His boyfriend looked down at him with a soft gleam in his eyes but he could see a sliver of nervousness that matched his own. Jack leaned down and planted a quick, tender kiss on his lips, before lifting his body off him, sitting on his knees between his legs. When pale hands gripped his boxers and started to pull them down, Hiccup held his breath for a moment. He watched Jack intently, as he freed him from the underwear, exposing the most private parts of him.

There was nothing left to hide. He swallowed and his shoulders tensed. Self-consciousness stung in his heart for a second.

Jack sat on his knees and let his gaze wander along his body. A small, loving smile slowly spread across those pale lips. Blue eyes shone with reverance.

Hiccup allowed himself to breathe again and his muscles unclenched. The nervousness inside him began to subside. Jack was looking at him as if he was the most incredible person he had ever known.

His boyfriend leaned down, placing his palms on the mattress on each side of Hiccup's head. "Perfect." Jack murmured before he brushed their lips against each other. Hiccup sighed happily into the kiss, touched and excited by the sincerity in Jack's voice.

When they gazed into each other's eyes again, a smile tugged at his lips.

Jack shook his head as a look of wonder stretched across his face. "God, you don't even know, do you?" he asked softly as he brushed a moist brown lock away from his forehead.

"What?" he asked quietly.

"What you do to me." Jack told him, the words breathless.

Hiccup sucked in a breath from the sheer emotion lacing the words. He instantly grabbed Jack's neck and slammed their mouths together, impatient to show him that he felt exactly the same way. Jack filled him with so many intense emotions that it was almost maddening.

He consumed his mouth with hard, urgent kisses and hot play of tongues, earning him several shudders and pleasurable sounds in response. When he slowed down the pace again, he reached out to grip the side of Jack's boxers. He began to tug them downwards. He needed to uncover more of his enticing boyfriend, needed them to take that next step together. Jack helped him with one hand and a breath later, the underwear had joined Hiccup's on the floor.

Hiccup guided him down on to the mattress, so they lay on their sides, facing each other. Jack felt a light blush creep into his cheeks as Hiccup's eyes roamed across his naked body and a calloused hand slowly stroked his side, forming goosebumps on his skin. His breaths were shallow by nervous excitement, as he waited to look into Hiccup's eyes after having shown him every part of himself.

Soft lips pressed against his. Gently. Lovingly. Green eyes focused on him and in the darkness, shadows played inside, intensifying the swirl of emotions in them. Jack filled his lungs with air and exhaled slowly. Their legs entwined, warm soft limbs wrapping around each other, and he liked the way their skin looked together. His, pale and almost snowy in the moonlight, Hiccup's, a little darker with scattered scars and sprinkles of freckles. It was a beautiful contrast.

One of his hands found Hiccup's hair and glided through it. He adored the way the soft, wet locks tickled his fingers. His gaze traveled up Hiccup's body once more and their eyes locked. A silent understanding appeared between them, as small, reassuring smiles graced their lips.

This was not merely stripping off clothes. It was removing any remnants of façades. Defenses. Covers. In this moment, they were Jack and Hiccup in all their raw, flawed truth. Nothing left to conceal from the other. Exposed and vulnerable, a sign of the deep trust that had grown stronger and stronger between them since the day they began to get to know each other.

Hiccup continued to let his hand slide across Jack's side softly, as they stared into each other's eyes. He had often had the thought that there was something unearthly about Jack. Here, in the dark of the night, pale light flowing through the window, that thought felt more right than ever. Jack's eyes seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, a white glow swirling in shades of clear blue and it reminded Hiccup that he had never seen eyes more intense and beautiful. Delicate, wet strands were swept across his forehead, drooping from the weight of rainwater but no less soft and inviting. His milky skin was the purest white, shadows and moonlight dancing across him, caressing high cheekbones, a slender nose, smooth lips, the contours of that wonderfully lithe yet athletic torso that beckoned Hiccup's fingertips to run along every inch of it.

"You're...gorgeous." he told him, unable to keep the words inside. He needed Jack to know how stunning he was. That in moments like this, he could knock the breath right out of him. That he was hopelessly in love with him.

Jack smiled at him and relief appeared in those blue eyes. He must have been a little nervous too. How could he not be? They were doing this for the first time.

He pressed his lips on Jack's and sighed with satisfaction. A soft warmth spread through his cheeks from the words he had just said but right now, blushing didn't matter. Jack was all that mattered.

Usually, he did everything he could to avoid vulnerability. It reminded him of his damaged ego. It fed the self-loathing inside him.

This was different.

And as white fingers kept running through his hair as if they could never get enough, he knew he was going to plunge right into it instead of putting up walls. He could see Jack's emotions written plainly on his face and he knew they were evident on his own features too. This was not an emotional gamble. They shared a deep love and trust that was unlike anything Hiccup had ever experienced with another human being before and the hungry lust that sprouted from that love was eating into both of them.

His mouth found Jack's neck, sucking at the unmarred skin. He heard his boyfriend make a noise in the back of his throat. It sounded eager and needy and he found he had an intense want to hear Jack make more of those sounds.

He nipped and kissed and sucked all along the side of Jack's neck, while one of his hands slid up and down those creamy, bare thighs. His own arousal only grew more impatient, as his hands moved dangerously close to Jack's groin while his mouth devoured that pale, soft neck to drive Jack further into the fire. The desperate mewls and groans that slipped from Jack's mouth were amazing and he could feel him quiver wonderfully beneath his fingertips.

Slender arms wrapped around him and gripped on to him tightly, as he gently bit into flawless skin, leaving pink marks on pale softness. Jack moaned into his shoulder, the warm breath settling on his skin, matching the heat in his veins.

He sucked in a breath in surprise, as a soft hand suddenly cupped his naked groin. His hands stopped moving and his lips froze in the middle of a kiss, as a jolt of excitement ran up his spine.

Pale fingers stroked and rubbed the most intimate part of him and he was about to say something but it melted into small, shattered moans. Jack sucked on his lower lip before kissing him deeply and he let him take charge because his brain was shutting down.

One of his hands found its way to Jack's back and burrowed into the skin, trying to convey the restless passion that ruined his ability to think any clear thoughts. Because Jack was touching his cock and it was fucking mind-blowing. He tore his lips off Jack's and rested his face on his neck, unleashing short, broken breaths into his boyfriend's paleness.

"Is this okay?" Jack whispered in his ear, his voice low and breathless.

Hiccup trembled and he wasn't sure if it was from the warm breath on his sensitive skin or the desire he could clearly hear in his boyfriend's tone.

"Y-yeah." he said and couldn't stop the groan that found its way through his lips. He resisted the strong urge to buck his hips towards Jack and push his cock further into his hand. Gods, this was beyond 'okay'. This was amazing. He desperately wanted more of this.

Jack carefully pushed him onto his back and Hiccup didn't protest. His boyfriend leaned against his side, their naked flesh connecting, and continued stroking him eagerly. The warm, intimate rubbing of skin made Hiccup fall further and further into a dizzying haze. He leaned his head back, his eyes shutting tightly, as he gripped onto the sheets.

Jack wasn't sure how long he could hold back. He was being driven mad by Hiccup's shudders, every arousing sound rising from his throat, how his eyelashes fluttered and his cheeks flushed. Hiccup grabbed onto his neck and forced their mouths together, working his tongue past his lips urgently, as if it was a matter of life and death. The pure thrill of touching his boyfriend there for the first time, feeling- and listening to how it turned him on was making the sizzling pit of lust brew between them and Jack's head was swimming.

He pushed Hiccup's head away and in a few, quick moves, he was on top of him, holding his weight up with his knees and palms. Their eyes met for a brief moment and the sight made him unable to take it anymore. Hiccup's lips were parted and gleaming with a thin sheen of saliva, his brown hair was a wonderful damp mess and his eyes were half-lidded and darkened with the need for more.

He was mouth-watering and Jack sure as hell wasn't going to deny him anything.

He rolled his hips and the bed springs squeaked in protest. They both gasped as their soft, naked groins rubbed against each other and the most delicious heat flowed through him, warming his very core with its animalistic urges.

"B-bloody hell." he breathed out shakily, the friction sending shots of electricity through his blood.

"Y-yeah." Hiccup agreed breathlessly. He couldn't form any other words. His mind was slowly burning up from the flames inside him that Jack fed with every touch.

Jack kept grinding their crotches together, leaning over him. Their faces were so close to each other that their warm, shattered breaths mingled in the air. Their eyes were fixed on each other, taking in the ways the other's face twisted with pleasure. Here, alone in the dark, naked and wanting, they could finally let go of the restraints and allow their appetite for each other to unfold.

Jack's hands brushed across Hiccup's torso, feeling that enticing slender body beneath his fingertips. Lithe muscles and scars. Hiccup's nails raked along his back, one moment scratching the skin and the next, burrowing into it, as if he was trying to ground himself from the overwhelming feelings inside him.

The rain thrummed on the roof, droplets splashing in a calming melody that was a stark contrast to the lusty breathless moans escaping from both their mouths. The air was warming around them, chasing away the chill of the night with the blazing friction between their naked bodies.

Every finger placed on warm, naked skin, every erratic breath, every meeting of wet lips, every passionate sound, every look of adoration spoke of just how much they needed and wanted each other.

Hiccup dug his nails into Jack's hips. He felt the bones moving beneath smooth, milky skin and he clutched them tight, pushing Jack back and forth, helping him grind their crotches together faster. His heart was bumping against his ribcage at a rapid pace and the way a myriad of pleasurable, tiny expressions were rippling across Jack's face was making the white-hot desire in his lower body burn hotter.

Jack was basking in the dizzying friction between them, losing himself in the heat and pleasure of their naked hard ons and the amazing whimpers and groans coming from his boyfriend.

When a long moan seeped from those amazing lips, he couldn't contain himself anymore. He needed more of that. He needed to make Hiccup come undone.

In a few movements, he was lying down next to Hiccup, leaning against his side. Green eyes watched him, a silent question shining in them. He gave him a small, reassuring smile and pressed their lips together. It was slow and loving, smacking sounds slipping from the deep yet tender kisses.

His palms dragged up and down Hiccup's stomach slowly, at times coming very close to his groin. Hiccup tried to bite back a moan but it escaped his lips and Jack's mouth eagerly swallowed it. He continued his teasing touches and savored the way his boyfriend's cock twitched with want every time his hand came near. The thought that Hiccup wanted him so badly made satisfaction hum in his blood, his own hard on getting more straining.

After a particularly delectable hiss of pleasure, he decided it was enough. He wanted more and he _knew_ that Hiccup definitely wanted more as well.

His fingertips slowly slid up Hiccup's cock and his boyfriend gasped into their kiss. Jack gently pulled his lips away and looked at him. Green eyes gleamed with emotion and the soft light among the darkness brought out every little freckle dotting his cheeks. Jack experienced a familiar twinge of love in his chest. He was a fool for this guy and he wanted to make him feel good.

"Okay?" he asked, to be sure it was all right. Hiccup nodded and licked those soft lips that begged to be claimed by his mouth again.

He closed his hand around Hiccup's arousal and his curled grip slowly began moving up and down. Hiccup did a little jerk, exhaling sharply.

"Oh gods." his boyfriend whispered, as his green eyes closed and he threw his head back onto the mattress.

"Good?" he asked, even though Hiccup's reaction was clear. But an animalistic part deep inside him wanted to hear him say it.

"It's- " Hiccup said, before his words melted into a moan. "Amazing." he choked out. "Fuck..."

A self-satisfied smile made it across Jack's lips. Hearing and seeing how he was affecting Hiccup was making him grow more confident. He no longer felt uncertainty stinging inside him and he decided to experiment a little. He wanted to get to know his boyfriend's body. Discover what really got Hiccup going. What could make him lose all control. What would make him desperate for release.

He let his fingers softly caress the shaft, he twisted his wrist as he gripped it and moved up and down, he let a fingertip gently brush over the head. He tried various things and listened and watched Hiccup squirm and pant, chest rising and falling quickly, hands clenching and eyebrows knitting together. He quickly found out what made particularly loud, delectable noises slip from Hiccup's lips. What made him twitch with pleasure and grip the sheets extra tight.

He continued pleasuring his boyfriend, savoring all the sounds, the expressions, the movements coming from him. He could look at him and listen to him all day, enjoying how it made that hot, greedy tension build inside himself as well, his cock swelling from the thoughts of making Hiccup come.

Hiccup suddenly sat up, interrupting what he was doing to him and Jack couldn't help the confused frown that appeared on his face.

"I want us to do it together." he said and Jack understood what he meant. He needed a break, so they could please each other at the same time afterwards.

He nodded, a small smile on his lips. Hiccup returned it and scooted over to him. He pushed him down onto the mattress and settled between his legs. Jack's breathing sped up from the uncertain excitement. Hiccup lay down on his stomach and glanced at him. He quickly nodded to give his permission for him to do what he wanted.

Hiccup's tongue slowly dragged along the skin of his pale inner thighs, so very close to that place he so _desperately_ wanted him to put his mouth. His cock throbbed with anticipation as Hiccup continued to tease him, licking and kissing his thighs, sometimes even nipping the sensitive skin. His fingernails delved into the mattress, as he sighed and hissed with wonderful, impatient delight. His eyes shut tight, his body only focusing on the amazing sensations inside him.

He _ached_ for Hiccup to do more, to give him blinding pleasure until he writhed and screamed and couldn't remember his own name.

Suddenly, warm, soft lips pressed against the head of his cock and his body jerked. He grabbed the sheets in tight fists and couldn't stop the string of moans that left him, as Hiccup began to place hot, tender kisses and small licks up and down his shaft.

"Oh god." he whispered in between his broken breaths. "God, that feels so good...yes...yes". This was the most amazing feeling in the world.

Hiccup drove him to the brink of insanity with his mouth. He licked and nipped and sucked all along his cock from the base to the head, coaxing all kinds of sounds from him that he couldn't contain even if he tried. But he didn't care. All he cared about in this moment was that Hiccup didn't stop making him feel so unbelievably good.

Hiccup couldn't help but smile a little at the sounds Jack made. Every whimper, every groan and sigh confirmed that he was slowly making Jack lose his mind. It made a dark passion howl inside him. He wanted to hear Jack moan his name. To see him squirm with desire. To watch the expressions dancing across his face, as he came from the pleasure he brought him. He was completely enthralled by his boyfriend and the lust that bubbled deep within him.

Sparks of delight rippled through Jack, as his boyfriend continued the blissful trails of kisses and sucking on him. His fingers scrambled along Hiccup's shoulders, nails pressing down on firm skin and muscle.

His cock was wrapped in amazing, hot wetness, as Hiccup took the head in his mouth and let his tongue slowly twirl around it. Jack's eyes slammed shut and he rolled his hips before he could stop himself. The warm, wet mouth pressed on the tip of his hard cock from all sides and began to slowly move down, taking in more and more of him.

He gasped and gripped on to the sheets as hard as he could. He squirmed, unable to lie still and his breathing was ragged and loud against the quietness of the dark night.

Hiccup replied to his reactions by moving up and down painfully slowly.

He writhed against the warm bed as the blazing heat inside him bloomed to levels he had never experienced before. It was the most amazing sensation and he wanted it to fill him up until his brain was charred and smoking from the delicious thrill.

That inexperienced yet talented mouth sucked eagerly on his cock, slathering it with hot saliva and calloused hands rested on his hips, fingernails digging into his pale skin and bones.

His knees had begun to tremble and his mind was in pieces, ripped apart by the intoxicating pleasure and need for more that streamed through his veins, collecting in his lower body. His hand found Hiccup's head and he weaved his fingers impatiently through moist, brown tresses in quick, hard caresses, desperate to find some way to express his overwhelming bliss.

Salty skin mixed with saliva coated Hiccup's taste buds and lips. His jaw ached but he wasn't going to stop bringing Jack pleasure. It was addictive to feel him quiver and squirm under his fingertips, to hear him having trouble breathing and whimpering from the urgent need growing inside him.

"Hiccup. Oh god." Jack moaned and Hiccup's mind was getting dizzy because it just couldn't be possible to love and want someone this much. His name rolling off Jack's tongue in breathless desire threatened to make him snap and he desperately wanted to hear it again. He watched his boyfriend's eyelashes fluttering lightly and his mouth opening one moment, eyelids shutting tightly and his jaw clenching the next, savoring all the changes in Jack's captivating expressions.

Jack's hand suddenly grabbed his arm and squeezed. He stopped and lifted his head. Those stunning blue eyes were an arctic fire as Jack watched him like he had never wanted anything more in his life. The moonlight bathed his face in a soft glow and his wet hair was disheveled from the rain and Hiccup's greedy hands. His delicate, pale cheeks were heated with desire, a faint pink seeping into the skin.

Jack pushed him to the side carefully, so he sat up and Jack quickly scooted over to him. They sat in front of each other cross-legged, as Jack wrapped his pale arms around him and smashed their lips together. Their bare, wiry legs entwined, as hot mouths fused in desperate, sweltering attacks. Hiccup could _feel _Jack's deep craving for him in their burning kisses and he had the same intense yearning setting his mind and body ablaze. He scratched his nails down Jack's soft sides and Jack grabbed his hip tightly.

Another hand closed around his cock and he exhaled shakily into their steaming, wet kisses. Jack moved his hand while he tore those pale lips off his mouth and kissed a path down to his neck. He clutched Jack tighter, his fingers delving into the muscles on his back, as Jack sucked and bit the skin on his neck eagerly, like it was a delicious meal.

He dipped his head and rested his mouth on Jack's shoulder, breathing heavily from the way his boyfriend made that amazing yet unbearable, hot tightness inside him increase even more.

"Gods, I want you so much." he panted into Jack's skin and Jack hummed against his neck. His hand quickly found Jack's cock, closing around it. He knew he wouldn't last much longer and he needed Jack to reach that wonderful ecstacy with him.

A choked off gasp worked its way past Jack's lips, as they pleasured each other, quick sloppy movements that conveyed the frantic, impatient need inside them.

Jack couldn't think anything anymore. He dug his hand into Hiccup's thigh so hard he was certain it would leave bruises. His mind and body was consumed by the fire between them. Their warm, broken breaths. Their moans and grunts and whimpers. Their warm hands around each other's hard dicks, the friction bringing them both closer and closer to the edge.

Their bodies shone in the moonlight with a thin sheen of sweat as they fed on each other's desire. Gasps and moans, words of encouragement and euphoria spilled from their mouths. The air in the room had thickened with heat and a faint smell of sweat enveloped them, their bodies blazing, as if they were made of pure dragon flame.

Hiccup increased the pace, sliding his hand up and down Jack's dick faster, as he felt his body tremble against him.

"Yes...yes...that's it." Jack panted as he sped up too, the urgency rising in both of them.

Hiccup's brain short-circuited as the world disappeared around them and nothing existed but Jack. Wonderful, burning pressure built within him, promising him the ecstacy he so desperately craved. He wanted to reach out and grab it. To run straight into the blissful haze of release, where nothing mattered but sweet, overwhelming euphoria.

"Jack." he choked out and was overwhelmed by just how much he needed this. "Oh gods, yes..."

Any sense of time disappeared as they lost themselves in the blistering satisfaction they brought each other, their minds in a thick fog of feverish exhilaration. Their hands pleasuring each other, their whimpers and moans, their bodies shivering and tingling as every nerve inside them burned with sweet heat made any coherent thought impossible. All that mattered were each other and the lust that was quickly reaching its peak.

"Hiccup." Jack gasped for air. "I'm gonna- , I'm close to-"

"Me too." Hiccup said, panting into the skin on his neck.

They both came, one shortly after the other, in a blur of gasps and cries as they finally reached that intoxicating high together. The other's name rolled off their tongues and they gripped each other tightly as warm liquid splattered onto their stomachs, the ecstacy rippling through them, making them shudder and twitch with unrestrainable, blissful spasms.

They panted into each other's necks and continued their warm embrace as they slowly came down from this new dimension of pleasure and thrill they had discovered.

After a little while, their breathing calmed and their heartbeats slowed down once more. They slipped out of each other's arms and collapsed onto the soft bed, completely spent and over-sensitive from the high they had just experienced.

Their bodies were limp as if the bones inside them had melted from the pure pleasure of coming. Jack lazily wiped the sweat off his forehead and sighed in contentment as his muscles had turned to goo, feeling more relaxed than ever before. He glanced at Hiccup who was lying on his back, cheeks flushed, hair in a sweaty mess, eyes glazed over with bliss and calm. He was the most beautiful sight Jack had ever seen.

He grabbed some tissues from his nightstand and inched closer to his boyfriend, his movements lazy and clumsy from his body's protests. They shared a brief, sloppy kiss before he cleaned them both up and rested his head on Hiccup's chest, his boyfriend's fingers getting tangled in his sweaty hair.

There were no words shared between them as they slowly drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, exhausted in the afterglow. They didn't need words. They had taken another step in their relationship and the bliss had been like nothing they had ever experienced before.

**Author's note: **

So...finally you guys got some actual action! I know many of you have been dying for some sexual stuff. I've never written any kind of smut before so I hope it didn't disappoint.

Now I'm going to turn off my computer and go to bed. It's 4.30 AM over here and I'm in desperate need of sleep...

**Guest reviews: **

Pooka-Spirit: Thank you Pooka! It makes me really happy to know that you're so addicted to my story :D

Fangirling guest: He he, I like the enthusiasm! :)

Guest: Thanks for the cookies! ;) You said you were excited for when they couldn't restrain themsleves anymore, so I hope this chapter brought you some happiness!


	21. Shattered Illusions

**Author's note:** This chapter is dedicated to my friend VDlovesbooks for her birthday :) Since we live on different continents I can't exactly get her anything but I know she loves my story, so this update is my small birthday gift to her.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

Leaving home to go back to Hogwarts was always bittersweet.

The mild April sun kissed his skin and his feet rested among the fresh blades of green grass splayed across the front garden. Hiccup had just finished turning Toothless back into a dragon and now there was nothing left to do but say goodbye to his family and head towards Hogwarts.

He took a deep breath of the clean Spring air before he turned to Emma, North and Anna. They hid their sadness behind neutral smiles but he knew their pain all too well. It rested in his own heart as well; the ache of separation.

"Are you sure you've packed everything you need?" Anna asked and glanced at his backpack resting on the grass.

"Yeah, I'm sure." he told her and slung his backpack over one shoulder, before he shared a knowing look with Emma and North.

Anna was always double checking that he had remembered everything whenever he went back to Hogwarts. Just like she always double checked that Emma hadn't forgotten anything before she went to school or that North hadn't left his designs at home before he went to work. It was a good thing she did, because the three of them did forget stuff at a regular basis. One year, Jack had gone back to Hogwarts without any underwear except the pair he was wearing. His friends had teased him relentlessly when Anna and North had to send him extra underwear by owl.

Anna nodded in approval. "Well then…I guess it's time." she said and pulled him into a warm hug. "Take care of yourself, okay?…and Hiccup too." she said and squeezed him before she planted her soft lips on his cheek.

"I will." he said, breaking the embrace. Anna's almost purple eyes had a soft sheen to them and it spoke of a particular kind of sadness and affection that only a parent could understand.

He turned to Emma as Anna gave Hiccup a goodbye hug and told him to "make sure Jack doesn't get expelled."

As if that would ever happen. He was way too clever to get caught doing something that could risk his education.

"I'll miss you, Kiddo." he told Emma with a small smile and poked her softly in the stomach.

"I'll miss you too." she said as she wrapped her arms around him. He stroked her smooth hair. "Don't go easy on Anna and North while I'm gone, you hear me?" he joked, partly to hide his own sadness of leaving her behind once again.

"I never do." she chuckled, cheek pressed against his hoodie.

"I'll be home again for the summer before you know it." he said as he slipped out of her arms again. He wasn't sure if he said it to comfort Emma or the both of them.

Emma nodded, a tiny smile on her lips. "And then we'll go to the beach and go biking and all that stuff, right?"

"Of course we will!" he grinned and received a bright smile in return.

In truth, Jack wasn't fond of the beach or going biking when the weather was hot but he did it anyway to see Emma smile. If it wasn't for her, he would spend most of the summer in the shade or in a cold pool.

"Maybe you could join us?" she asked Hiccup with hope in her eyes.

"Yeah, maybe I could. That would be great." Hiccup told her and nodded.

He and Hiccup hadn't actually discussed whether or not Hiccup would come home with him for a week or so doing the summer but Jack really hoped he would. It had been wonderful to have his family _and_ Hiccup around at the same time.

Emma hesitantly approached Hiccup and put her arms around him. Hiccup seemed surprised by the action and stiffened for a second before he rested his hands on her back. It was a brief but genuine hug and it reminded Jack of how easily Hiccup had been accepted into his family.

North stepped forward, as Emma and Hiccup broke the hug and Jack already knew what was coming. He pursed his lips in amusement when Emma had only just stepped aside before North hoisted Hiccup off the ground and crushed him in one of his strong hugs.

Hiccup groaned and Jack couldn't help but laugh at his boyfriend's current distress, quickly joined by Anna and Emma. North did not give light hugs. That concept didn't exist in his adoptive father's mind. His hugs could crumble bones to dust.

"Hiccup!" North exclaimed, keeping Hiccup locked in the hug. "You better come back for summer!"

"I'll do my best to make that happen." Hiccup wheezed.

"I won't take no for answer!" North said. "We need to build stuff together in workshop!"

"Yeah, I'd like that." Hiccup agreed.

Jack shook his head fondly and shared an amused look with Anna. He could easily imagine Hiccup and North spending entire days in the workshop together, coming up with new ideas, teaching each other new stuff, building things together. He, Anna and Emma would probably have to drag them away by force in the end.

North finally put Hiccup down and smiled at him; one of those fatherly smiles he usually reserved for him and Emma and Jack's heart tingled with warmth as he watched the interaction.

As expected, Hiccup wasn't the only one on the receiving end of North's hugs. His adoptive father swept him off the ground and Jack's face was pressed into North's thick, white beard as strong, tattooed arms enveloped him.

"I'll miss you, my boy!" North told him.

He spat some beard out of his mouth and coughed. "I'll miss you too."

When North put him down, his adoptive father looked back and forth between him and Hiccup.

"You two take good care of each other, yes?" North said, his bushy eyebrows pushing down on his eyelids in one of those serious looks he did so well when he wanted to get a point across.

"Of course." Hiccup agreed.

Jack nodded with a smile on his lips. "We always do."

"Good!" North said and chuckled happily before he stopped himself abruptly. "Oh, I almost forget!" he exclaimed and smacked his forehead with a palm. Without a word, he hurried inside the house again, leaving Jack and Hiccup to stare after him in confusion.

"What was that about?" he asked Anna and Emma. They both shrugged but Anna's lips twitched ever so slightly and Jack already had a bad feeling about this.

The sound of the front door slamming alerted him that North had retrieved whatever he had gone inside to find. His adoptive father stopped a short distance from the four of them and waved for Jack to come over, like he was guarding something that only the two of them were allowed to see.

Okay. Now he_ definitely_ had a bad feeling about this. There was no way in the Chamber of Secrets that this could be good.

He slowly approached and eyed North warily like a scared dog doubting whether or not to trust a human. He wasn't sure what to expect from this.

When North handed him a plastic bag, Jack instantly worried what was inside. The last time he had given him such a bag, it had been one of the most horrible moments of his entire life.

The plastic bag rustled as he opened it and peeked inside. His cheeks bloomed with embarrassment and he couldn't meet North's eyes.

Holy hippogrifs and bat bollocks…

There in the bag, dried and neatly folded, were his and Hiccup's clothes from yesterday when they had undressed each other after being caught in the rain…right before they had…yeah.

Crap.

They had forgotten all about cleaning up after themselves downstairs, too caught up in the moment. Now that was coming back to bite him in the ass.

He stared at the clothes for a few moments, not knowing what to do. The heat spread from his cheeks all the way to his ears. North and Anna _knew _what they had been doing. They knew! They had found their wet clothes lying on the floor and put two and two together. Oh Merlin, this was horrific.

He quickly closed the bag and stuffed it into his backpack, as if the embarrassment would go away if he could get the bag out of sight.

But fate was not that kind.

When he slowly raised his head and dared to meet North's eyes, his adoptive father chuckled deeply and his blue eyes twinkled with amusement. He glanced at Anna who pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. Oh, his adoptive parents were _evil_. They were loving this.

Thankfully, Emma looked confused. He wasn't sure he could handle his little sister knowing what he and Hiccup had gotten up to last night. That was _not _something a child should hear about.

He trudged towards Hiccup, having slung his backpack over his shoulder again. On the way, he picked up Blizzard from the tree it was leaning against. His boyfriend watched him with curiosity as he approached and Jack knew he was wondering what North had shown him.

"Ready?" Hiccup asked before he pulled himself into the saddle on Toothless' back.

"Yeah…" he said and got on his broom, clutching the handle tightly. He gave his family a wave and one last smile. They all returned it and he simply looked at them for a moment, burning them into his memory, before he decided they should get going. After all, they didn't want to be late for the feast.

"Okay." he sighed in determination. "Let's go."

Hiccup nodded and clicked his prosthetic into place. "Let's fly, bud." he told Toothless and the Night Fury warbled joyfully before crouching down and shooting into the air.

Jack quickly followed on Blizzard and the adrenaline bubbled in his blood as the three of them soared into the skies at massive speed. His lips formed a smile and the pain in his heart was dulled by the freedom of the skies. He relished the fresh air surging across his skin, the excitement making his stomach flutter and the familiar sounds of Night Fury wings and the clicking of a prosthetic. Once they had reached the appropriate altitude, they leveled out and set a comfortable peace, flying next to each other casually.

Jack let himself calm down a little and simply enjoy the view of the miniature towns below them before he decided to break the horrible news to Hiccup. His boyfriend had a content smile on his face and rubbed Toothless' scaly head, earning him a happy chirp in response. Jack almost felt bad that he was about to ruin his mood but Hiccup definitely needed to know this and Jack needed to share his horror.

"They know!" he told his boyfriend loudly to be heard over the wind and he mentally prepared himself for the reaction to come.

"What?" Hiccup said and narrowed his eyes in confusion. His brown hair flapped in all directions, pushed by the air currents.

"They know…what we did yesterday." he explained and despite the cool air, he could feel his cheeks warming up again.

"What?!" Hiccup blurted out. It was high pitched and disbelieving, evidence that his boyfriend was panicking from embarrassment.

"We uh…we forgot to clean up our clothes downstairs."

Hiccup's eyes filled with horrified understanding. "Shit!"

"I know." he agreed.

"What did they say?!" Hiccup asked, his green eyes wide from the need to understand what his parents were now thinking about them.

"They just think it's funny!" he explained and grinned in part embarrassment and part humor.

"Oh, the gods must hate me." Hiccup said and slid his palms down his face.

Jack chuckled. "You're so dramatic, Hic."

"I'm dramatic?" Hiccup said in disbelief. "I met my boyfriend's family for the first time ever this week and now his adoptive parents know that we…did stuff."

"You're cute when you're embarrassed." he teased Hiccup and winked, trying to pull some fun out of this otherwise horrible situation.

"Oh, like you're not." Hiccup rolled his eyes. "I see that blush on your face."

"Fine, you got me." he admitted and held one hand up in surrender. "But there's nothing we can do about it, so we'll just have to live with it."

"I can't believe we're _that_ stupid." Hiccup shook his head. "How could we forget about that?"

"I know, right?" he agreed. "But…it's pretty difficult to think when you're getting naked with your boyfriend."

Hiccup bit his lip and turned his gaze away and Jack laughed. It was quite endearing that he still got awkward around him sometimes, considering all the things they'd shared by now.

He decided they needed a distraction to take their minds off this. After all, Hiccup might be taking this worse than him but he still didn't want to think about his parents knowing he did…_that_…with his boyfriend.

He gripped the handle of Blizzard tightly and swept past Hiccup and Toothless in a blur, slapping the back of Hiccup's head on the way.

"The last one to the next town is a stinky salamander!" he yelled and heard Hiccup laugh from somewhere behind him.

The sound of his boyfriend's prosthetic clicking floated through the air. Jack knew he didn't have long before he would hear massive dragon wings flapping quickly and a large black Night Fury would speed past him in a whirl of black.

He knew he couldn't beat Hiccup and Toothless when it came to speed.

But that didn't mean it wouldn't be fun racing.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

When Hiccup saw one of the entrances to their magical school, he was excited to be back. He had enjoyed his time at Jack's house but Hogwarts was his home away from home and it was always great to return. Hundreds of windows were illuminated against the dark of the evening and lit torches hung on the lowest castle walls. Through the large open doors in the distance, warm familiar stone corridors welcomed them back.

He and Jack shared a smile that spoke of their attachment to this place as they headed inside and down a hallway towards the Great Hall. They knew their friends would be waiting there and they were both eager to see them again.

Because they had goofed around so much on the way, they had arrived with only five minutes to spare before the beginning of the feast. Therefore, it was no surprise that the hallways were completely deserted, the sound of their shoes and Toothless' soft paws on the stone floors echoing against the silence.

It didn't take long for their friends to come into view by the open doors to the Great Hall and Hiccup smiled as they approached. Flynn and Merida were in the middle of some kind of argument, most likely about the sexual tension Flynn kept insisting was there. Rapunzel, Fishlegs and Mavis were engaged in conversation, occasionally glancing at their two friends and chuckling at their banter.

When he and Jack were almost by their sides, their friends spotted them and their faces lit up in bright smiles. They all waved eagerly and called out to them and fondness settled in Hiccup's chest from hearing their voices again and seeing their happy faces.

Rapunzel was the first to greet them. "Hey guys!" she squealed before she rushed forwards and threw herself at him, hugging him tightly, before giving Jack the same treatment.

After a round of hugs and happy greetings from all of their friends and a lot of petting for Toothless, they all gathered in a half circle and smiled at each other. The noise from the chattering students in the Great Hall was loud and intrusive but it didn't lessen Hiccup's good mood.

"So…did you have a nice Easter, lover boys?" Flynn said and winked at him and Jack.

"Yeah, it was great!" Jack grinned, not even bothering to comment on the nicknames.

"Brilliant!" Flynn smiled. "How was meeting the in-laws, Freckles?"

"We're not _married_, Flynn." he replied and shook his head when Flynn did a dismissive wave of a hand, as if it didn't matter. "But it was great. Jack's family's really wonderful."

"Yeah, they're the best!" Merida agreed with an enthusiasm that could only stem from countless fun experiences with Jack's family through the years.

"Did you and North spend forever in the workshop?" Mavis smiled knowingly.

"Of course they did!" Jack said. "They snuck out there every chance they got."

"Hey, cut me some slack." he replied. "I've never seen a workshop like that before! It has everything!" he said and threw his arms to the sides to emphasize just how amazing it was.

"Yeah, it definitely does." Flynn agreed. "I can imagine you and North got all dorky about it, talking about wood carving and stuff like that."

"Yeah they did." Jack said and pretended to yawn.

"So?" Hiccup said. "It was fun."

"Hic? I love you and everything but that stuff is _not_ fun." Jack told him as if he was a knowledgeable teacher lecturing a student.

"Man, I bet North_ loved_ you." Merida said. "He's so passionate about building stuff."

"I think he liked me, yeah." he nodded. He had definitely bonded a lot with North during the holidays and he had gotten the impression that Jack's adoptive father truly appreciated him and thought he was a good choice for Jack.

"He loved you, Hic." Jack said and nudged his shoulder.

"Good." he smiled. Jack had told him plenty of times that his family liked him but it was still reassuring to hear the words again.

"Did he embarrass you guys?" Mavis asked with a teasing smile.

"What do _you _think?" Jack asked and shot her a look that clearly said 'that is a stupid question'.

"Of course he did." she grinned and they all chuckled at that.

"Well, I think Professor Lunar is about to do his welcome back speech, so we better get in there." Fishlegs said and motioned towards the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Well, let's go get some food then." Merida said and patted her stomach. "I'm starving!"

"When are you _not _starving, Curly?" Flynn said. "You're like a bottomless pit."

"Oh, shut your cake-hole." Merida said and shoved him so he took a few steps back.

"What do you guys say we meet up afterwards in the Room of Requirement to catch up?" Hiccup asked the rest of them. He wanted to hear what they had been up to during Easter but he could only sit with Fishlegs and Rapunzel during the feast.

"Yeah, that sounds great." Mavis agreed.

"Yeah, let's do that." Fishlegs said and the rest of them nodded or hummed to show their approval.

"Great, it's a deal then." Jack said.

As they entered the Great Hall, Hiccup briefly lamented that his blissful break from crowds of staring eyes was over. Many students fixed their eyes on him and the others as they headed towards their respective house tables. They were a swarm of wasps; eyes crawling across his skin like bug legs. Prickling. Itching. Encouraging stressed fingernails to trap skin underneath them. Their whispers buzzed at the edges of his mind like wings. Incessant. Intrusive.

He snapped the strap of his satchel against his shoulder as he, Rapunzel and Fishlegs took their seats at the only empty space at the Ravenclaw table. Toothless jumped onto the wooden bench and leaned against his side for support. His best friend could always sense when he was getting stressed out.

The Ravenclaws sitting nearby all smiled and greeted him with an eagerness that fed the itch in his skin.

"Hi Hiccup!"

"Welcome back Hiccup!"

"Good to see you again, Hiccup."

He smiled tentatively in response. He still wasn't used to everyone greeting him and wanting to talk to him. And it only made things more awkward that people rarely said hello to Rapunzel and Fishlegs, except the occasional guy who wanted to charm Rapunzel or a student who wanted to get help with their homework from Fishlegs. Most of the time people seemed to only acknowledge _him_ and not his two friends and that was not only unpleasant but frustrating as well.

As Rapunzel poured the three of them some juice, he glanced down the table and instantly regretted it when he locked eyes with Nicole, a fifth year red-head who had a crush on him and had made that_ very_ clear on a regular basis. She openly blew a kiss at him and her two closest friends chuckled next to her.

He instantly looked away and tried to focus on Rapunzel and Fishlegs but his face heated up nonetheless. When he met Fishlegs' eyes, his friend observed him with the tiniest of smiles. One of those that conveyed he knew exactly what was going on and found it amusing but chose to remain silent to spare Hiccup more embarrassment.

Hiccup sighed and took a drink of his juice. He was glad to be back with his friends but he could do without people watching him, whispering about him and especially hitting on him. The only one who could flirt with him was Jack. Everyone else made his entire being squirm with resistance.

He briefly looked at the Gryffindor table and spotted Astrid. He smiled when she saw him and waved and he quickly waved back. He hadn't spoken to her for over a week, which was unusual, so he was looking forward to catching up with her again at some time.

His gaze drifted further down the table and landed on Jack and Flynn teasing each other. A small smile spread across his lips. It would be great when they could come out to the rest of the students, so everyone would know that he and Jack were both taken. Maybe then all the flirting would stop.

At least that was his, probably naïve, hope.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

That evening they all hung out in the Room of Requirement, telling each other what they had been up to during the Easter holidays. The flames of the large fireplace crackled eagerly and filled the room with a soothing light that made shadows dance across the walls. In a half circle around the fireplace, four large couches were placed, filled with soft, fluffy pillows. He and Hiccup shared one, leaning against the back. They held hands, warm fingers laced together, and the familiarity of such small things made him sigh with a soft joy. In Hiccup's lap, Toothless rested, his black tail swishing back and forth lazily.

They all smiled, laughed and ate snacks as they discussed everything about each other's holidays, from Fishlegs regaling them with the twins' newest mischief and how Snotlout had begun hitting on Ruffnut, to Mavis' story of how much fun she and Jonathan had had with her family and the book her dad had given her. A book her deceased mum had wanted her to have that told the story of how she and Mavis' dad met.

When they eventually moved on to discussing his and Hiccup's week, their friends broke down laughing repeatedly from the embarrassing stories they could tell.

"No way!" Merida said, breathless from laughter. She had a whole couch to herself and she made good use of it, stretching her limbs out. On her belly, a bowl of popcorn rested and bounced up and down when she laughed.

"North_ actually_ busted through the door and caught you making out in the bathroom?" Flynn asked for confirmation, a bright grin on his face.

"Yup." Jack said and put his arm around Hiccup, who smiled at him.

"Man…that must have been terrible!" Mavis said, holding a palm on each of her cheeks like she couldn't quite believe it.

"You have no idea." Hiccup said and squeezed his hand. "That was one of the most embarrassing things that has _ever _happened to me."

"Even worse than the time when-" Fishlegs started.

"Let's _not_ play that game, okay?" Hiccup quickly interrupted him and they all chuckled at that.

"What did you guys do then?" Rapunzel asked them and leaned forward in anticipation. Pascal had been resting on Flynn's knee but began to crawl towards her and Flynn followed the small reptile with his eyes and glanced at Rapunzel with a small smile on his lips.

Jack observed his friend and one side of his mouth curved. Man. Flynn was so obvious. He wondered when he would make a move. He'd better do it soon or else Jack would definitely consider interfering.

"Well, what _could_ we do?" Hiccup said and shrugged. "We had to just push down the embarrassment and try to get through dinner afterwards. Luckily, they didn't give us a hard time." he said and they shared a brief look. Jack could tell Hiccup was on board with the decision_ not_ to tell their friends about North's 'gift bag' or what they had done that night in Jack's room and how his parents had found out afterwards. These guys were their best friends but they would _never_ let them forget it if they shared _those_ stories.

"That was lucky." Rapunzel said with an amused smile and petted Pascal, who now sat on her shoulder.

"Yeah, but there were other times when we weren't that lucky." he told them and smiled as memories of the Easter break flooded his mind.

"What happened?" Merida asked, already grinning. "Did North talk to you about sex or something?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Yes he did." he said, waiting for the delicious looks of shock that was about to spread across his friends' faces.

"What?!" Merida shot upright, knocking over her bowl of popcorn.

Mavis and Fishlegs instantly dissolved into fits of giggles.

"Bloody hell." Flynn said before he joined the others in laughing their asses off.

"That sounds awful." Rapunzel said but couldn't help chuckling lightly despite the sympathy in her eyes.

"It really was." Jack said. "Trust me. You _don't _want a parent to talk to you about that stuff."

"Definitely not." Merida agreed. "I would die of horror if my mum ever tried to talk to me about that."

"Yeah, me too." Rapunzel said and clutched a lock of blonde hair nervously, as if the mere thought was enough to stress her out.

"So…" Flynn said and the smoothness of his voice and the gleam in his eyes told Jack that this was heading into teasing territory. Oh no. "Why did he suddenly want to talk to you about that? Did you and Freckles have trouble keeping your hands off each other?"

"So what if we did?" he said and grinned, refusing to give Flynn the satisfaction of embarrassing him.

"Oooooh." Mavis said, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

"_Hot_." Merida said and winked at them.

"By Thor, can you _not_ say those things?" Hiccup said, his eyes darting across their friends, and his awkwardness right now was positively adorable.

"How many times have we been over this, Hiccup?" Flynn said and shook his head, pretending to be disappointed. "You know the rule."

"Yeah yeah, I know the rule." Hiccup said and sighed. His lips formed one of those hints of a smile that revealed his amusement.

"So did North tell you all about the birds and the bees?" Mavis asked him and leaned back against the couch.

"Uh, no. There's no way in Hell I would have sat still in that chair, if he had tried that." he said and chuckled. "He mostly just wanted to tell me about safety and…well…he wanted to know if me and Hic had…you know." he shrugged casually even though he cringed on the inside from recalling that horrible talk.

"Oh god no." Rapunzel said with horror stretched across her face.

"Well…have you?" Merida asked, keeping up a serious façade even though Jack _knew _she was enjoying this and hoping they would get embarrassed.

"No." he replied and tried to hide the fact that his cheeks were getting a little warm. He glanced at Hiccup who looked ready to hide his face in his hands.

"I could have told you that." Flynn said to her.

"Not this again…" Merida said and rolled her eyes before flopping onto her back again.

"What? It's true." Flynn said.

"What?" Hiccup asked in confusion.

"Flynn claims that he can always tell when people have had sex." Jack explained. Through the years, Flynn had pointed out a bunch of times that two people had had sex, seeming quite proud of his so called ability. Jack had no idea whether this 'skill' was actually true or not but Flynn certainly seemed to believe it.

"What?" Fishlegs said skeptically and stroked his chin. "That's just…not possible."

"Of course it is!" Flynn said with a confidence that shouldn't match that kind of absurd statement.

"And how exactly do you do that?" Rapunzel asked with a lifted eyebrow.

"There isn't a system to it, Blondie. I just know." Flynn shrugged.

"Yeah, right." Merida said.

"Well anyway…I hope you kept the snogging to a minimum in front of Jack's family." Mavis teased them.

"Of course we did!" Hiccup said. "What do you think we are?"

"Two teenage boys." Rapunzel said and bit her lip to keep from smiling. Fishlegs nodded to back her up. Hiccup scowled at them and muttered "traitors."

"By the way…what about Emma?" Mavis asked. "How did she react to you, Hiccup?"

"I think she liked me too." Hiccup said but there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. Typical Hiccup. Even when people obviously liked him, he was in doubt.

"She definitely did." he said and smiled fondly at his boyfriend. In fact, Hiccup and Emma had gotten along more perfectly than he could have ever imagined.

He scooted to the end of the couch and rested his back against the armrest before pulling Hiccup into his embrace. Hiccup rested his back against his chest and Jack gently carded his fingers through his boyfriend's hair. He knew that made Hiccup relax and he enjoyed the feel of the soft strands against his skin. Toothless had followed along and curled up on Hiccup's belly, rubbing his furry head against the green shirt.

"Emma and Hic got along so well that they actually ganged up on me several times!" he told their friends.

"You deserved it." Hiccup said and he could hear the amusement in his voice.

"You probably did." Merida agreed and stuffed some of the popcorn left in the bowl into her mouth.

"I did_ not_. I'm always on my best behavior." he said and all of his friends instantly scoffed.

Merida threw a handful of popcorn towards him but they landed on the floor.

"Of course you are." Flynn said, the words dripping with a sarcasm that only best friends could get away with.

"Anyway, Hic gave her a ride on Toothless." he said to change the subject and smiled as he remembered how happy Emma had been.

"Wow, really?" Fishlegs said with a look of surprise on his face.

"Yeah, I mean…" Hiccup said. "I trust Jack and he said they could all be trusted so...when she asked if she could fly on him, I thought 'why not?'"

Jack could feel his insides turn to goo at that comment. It reminded him just how far his and Hiccup's relationship had developed for him to trust him completely with something that important.

He dipped his head and placed a kiss in Hiccup's hair, earning him a content sigh from his boyfriend.

"How did it go?" Fishlegs asked, his eyes gleaming with excess interest as soon as anything involved dragons.

"Great, actually." Hiccup said. "It was just a slow, careful flight over the town and the nearby forest but she had a blast."

"Yeah, she didn't shut up about it for the rest of the day." Jack grinned. All of their friends smiled back at him. He wrapped his arms around Hiccup's chest and held him closer.

"Well, who can blame her? Flying on a dragon must be amazing!" Flynn said. "We still haven't tried that." he said and motioned to him, Merida and Mavis.

"You'll get to fly." Hiccup said softly. "I promise."

"Well, I'll definitely look forward to that." Mavis smiled.

"Me too!" Merida agreed. "It must be brilliant!"

"It really is." Hiccup said and Jack couldn't help but plant another kiss in his hair. It was three simple words but they were laced with such a deep sense of belonging that it warmed his heart. He knew the skies were Hiccup's and Toothless' real home. Where they felt a sweet rush of freedom they could never experience on the ground.

As the evening went by, he and Hiccup continued to tell stories from their holiday. Their friends all nearly choked on their own laughter when he told them how North had almost revealed something about his and Anna's sex life, that Jack only narrowly escaped because he hurried into the hallway. In turn, their friends told them more about their own time with their families, like how Merida's brothers had dressed up as bear cubs and almost scared their neighbor, an old lady with frayed nerves, to death.

Jack truly enjoyed being back at Hogwarts among his best friends, being in their presence, hearing their laughter, bantering back and forth. It was familiar. Comforting. Warm. He had loved being back home but he was also happy to be back to seeing his best friends every single day.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: A FEW DAYS LATER

The corridors were stuffed with students on their way to the Great Hall for dinner and the noise and close proximity of people was invasive. Everywhere around them, mouths spewed myriads of words, shoes hit stone floors, clothes wrinkled and brushed against other students, bags were opened and closed. The sounds were magnified in his mind and scratched against his scalp like long fingernails. His limbs were heavy from fighting practice yesterday and a few drops of sweat lingered on his neck due to the thick, warm air. The beginnings of a headache had appeared, pressing in on his brain from every angle.

The discomfort of the situation would have made Hiccup snap the strap of his satchel by now, if it wasn't because Jack's presence was taking the edge off his stress. His boyfriend's arm rested on his shoulder as words left his mouth in quick, excited sentences. Jack was telling him about the great Quidditch practice he had had today and Hiccup knew it was partly because he _was _excited about it and partly because he wanted to distract him and take his mind off everyone around them.

When a lull in the one-sided conversation appeared, Hiccup took the chance to bring up something they'd discussed earlier.

"So…how do you think we should do it?" he asked Jack quietly, not wanting anyone nearby to hear them. He glanced at Toothless who trotted next to them, efficiently avoiding walking into any students or getting trod on.

Jack hummed and squeezed his shoulder tighter. A reminder that he was there for him. "Are you sure you want to do it?"

"Yeah." he nodded with determination. "I'm ready."

He was rewarded with a beaming grin from Jack. "Well...do you have any ideas?"

"Not really." Hiccup admitted. "It's all kind of awkward."

It was more than just awkward though. Revealing their relationship to the other students meant risking other things as well. They didn't know how the news would be received and statistically, there was bound to be some homophobes around, perhaps even among the professors. Letting everyone know they were together could create hostility.

Hiccup had held off so far because he didn't want to put Jack in danger, considering the current situation in the archipelago. There had been a possibility of more sources inside the castle but as time went by and nothing happened, that idea seemed less and less plausible.

He was tired of hiding how he felt about Jack so they had agreed the other day that it was about time they came out to everyone.

"Yeah but…I have a plan." Jack told him with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

Hiccup didn't like that look at all. Jack could be so impulsive, doing things immediately without thinking first.

"Jack, no, not one of your pla-" he said but was immediately interrupted as Jack wrapped his arms around him and smashed their lips together right there in the corridor.

Hiccup couldn't help closing his eyes and resting his hands on Jack's waist, while his boyfriend kissed him slowly and tenderly. It was an automatic response that he couldn't fight.

The screeching noise of the corridor was broken by a sudden swarm of new sounds. Gasps, giggles, squeals and hushed conversations had erupted all around them and Hiccup could feel the blood rush to his cheeks from knowing they were being observed by other students. But he blocked it out and focused on how his and Jack's lips moved against each other so familiarly, evidence of how well they'd gotten to know the other's mouth. Jack's kisses always turned him into a mess and this was no exception. As Jack slowly consumed his mouth and his pale hands caressed his neck, his thoughts disappeared and the people around them were pushed away into the farthest corners of his mind.

When Jack broke their kiss and pulled away enough for them to look into each other's eyes, they smiled softly at each other. An unspoken declaration of love.

Hiccup didn't have time to take in the people around them and feel their curious eyes burn into his skin, because a breath later, Jack had grabbed his hand and was pulling him down the corridor at a fast pace.

"Well, that was…" he said, trying to fully comprehend what had just happened. Jack had _actually_ kissed him. In the middle of the corridor. In front of everyone.

Well _that_ was surreal.

"Pretty genius right?" Jack said with a proud grin on his face. His pale cheeks were a little flushed, evidence that he wasn't unaffected by this situation either.

"You certainly didn't leave any room for doubt." he told him and couldn't stop a smile from reaching his lips. He glanced around them, as they rushed further down the corridor. Jack hadn't let go of his hand and other students shot them curious looks as they hurried past them.

"Of course I didn't. Where would the fun be in that?" Jack replied and finally began to slow down. "And besides…this way I get to see one of those adorable blushes on your face."

"Oh shut up." he said and squeezed Jack's hand.

"I will if I get to snog you again." his boyfriend leaned in and whispered in his ear.

Shit. Jack knew exactly how to make his face burn. He looked away and he heard his boyfriend chuckle in that familiar, victorious way.

"So what now?" he asked, as he and Jack continued to stroll down the hallways, holding hands. He could feel people watching them but he was determined not to let that bother him. This was going to be their new situation so he should get used to it as quickly as he could.

"Now." Jack said, giving him one of those smiles that clearly stated he was up to no good. "We need to squeeze in a little alone time before dinner."

"Well…can't say I'd mind that." he grinned and let Jack lead him through the corridors.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

As soon as he and Hiccup stood outside the Great Hall, it was evident that unveiling their relationship had had a dramatic effect on the other students in the castle. An overwhelming myriad of loud, eager chatter enveloped the Hall in a blanket of noise much louder than usual. There was no doubt in Jack's mind that the other students were discussing him and Hiccup.

He let go of Hiccup's hand and gave him a supportive smile. He knew it was difficult for Hiccup to handle peoples' stares. That it made him want to retreat to a quiet place where no burning eyes studied him.

Hiccup returned the smile but it didn't reach his eyes. He took a deep breath, clearly to prepare himself for what was about to happen.

"Ready?" he asked and Hiccup nodded.

They stepped inside the Hall and went towards their own house tables. As more and more students spotted them, people whispered, giggled and followed them with their eyes. Jack knew Hiccup would avoid meeting anyone's gazes but he didn't do that. He briefly locked eyes with several students on his way to his friends by the Gryffindor table and he could read different emotions on their faces. Some appeared amused or happy, others confused or shocked and, as he had expected, some faces were scrunched in annoyance or disapproval.

But hey. At least now he knew who he didn't want to talk to anymore.

He passed two fourth year Hufflepuffs who watched him with large, curious eyes, as if the very idea of him and Hiccup being together was too much for their minds to handle.

He was in a strange limbo between understanding and annoyance, as everyone's eyes continued to follow his every move. He wanted the other students to accept his and Hiccup's relationship. To see it as something natural, not a weird phenomenon to be studied or a deviance to disapprove of. However, he also understood that they needed some time to process this new situation. Their images of who he and Hiccup were had been broken and now the students were piecing remnants back together, creating images that reflected this new reality.

He gave the two Hufflepuffs a small smile before he spotted his friends and focused on them instead. They grinned happily at him and waved eagerly, clearly showing their enthusiasm for his and Hiccup's decision to reveal their relationship.

As he sat down next to Merida, she put his arm around him and squeezed him briefly. It was a show of support and Merida was not big on public displays of affection, so that was saying something.

"So…you decided to come out to everyone." Flynn said casually, putting his cup down.

"Yup." he grinned and poured some juice into his glass. "So…what's everyone saying about us? Apparently, it spread very fast."

"Are you kidding? It spread just as fast as when everyone found out about Hiccup and the dragons." Merida said.

"Well, give me the juicy rumors then!" he said and rubbed his hands together.

"Everyone's pretty much talking about how you and Hiccup snogged in one of the corridors." Mavis told him.

"Well, that's pretty accurate." he said as he glanced down the Gryffindor table, quickly spotting Liam, Harry and Jim sitting further away. The three of them grinned at him and gave him thumbs up. Apparently, they didn't care that he was in a relationship with a guy. He smiled at them and winked, appreciating their friendship even more now. He hadn't expected them to be homophobic, they had always been open-minded guys but even so…this was a new and unpredictable situation.

He caught Astrid's gaze and she smiled at him, seeming quite amused by the whole situation. Jack was glad she was supportive of his and Hiccup's relationship, despite her feelings for Hiccup. If those feelings even still existed. He gave her a little wave before returning his attention to his three friends.

"So let me guess…it was your idea to suck face in the middle of the hallway?" Mavis said and pursed her lips.

"Of course it was." he said, his smile blooming into a goofy grin. He couldn't help it. He knew he and Hiccup would probably have to deal with some crap along the way from other students but he was happy that everyone knew they were together now. That Hiccup was taken.

"Yeah, I definitely couldn't see Hiccup coming up with that plan." Flynn said. "How did he take it? I assume you attacked him all of the sudden?"

"Of course I did." he said and chuckled. "And he's fine. A little embarrassed but fine."

"I just hope no one will give you shit because of this." Merida said and scowled at the mere thought. She was nothing if not a fiercely loyal friend.

"Yeah, me too but…if anyone decides to be a jerk, we can handle it." he shrugged. In truth, he _was_ a little nervous about the reactions from everyone but he wasn't going to worry too much. That was a waste of energy.

"And we'll back you up any time." Mavis said.

"Of course." Flynn agreed and Merida hummed.

"Thanks guys." he smiled. He knew the three of them_ always_ had his back no matter what and it filled his heart with gratitude.

After a briefly telling his friends about how the other students had reacted when he kissed Hiccup in the hallway, he filled his plate with delicious food.

Someone slumped down on both sides of him and Merida. Apparently, Jim, Harry and Liam had abandoned their seats to come over to him and the others.

"So mate…" Liam said and put an arm around him. "You really took us by surprise there."

"Yeah." Harry grinned. "We were definitely not expecting that."

"Well, what can I say?" Jack told them. "I'm full of surprises."

"I'm happy for you mate but…why didn't you tell us you liked guys?" Jim asked and there was a hint of disappointment in his voice. "We would have understood."

Liam and Harry nodded but they both had smiles on their faces.

"Well…to be honest…I didn't even know at first. It was only when me and Hic became really close friends that I found out." he explained quietly, not wanting anyone else to overhear this quite private conversation.

"Ah, okay." Jim said. "I was just a bit worried that you thought you couldn't tell us because you were afraid we wouldn't accept it."

"Nah." he said. "I know you pretty well…of course there's always a risk that people will react badly but…I didn't expect that from any of you."

The three of them nodded with satisfied smiles on their faces.

"So…you and Hiccup." Harry said.

"Yup." Jack agreed. "We're quite the couple aren't we?" he grinned.

"You sure are." Liam said. "I don't think anyone saw that coming."

"Least of all me and Hic." he said and chuckled, Merida, Mavis and Flynn joining in.

"Well, as long as you're happy. That's all that matters to us." Harry said and Liam and Jim quickly added words of agreement.

"Thanks guys…that…really means a lot to me." he told them and meant it.

"You've seriously disappointed a lot of girls though." Jim said with amusement in his eyes. "Some of them seem devastated."

Merida scoffed. "Maybe they shouldn't be so obsessed with blokes in the first place."

"Hey, it's not like you're any better." Flynn interjected. "But who can blame you? I mean, look at all of this." he said and gestured to himself.

They all laughed at that comment except Merida.

"I_ am_ looking." she said and wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"You have a very strange way of showing arousal." Flynn said, causing the rest of them to laugh more.

"Anyway." Mavis said. "Do you know what everyone's saying? We only know that everyone's shocked that Jack decided to snog Hiccup in the hallways."

Jim shook his head with a bright smile on his face. "Oh, there's all kinds of reactions actually…devastation, jealousy, shock, denial, amusement. You name it."

"Disgust?" Jack asked, turning serious.

Jim's grin faded. "Yeah, there's a few of those too but…luckily, it's not many."

Jack nodded. He had tried to mentally prepare himself for this. He knew there would be some homophobic twats around. It was unavoidable.

"Idiots." Merida said and huffed.

"Yeah." Liam agreed. "Don't mind them. They don't know what they're talking about."

"Yeah." Jack said and gave them a small smile.

"They just haven't realized the obvious benefits of Jack and Hiccup being a couple." Harry joked.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like the fact that the two most popular guys in school-" he began but was interrupted by Flynn clearing his throat.

"Fine." Harry continued after rolling his eyes and smiling at Flynn. "Two of the _three_ most popular guys in school are now off the market, so the rest of us actually have a chance with the girls now."

"Hey, _I'm_ still a major threat." Flynn said and puffed out his chest, pretending to be all manly.

"Yeah, you're a threat all right." Merida deadpanned. "A threat to everyone's appetite." she continued and held her belly, miming that she was feeling nauseous.

They all shared a laugh at that, before Flynn leaned in close to her and lowered his voice to a seductive tone. "But not _your_…_appetite_, eh Curly?" he said and purred.

Merida's fist shot out and collided with Flynn's arm.

"Oww!" Flynn said and rubbed the aching skin with a distressed look on his face. "Bloody hell…you flirt a little and she turns to violence."

"Come on…you knew that would happen." Jack said and Merida hummed and crossed her arms with a self-satisfied smirk on her lips.

"Yeah, I did…" Flynn agreed with a solemn frown. "But I guess I'm still hoping Red will come to terms with her need to get into my trousers."

"Oh shut up or you'll be rubbing your other arm too!" Merida shot back and the brief look of terror on Flynn's face had them all doubling over with laughter.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: THE NEXT DAY

A sense of déja vu washed over him as he trudged through the stone corridors. His muscles were tense after a long day of classes and unwanted attention and the leather strap dug into his skin, strained by the heavy books within the satchel.

Eyes roamed over his face and body like unwelcome touches from a stranger. Every breath, every step, every look was watched. Studied. Dissected by his observers to discover potential hidden meaning. Hushed conversations and giggles continuously emerged from different spots, too low for him to hear it properly but close enough for him to know it had to do with him and Jack.

He turned another corner only to walk among new observers and the same patterns repeated themselves, slicing off much needed layers of his emotional shield. Toothless sensed his discomfort and strolled along next to him, so close his black fur brushed against Hiccup's leg.

He clutched the strap of his satchel tightly and snapped it against his shoulder. He slowed his breathing and focused on how the strap hit his shirt and the underlying skin, how it felt smooth against his fingers, how the smell of the leather reminded him of being in the workshop. He did his best to tune out everyone around him and only process the act of snapping the strap and how it felt and sounded, until his awareness of the other students was softened.

He didn't regret that he and Jack had come clean about their relationship. It was the right time. He only wished other people wouldn't be so bloody curious and invasive. But he knew it was a natural human trait; categorizing and re-categorizing people. Trying to figure out which boxes they belonged to and how these boxes compared to the ones _you_ were in. He and Jack had broken the other students' ideas of where the two of them belonged. Shattered their illusions. And now the people around them were re-thinking their view of them; deciding which new boxes to put them in – despite how faulty and superficial this process always proved to be. Because there's always more.

A touch on his shoulder disrupted his thoughts and before he even looked, he knew it was Jack.

"Hey Hic." that familiar, soothing voice said from next to him. "Are you okay?"

"Just a bit stressed out." he admitted and subconsciously leaned against his boyfriend.

Jack nodded with sympathy in his eyes. "Let's just get to the dormitory then."

"Yeah." he agreed. "That's probably a good idea."

It was a short walk to Ravenclaw Tower but for Hiccup it seemed longer. Luckily, fewer and fewer students were around the closer they got to the tower, since everyone was going to the Great Hall for dinner. He and Jack had decided to skip it today and get some food later. There was something they had been talking about during the Easter break and now they had the privacy to do it.

When they found themselves in the room he shared with Fishlegs, Riley and Matthew, Toothless jumped onto the bed and settled on the soft, blue bedspread. Jack looked around the room, observing the Ravenclaw banners and the piles of stuff on his roommates' night stands, while Hiccup pulled out the box he was looking for from under his bed.

"So…are you sure about this?" Jack asked him, when he opened the box and took out the Pensieve. He put it down on the wooden floorboards.

"Yes." he said as he sat down next to the stone object with the ancient runes carved into it. "I'd like you to see it."

Jack nodded and offered him a gentle smile. "Is it weird using it for the first time?"

He shrugged. "Not really. It can be a bit surreal at first…like being a ghost. No one can see or hear you but you can see and hear everything."

"Hmm." Jack said as his face fell into pondering folds. "Imagine that reality...never being seen or heard. That would be awful."

"Yeah, it definitely would." he agreed.

"Well…let's try it." Jack said and sat down cross-legged on the other side of the Pensieve.

Hiccup nodded and took out the bottle containing the memory in question from one of his pockets. He carefully poured the memory into the Pensieve and it swirled in dark, hypnotizing wisps. He glanced at Jack, who stared at it in fascination.

"So…" he said. "Are you ready?"

Jack blinked and looked at him. "Yeah."

Hiccup nodded. "Just stick your head inside it. That's all you have to do."

Jack slowly leaned in closer and closer with an uncertain frown on his face. Hiccup flinched when his boyfriend was sucked into the object and nothing but an empty space remained where Jack had been just a second earlier. It was normal. He knew that. But the sudden movement still took him by surprise.

Hiccup waited patiently for him to return. He knew it wouldn't take long, so he watched the swirling dark patterns in the Pensieve, fascinated by how they slithered, dissolved and reemerged like snakes made of the darkest smoke.

He wasn't sure how long it took but suddenly Jack reappeared in front of him and he flinched again. His boyfriend blinked a few times, seeming disoriented to be back.

"How was it?" he asked him and smiled. He had been a little dizzy and confused the first time he got back from using the Pensieve as well.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Jack exclaimed and scrambled to his feet to do a little jump. He was grinning brightly and Hiccup chuckled at his enthusiasm.

He got to his feet too. Jack's grin faded into a soft smile and he stepped closer.

"That was just…_amazing_. How you and Toothless first connected…" Jack shook his head. "It's incredible…I can understand why you use that memory when you conjure your Patronus."

Hiccup's smile carried the warm fondness that had gathered inside him. "Yeah…it's one of the happiest memories I have."

"You exposed yourself to him completely. He could have killed you _so_ easily if he had wanted to." Jack said and the look in his eyes conveyed conflicting emotions, as if he was grateful for how things had turned out but worried that Hiccup had actually approached a dangerous dragon all alone.

"He could have." he agreed. In fact, Toothless could have killed him a dozen times in the cove alone if he had chosen to do so.

"But instead he just…chose to trust you." Jack said and glanced at Toothless resting on the bed. The black cat meowed in reply, like he wanted to express how happy he was that he had made that decision.

Hiccup smiled at his best friend, before turning his attention to Jack again. "Yeah. He did. And every day I'm grateful for that."

Jack nodded. "And _I'm_ grateful you let me see it. It was incredible…"

Hiccup smiled softly. "I wanted you to understand more about the bond I have with him."

"You succeeded in that." Jack told him. "And…_Þǫkk_ [Thanks]." he added.

Hiccup's smile widened. He had begun teaching Jack some Old Norse, just a little bit at a time. Eventually, his boyfriend would have to learn the language because even though everyone in the archipelago also spoke English, it was not only a cultural norm to be able to speak Old Norse but also a necessity; if enemies switched to the ancient language, Hiccup wanted Jack to be able to understand what they were saying but pretend he didn't. That could end up being an advantage. Hiccup desperately hoped that day would never come but if it did…he wanted Jack to be as prepared as he could be.

"You're welcome." he said and took Jack's hand and ran his thumb along the pale knuckles.

"Man…I had completely forgotten how cute you were back then." Jack grinned teasingly and squeezed his hand.

"Ugh. Don't use that word." he said and rolled his eyes. He disliked when people used the word 'cute' about him, even if they meant well. Puppies were cute. Little children were cute. A teenager, a _Viking _teenager at that, was not supposed to be cute.

"But you were!" Jack said and his grin only brightened from Hiccup's embarrassment. Jack loved it way too much when he could make him blush and become awkward. "Those noodle arms and that shaggy hair and you were so short and-"

"Yeah." he interrupted him. "I'm well aware of how I looked." he said and he knew there was a tiny trace of sadness in his voice. He didn't like to wallow in his past but it was impossible not to get a small stab of sadness once in a while. Everyone had always told him how pathetic and inferior he was because he was short and scrawny. Those emotional scars didn't just disappear all of the sudden, even if he had grown up now.

Jack's smile faded. "Come on Hic…you've always been great just the way you were." he said. "It's too bad I didn't see it back then."

Hiccup shrugged and gave him a small smile. "I doubt it would have changed much."

"Maybe we would have become friends sooner…maybe we would have been together a long time ago." Jack said quietly. There was a sliver of regret in his blue eyes that Hiccup didn't like.

He knew Jack felt bad about never noticing him much before his secret about the dragons was out. Like most people, he had underestimated him and thought he knew what kind of person he was. But Hiccup didn't blame him for it in the slightest. Jack was only human. Not to mention that he had been clever and efficient in maintaining his bookworm image, so no one would suspect anything. But that didn't stop Jack from getting pangs of guilt.

"And maybe we wouldn't have." he told Jack and clutched his hand tighter. "Maybe things would have gone wrong. Maybe we would have disliked each other back then or we could have grown apart or something else could have happened so we would have never ended up together." he said. "I'm glad things turned out the way they did."

"Me too." Jack said and softly pressed their lips together. Hiccup smiled into the kiss.

When they broke apart, his boyfriend grinned mischievously. By Odin, that look always filled him with a mixture of concern and warm happiness.

"Now…can we talk some more about how cute you were?" Jack said and winked.

"Ugh. Jack. No." he rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the hint of a smile appearing on his lips.

~~~~ Merida ~~~~

TIME SKIP: THE NEXT DAY

She barely registered the students around her, as she clutched the strap of her backpack, and her long, fast strides carried her down the corridors. Her surroundings were a faded background, the noises muffled and the people faceless, as her mind spent its energy shooting thoughts in all directions like a group of Bludgers.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team had an upcoming match with the Ravenclaw team and she was eager to come up with ways to improve her performance. She was already the best Beater in the castle but she always wanted to better herself, to push herself to the limit. That meant having to stay in shape _and _two steps ahead of the opponent, which not only required willpower and strength but a sense of strategy as well. She knew most people underestimated her. They recognized her athletic ability but had her pegged as a simple-minded jock with a temper problem. It was true that she was fiery but what most people didn't know was that she had a talent for working out her opponents weaknesses and how to use those against them.

She mumbled to herself as she traveled farther down the hallways, occupied by more ideas for new strategies. She breathed in fresh air as she passed some open windows facing one of the courtyards and the breeze was refreshing.

"- can't believe they're actually a couple." a girl's voice said somewhere nearby. Her voice was shrill and a mix of disbelief and annoyance laced the syllables.

Merida's head snapped to the sides, trying to find the voice. She was fairly certain this girl was talking about Jack and Hiccup and she was_ not_ going to put up with anyone talking badly about them.

"I know, right?" another girl's voice said. "It's so weird…how did _that _happen?"

She located the girls in question, sitting by a bench in the courtyard close to the entrance to the corridor. There were four of them, two Hufflepuffs and two Slytherins, leaning towards each other on each side of the bench, huddled up conspiratorially as they discussed Jack's and Hiccup's relationship. In other words, these were the kind of gossipy girls that Merida couldn't stand.

She halted her steps and leaned against the wall of the corridor, watching them like a hawk.

"I have no idea but…I hope they're not together for long." one of the Slytherins, a girl with blonde curls and dark red nail polish said to the others. Merida had seen her around plenty of times but they didn't move in the same circles.

"Yeah, me neither." one of the Hufflepuffs agreed before tightening her long, black pony tail. Merida had Potions with this one but couldn't remember her name either. "I'd like to have a chance with Jack." the girl finished.

Merida cursed her ridiculous memory. She could remember the names of all the players on every famous Quidditch team but she failed completely at remembering other students' names.

"Yeah, well. _I'd_ like to get a chance with Hiccup but I doubt either of those things are going to happen now." the younger Hufflepuff girl, a red-head with rosy cheeks, said and pouted.

Merida mentally threw up in her mouth. These girls needed to find some other interests besides guys. And they also better leave her friends the Hell alone.

"Well…maybe we could…I don't know, _do _something about it?" the Asian Slytherin girl with the long black hair told the others, before she leaned over the table even more. "Like…with a love potion or something else?"

"Maybe." the blonde Slytherin said and bit her bottom lip. "But it would have to be something else than love potion because they don't eat or drink anything someone else gives them."

The two Hufflepuffs hummed in agreement.

"Yeah, that's true." the Hufflepuff with the long, black pony tail said. "But I don't have any other ideas."

"Well, we'll come up with something." the Asian Slytherin said and shrugged as if the idea of ruining someone's relationship wasn't morally questionable at all.

That pushed Merida over the edge. She had heard enough. These girls were not only disapproving of two of her best friends' relationship, they were actually conspiring to interfere with it!

She stormed into the courtyard, her wild curls bouncing with her angry stomping steps. The fury and the outrage made her insides boil and she dug her nails hard into the sides of her legs as she quickly moved towards those meddling, stupid girls.

She slammed her fist down on the wooden table and the four girls jumped in shock. "Oh no, you won't!"

"What the hell are you doing, DunBroch?" the blonde Slytherin asked, her nose wrinkled as if Merida was acting like some kind of lunatic.

"I heard what you said!" she shouted, not bothering in the slightest to be discreet. "And don't you_ dare_ do anything to them!" she hissed, making sure her eyes turned to threatening slits. She was going to defend her friends no matter what and make sure _no one_ messed with them.

"I don't know what you_ think_ you heard but you should relax, Dunbroch. Don't be such a drama queen." the Hufflepuff with the pony tail rolled her eyes.

Oh, these girls knew exactly how to push her buttons.

"A drama queen?" she asked, wrapping every word with disgust. "You just sat there and conspired to break up two of my best friends! I'm _not_ being a bloody drama queen, I'm protecting my friends!"

"We're not planning anything, so calm down." the blonde Slytherin told her with a bored pout. "Don't get your knickers in a twist."

She leaned in over the table and stared directly into the eyes of the blonde Slytherin and the Hufflepuff with the pony tail, since they seemed to be the 'leaders' of this little group. "You better not do _anything_ to ruin what Jack and Hiccup have." she said, her voice a dangerously low tone she knew could intimidate almost anyone. "If I _ever_ find out you've done _anything _to them, I swear to_ Merlin_, I will hunt you down and rip that pretty hair straight off your scalp."

Four pairs of eyes widened in shock and the two youngest girls scooted further down the benches hastily to put some distance between her and them.

"You're a bloody psycho." the youngest Hufflepuff whispered with a level of horror that could match someone staring into the eyes of Hannibal Lecter.

"No. I just care about my friends." Merida said and pulled back, standing up right again.

She gave them one last look of repulsion before she turned on her heel and headed towards the corridor again. She had made her point. Now she had to cool down before she got to class because right now…she was ready to grab her bow and shoot something full of arrows.

The walk to the dungeons was quick and efficient, mainly due to her long, frustrated strides. She kept her eyes on the ground and her fists clenched by her sides and the students around her left her alone. Probably because they could tell she was in no mood for talking or even greeting others right now.

When she found herself in front of the door to the Potions classroom, she leaned against the doorframe. The old, dusty classroom filled with shelves and bookcases with different ingredients was already full of students hanging out by the different workstations, waiting for their professor to arrive.

Her eyes found the workstation she always shared with her friends. Hiccup and Fishlegs were there too as usual, spending any free time during the class with the others. Mavis and Fishlegs were looking at something in the thick, leather-bound Potions textbook, engaged in an eager discussion. Flynn sat on a stool next to them, leaning an elbow on the table. He seemed ready to fall asleep right then and there. On the other side of the workstation, Jack and Hiccup joked around with each other.

She stood there in the doorway, simply watching her two friends for a moment. They chuckled and laughed, pretended to be annoyed with each other, put on that mock superiority. All the little things that had become a part of that condescending banter they enjoyed so much.

Jack said something and nudged Hiccup's shoulder. Hiccup narrowed his eyes, trying to look hostile. He told Jack something that Merida was certain was soaked in acidic sarcasm, before Jack chuckled and leaned in to place a little kiss on his cheek. He whispered something in Hiccup's ear and the scowl slowly disappeared, giving way to a small, fond smile.

She shook her head to herself. How could_ anyone_ have something against what they had together? They were good for each other, they brought out the best in each other and they were _happy_. How could anyone want to ruin that?

Those girls didn't even _know _Jack and Hiccup. They just wanted to date them because they were nice, popular and good-looking guys. They didn't care about all the things that made them_ them_.

But Jack and Hiccup…they cared. They cared about every little thing that made the other unique and during their strong friendship, they had come to know each other on another level than most. That was obvious to anyone who knew them.

Unfortunately, most people in the castle_ didn't_ know them and therefore couldn't understand the depth of their relationship. Even now, as most of the students were talking and laughing, enjoying the free time before class, several pairs of eyes were on them, conveying a myriad of emotions. Some were amused and happy, others curious and others jealous and cold. Merida made a mental note of keeping an eye on the ones who shot glares at her two friends. No one was going to bother them on her watch. Luckily, Jack and Hiccup either ignored it or were blissfully unaware of it.

She would never admit it to anyone but she hoped she would find a relationship like theirs at some point in the future. There were plenty of other things in life than romance and she had many goals she wanted to achieve but even so…she would like to find someone to share her life with…_eventually_. Someone who would accept her need for freedom and independence. Someone who wouldn't try to tame her rebellious spirit and turn her into someone she wasn't. Someone as fiery and adventurous as herself.

She sighed and headed towards her friends. She was going to enjoy their company and try to push the frustrations out of her mind, at least for now.

All of her friends smiled and waved at her, as she took her seat next to Jack as usual. Toothless rested on the wooden surface of the workstation and she gave him a quick pat on the head.

"Hey Simba. What took you so long to get here?" Flynn asked.

"Just Professor Birch droning on and on, forgetting the time." she lied. There was no need for Jack and Hiccup to know what had actually made her later than usual. They had enough to worry about.

Flynn nodded. "It's not the first time." he shrugged.

"Nope." she agreed. "She's_ really_ passionate about Earth Magic."

"Well, that's better than having a completely unenthusiastic teacher." Fishlegs said and closed the textbook he and Mavis had been looking in.

"Yeah, like Professor Walsh in first year Charms." Mavis smiled.

"Bloody hell, don't even mention him. I'll fall asleep just thinking about his classes." Flynn said and faked a yawn.

"Yeah, good thing he was quickly replaced by Professor Mansnoozie." she said.

Jack hummed. "He's a brilliant teacher. Even without being able to speak, he's much better than Walsh ever was."

"Definitely." Mavis agreed.

"I've always liked him." Fishlegs said. "It's a shame I don't have Charms anymore but I couldn't pick that many classes…"

"Yeah, I bet you'd take every class possible if you could." Jack teased him.

"Don't be silly." Fishlegs shook his head. "That would require a Time Turner. And there's no way the Ministry would ever allow a student to have one of those. That would be seriously irresponsible."

They all quickly agreed with that.

"Well…I'm sure Hiccup doesn't mind not having to see Professor Mansnoozie anymore, since that…_incident."_ she said and shot a teasing smile at Hiccup. He was fun to tease and she would take every opportunity she could to do just that. After all…teasing was mandatory in their little group.

Hiccup turned to Jack with a serious look on his face. "Remind me again why we told them about that?"

"Because it was funny as hell." Jack grinned.

"Right." he said. "Once I got over the embarrassment…"

"Oh please, you're still not over it yet." Jack said. "Don't even pretend you are. You still avoid eye contact with Mansnoozie whenever we pass him in the hallways."

"Fine." Hiccup agreed. "I'm not exactly used to professors seeing me making out with my boyfriend in their empty classroom."

"Rawwr." Flynn said and winked at Hiccup, who seemed to instantly regret the words that had just left his mouth.

"Naughty boys." she chimed in, wanting to make her friend blush even more.

"Don't you know a classroom is for _class_, Hiccup? Not for ripping each other's clothes off?" Mavis teased.

"That's…it's…we did _not _do that." Hiccup said, flailing his hands around.

They all chuckled at Hiccup's sudden discomfort.

"And we told you to keep it in your trousers until you and Frosty are married." she said, putting her face in serious folds, pretending to be lecturing him.

"Yeah, don't go tainting his purity now." Flynn grinned.

"Oh, shut up guys." Jack said and shook his head. "Don't go there…_again_."

"Hey, we're just defending you from your lusty beast of a boyfriend there." Flynn said and motioned with his head to Hiccup.

"What!?" Hiccup squeaked, his eyes round with disbelief.

His shocked expression and the fact that Flynn had just called _Hiccup,_ of all people, a lusty beast, caused them all to break down in a laughter fit.

"Maybe we should give Hiccup the benefit of the doubt, guys." Mavis said breathlessly and wiped a tear away, when their laughter slowly ceased. "Maybe he_ can_ keep it in his trousers."

Jack leaned in and whispered something in Hiccup's ear that made him blush more furiously, but his mouth formed a small, amused smile. Merida couldn't help shaking her head. She knew Jack was a flirt but bloody hell…ever since he and Hiccup got together, he flirted with him and made him blush at least once a day.

"Why is everyone on my case about this?" Hiccup asked and gestured to all of them. "Do I give off some kind of rapist vibe or something?"

They all chuckled at that ridiculous idea.

"No." Mavis said and folded her hands. "But Jack is so pure and innocent and we would prefer to keep it that way."

Hiccup scoffed. "Right…soooo innocent."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Flynn asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion, resembling a father who had just been told his daughter was easy.

"Nothing." Hiccup mumbled.

Merida gasped and clutched her chest dramatically. "Have you done something to jeopardize our Snowflake's purity?"

"Right." Jack rolled his eyes. "Before I met Hiccup I had _never_ even had an impure thought in my whole life, but now…now he's leading me into temptation!"

"I bet he is." Flynn said and waggled his eyebrows.

"Oh gods…" Hiccup said and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just…please leave it alone, guys. I'm sensing an awkwardness overload approaching."

"Poor little Hiccy." Jack cooed and leaned in to place a brief kiss on Hiccup's lips.

"Awwwww." a group of girls at a nearby workstation sighed and Merida and the others snapped their heads towards them. The girls immediately giggled and looked away, leaning towards each other to whisper in secrecy.

"You two have become really popular, you know." Mavis said.

"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked warily.

"Well…I've heard _quite_ a few girls in the corridors talk about how _hot_ they think your relationship is." Mavis explained and pursed her lips to keep a grin away.

"What?" Hiccup blurted out in disbelief.

"Yeah, I've heard the same thing." Flynn said. "Apparently, you two have fangirls now…who'd _really_ like to see you get it on." he grinned.

"Shit." Hiccup mumbled and covered his face with his palms. "Odin, help me."

"Come on now, Hic." Jack said and nudged his boyfriend's shoulder. "That's a compliment!"

"I don't like that kind of attention." Hiccup said into his hands.

"Yeah, I know but come one…it's better than negativity!" Jack said.

"Yeah, I guess so." Hiccup said, as he removed his hands from his face again. "Are there _really_ people who think it's hot?" he asked, as if the mere thought was completely baffling to him. Which it probably was.

"Oh yes." Mavis chuckled. "I've heard some quite…_steamy _talk in the hallways."

"Yeah, me too, actually..." Fishlegs chimed in quietly and twiddled his thumbs, clearly a little shy about this topic.

Merida hummed in agreement. She had heard other students talk about that as well. She didn't understand it but Jack was right; it was much better than hostility. She briefly thought about those girls in the courtyard and a frown settled on her lips.

"I think I'll move into Toothless' cave and stay out there in the forest until this blows over." Hiccup said. The black cat in question raised his head and Hiccup scratched him behind one ear.

"Oh no you're not." Jack said and poked him in the side. "I'm not going to handle all of these fangirls by myself."

Hiccup grumbled. "You just find it funny."

Jack shrugged. "Not _that _much. Anyway…It'll probably blow over pretty quickly. They just need to get used to the idea that we're together."

"Or they just need to see you guys in action." Flynn teased them and bit his lip.

"Well, too bad because they're _not_ invited." Jack said and stuck his tongue out.

"Is_ anyone _invited?" Merida lifted an eyebrow.

"Err…_no_." Jack replied.

"You don't have to think about _that_ for a long time anyway…since I assume you're not getting married any time soon." Flynn shrugged as if he was stating a widely accepted fact.

When Jack reached over the table to slap Flynn and Flynn jumped off his chair, a chase ensued. She and the others laughed as they watched Flynn dart around the Potions classroom, around workstations, people and other obstacles, with Jack close behind him. A crash sounded as Flynn accidentally knocked over a few containers with doxy eggs when he sped past a shelf and got a little too close. The eggs smashed against the floor and spread into a big black puddle.

Jack and Flynn froze, when Professor Creek cleared his throat, revealing his presence. The middle-aged professor looked back and forth from the black puddle to Jack and Flynn, a wrinkle of disapproval on his forehead.

"Uhmm…whoops?" Jack said and put on his most charming smile. The one Merida knew he always used when he tried to get out of trouble.

Professor Creek's face was a mask of stone and Jack's smile slowly faded.

"Bloody Boggarts on a broomstick…" he mumbled, probably knowing that he might get detention now.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: THAT NIGHT

Nighttime is a complicated affair for creative minds with insomnia.

The glowing flames of the fireplace wrapped him in a gentle light, as his hand moved the pencil across the paper in his sketchbook. Line after line. Shadow after shadow. Smudges of charcoal slowly forming a picture. He was working on a complicated drawing of Jack flying on Blizzard, trying his best to get every little detail just right.

He rested his back against the armrest of the soft blue coach. Toothless slept between his knees, the small furry body warm against his legs. Once in a while, he took a break and simply watched his best friend. The way his little body was curled up, rising and falling evenly from relaxed breathing. The way his green eyes were shut and his features calm. He was at peace and it was soothing for Hiccup to observe him. At least one of them was able to sleep and that thought was comforting.

He tore his eyes off Toothless and resumed working on the drawing. He guided the pencil, creating those white, disheveled locks he adored so much. The soft, messy strands that always appeared like Jack styled it to look like that on purpose, when in fact it was completely by coincidence. As Hiccup focused on drawing lock after lock, he could almost feel the texture of his boyfriend's hair against his fingertips. His lips twitched in the smallest of smiles.

The night was an invitation to create. The sun dips below the horizon to visit other places. Birds retreat to the treetops and cease their song. Humans close their eyes and rest their weary bodies on soft mattresses, their minds protected under the haze of sleep.

The world is still. Quiet. The only disturbance is the buzzing of your brain. It can be soft. Or frantic.

Insomnia disconnects the mind from its usual logic and restrictions. For the insomniac, it's a contradiction of love and suffering. The late hours of the night fuels creation, sparking ideas never considered in the light of day. For many creators, it is a needed injection of creativity. A hammer to break down the usual barriers that hinders potential.

These late hours are for painters. Writers. Poets. Musicians. Anyone with a creative streak they can let loose during this refuge of quietness in a world that never stops screeching.

Hiccup did not like being unable to sleep. But he did enjoy the quiet. As long as he could keep his mind busy creating, it wasn't a punishment being up while everyone else was sleeping.

But he knew the consequences if he stopped. Insomnia warps memories and perceptions, wrapping you in a blanket of sorrow. The grief of the world seems magnified. The concerns of the future more threatening. Your suffering grows as the darkness of night descends on you. It creeps along the inside of your skull, weaving its tendrils and leaves until the thick wall of worries and regrets obscure your clarity.

If the insomnia stretches on, robbing your mind and body of rest for too long, the numbness sets in. You feel removed from reality like an entity that does not belong there. The insomnia chokes the creativity it had originally sparked and you're left as nothing but a primitive pile of flesh without a functioning mind.

You eat. You walk. You breathe.

You exist. Nothing more than that.

Toothless snored and pulled him out of his thoughts. He realized he had been sitting still, just staring into the flames of the fireplace. He smiled softly at the sound and went back to working on Jack's hair. He sat like that for a while, keeping himself focused until he had managed to accurately portray that amazing head of white strands.

"Hey." Rapunzel's soft, familiar voice suddenly spoke.

He turned his head and spotted her standing by the end of the staircase to the girls' dormitory. Her long, pink nightgown almost reached her ankles and she was clutching a book in her hand. Pascal rested on her shoulder, looking sleep deprived, his eyelids drooping.

"Hey." he said softly and put his pencil and sketchbook in his lap. "What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep." she shrugged with a tiny smile. "You?" she asked, as she began approaching him.

"Same…" he said.

"Everything okay?" she asked, as she sat down on the other end of the couch. Toothless stirred and slowly opened his eyes.

"I just…I have a lot on my mind." he said and scratched Toothless behind one ear. "You?"

"Yeah, same thing…" she said with a sad smile and leaned on the armrest.

"Anything you want to talk about?"

She hummed and bit her lip in contemplation. "Yeah, maybe…"

"You can tell me anything." he said. "You know that, right?"

"I know." she smiled at him and this time it wasn't sad. "It's just…I'm a little embarrassed about it."

This had his interest heightening. He hoped this was going where he thought it was. "Why?"

Her eyes focused on her knees and she scraped away some imaginary dust from the bottom of her nightgown. "Uhm…I kind of…like someone." she managed to say, still not looking at him.

"Oh?" he said, trying to keep his voice calm even though he was excited about this. Now he was pretty sure he knew what this was about and it temporarily pushed his own worries away.

"Yeah…" she said. "But I'm not sure what I should do about it…if anything." she explained and sighed. She slowly lifted her head and met his eyes again. There was an uncertainty in them that he recognized from himself.

"Well…who's the lucky guy?" he asked and smiled, encouraging her to go on.

She hesitated and they watched each other in silence for a brief moment. He could tell she was considering whether or not she should put a name on this guy. He stroked Toothless a few times.

She took a deep breath. "It's Flynn." she said quickly, like she was trying to get it over with as fast as possible. Her green eyes filled with insecurity, as she waited for his reaction.

"I thought so." he smiled while he cheered on the inside. This was great. Jack was sure Flynn had a crush on Rapunzel, so it seemed their two friends would probably get together.

"What?" she said, eyebrows lifting in confusion.

"Me and Jack kind of…suspected that something was going on."

"Oh my god, Jack knows too?" she asked and rested her face in her palms.

"No, no. He doesn't know for sure. We just figured something was going on with you two." he said as his smile turned into a grin.

She raised her head and looked at him again. This time curiosity melted the insecurity. "How so?"

"Well…you're spending a lot more time together just the two of you than you used to."

"That's true. But… I don't know if he feels the same way about me."

"Rapunzel." he said. "I _really_ think he does."

"You do?" she asked, as a small, hopeful smile appeared on her lips.

"Yeah. I mean…he's not flirting with girls anymore and he seems to be a little jealous when you're talking to guys who are outside our little circle of friends."

"Jealous? Really?"

He nodded. "Jack is sure he likes you…and he knows Flynn even better than we do."

"Yeah…" she said and bit her lip in thought. "It's just…really scary, you know? The thought of opening up like that."

"Yeah, I know." he said as he briefly thought about how nervous he had been about his feelings for Jack. "You're afraid of rejection."

She nodded slowly. Pascal climbed down from her shoulder and rested on her knee, closing his eyes. She stroked him carefully.

"Look." he said and she met his eyes. "I know it's frightening. I know how vulnerable you feel. I felt all of those things with Jack. But…you have to take a leap of faith here. If you don't, you'll regret it."

She thought about his words, pursing her lips in contemplation. Finally she nodded. "You're right. I have to do something…"

"Great." he said and couldn't hold back a happy smile. "Now all we need is to get Mavis, Merida and Fishlegs together in some kind of polyamorous relationship and we're done!" he joked to cheer her up.

She giggled and it was a lovely sound. Her green eyes lit up with amusement, briefly forgetting the troubles looming over her. Humor was amazing that way.

"Guys…" Fishlegs' voice suddenly said from the staircase leading to the boys' dormitory. "Why are you still up?"

"Why are _you_ up?" he asked with a small smile. Usually Fishlegs slept soundly through the night, snoring loudly and talking in his sleep. It took a lot to wake him up.

"Woke up and saw you weren't there anymore. Figured I'd come down here to check on you." Fishlegs explained and shrugged.

"Thanks." he said, touched by his friend's concern.

Fishlegs nodded and waddled towards them, his steps slow and heavy from fatigue. He slumped down on the couch across from theirs and rubbed his eyes. "So…what's going on?" he asked. "Why can't you guys sleep?"

"I just have one of those nights…you know…" he said, because Fishlegs _did_ indeed know. He knew exactly how much trouble he had shutting off his mind sometimes. How his thoughts would run wild, shooting in all kinds of directions, imagining worst case scenarios and 'what if's'. How he could only suppress it if he kept himself busy sketching or painting, designing a new invention or working on homework.

Fishlegs nodded. "Sorry." he said and smiled. It was a small, sad smile, full of empathy.

"But…" Hiccup said. "Rapunzel here, have some exciting news."

"Oh?" Fishlegs said, perking up. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the knees of his brown pajama trousers.

"Well, I wouldn't say exciting…" she said, her eyes darting back and forth from him to Fishlegs.

"Come on, it's great." he reassured her.

"Well, what is it?" Fishlegs asked.

"I kind of…have a crush." she said and grabbed some of her long, golden hair, running her hands along it.

"Oh, on Flynn? I already know that." Fishlegs smiled softly.

"What?" Rapunzel blurted out.

"How, _how_ did you know that?" Hiccup said and gestured to his friend. "I mean, I know you know bloody everything but by Thor…"

Fishlegs shrugged. "It was pretty obvious if you know what to look for." he told them and the corners of his lips twitched in amusement.

Hiccup shook his head, once again surprised by Fishlegs' observational skills even though he really should have gotten used to it. He had always considered himself an observant person but he knew he was nothing compared to Fishlegs. Nothing got past his dear friend.

"Hiccup thinks I should…tell him." Rapunzel said.

"I think you should, too." Fishlegs said and nodded encouragingly.

"But…I just…what if he rejects me?"

"I don't think he will." Fishlegs said and his face softened with sympathy. "I'm pretty sure he likes you too."

"That's what I said." Hiccup told him.

"But…what if you're wrong? What if-"

"We're not wrong." Fishlegs said.

"But-"

"Rapunzel…" Hiccup said. "I know how you feel, trust me. Remember how scared I was about my feelings for Jack? I was lucky that he made the first move because if he hadn't…I'm not sure I could have. But I_ should_ have. I _should_ have told him how I felt instead of bottling it up inside."

Rapunzel sighed and folded her hands in her lap. "I know you're right, guys…It's just…it's terrifying."

"Yeah. It is." Hiccup agreed.

Fishlegs nodded. "But Flynn's probably nervous too. I mean…there has to be a reason why he hasn't done something yet."

"Maybe you're wrong. Maybe he doesn't like me like that."

"I'm quite sure he does." Fishlegs said.

"And Fishlegs is always right about these things, Rapunzel. You should know that by now." Hiccup said. The three of them had been best friends for years and Fishlegs had never been wrong so far in reading people.

"That's true." she agreed and stared at Pascal sitting on her knee. Then she sighed. "Ugh, why is this so difficult?"

"Because it's important to you." Hiccup said. "Because you're taking a risk, you're making yourself vulnerable to someone."

"Yeah…" she said.

"It will be fine, Rapunzel." Fishlegs said and smiled reassuringly.

"Well, that's easy for you to say." she said as her lips curved into an amused smile. "You're not even close to that polyamorous relationship yet."

"What?" Fishlegs said, staring back and forth between them but he and Rapunzel only laughed at their friend's confusion.

~~~~Jack ~~~~

TIME SKIP: A FEW DAYS LATER

It had been a long day and his limbs protested as he forced them to move him towards the Great Hall. His body was sore all over, a consequence of the fighting practice he and the others had all participated in yesterday. He was slowly improving, much to his satisfaction, but it was hard work and it left his muscles aching for days. It didn't help his fatigue that he had worked on a Potions assignment with Merida in the library after school today. Now his body and his mind were worn out. But he had no time to collapse in the Room of Requirement and cuddle with Hiccup, because there was a great feast tonight. Since the battle of Hogwarts, a feast was held each year at the magical school to remember the second wizarding war and all the witches and wizards who died fighting Voldemort and his followers.

Luckily, the corridors were mostly empty as he strolled along the stone floors. On such an exhausting day, he enjoyed the quietness and the lack of curious eyes watching him. It didn't bother him_ that_ much but it was still nice to catch a break once in a while.

As he sauntered past some of the windows in the corridor, he peeked outside in the courtyard. Statues of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Albus Dumbledore had been created shortly after the war and had their place in this particular courtyard, as it was the largest in Hogwarts. There was also a large stone tablet where all the names of the people who fought against Voldemort at the battle of Hogwarts were written as a tribute to their courage.

He was getting lost in his own thoughts, when he turned a corner and froze for a split second, as he processed what he was seeing.

Further down the corridor, Sam was in some kind of argument with Oliver Johnson and Ryan Davies, a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin a year older than them. Jack quickly assessed the situation and it was obvious that it was serious.

The two guys had cornered Sam but Sam did not back down. He stared straight into their eyes with determination and disgust. His arms were crossed tightly and his posture was rigid, like it would take the force of a freight train to remove him from his position. Oliver and Ryan had clenched their fists and tried to stare him down. Jack knew he had to interfere.

He jogged towards them and quickly found himself by their sides, putting himself between Sam and the other two.

"Wow, guys. Calm down." he told them and held up his hands in a peaceful gesture.

Oliver and Ryan watched him for a brief moment, as annoyance flashed across their faces. They both rolled their eyes and Ryan scoffed before they turned their backs on him and Sam, leaving down the corridor in long strides.

Well, that was certainly easier than he had expected. He thought he might have to take on the role of the peacemaker but apparently, these guys were _not_ interested in any kind of discussion.

"Hey, is everything okay?" he asked Sam and quickly looked him over to see if something had happened before he got there. But luckily, Sam appeared uninjured.

"Yeah, things are fine, Jack." Sam said with a forced smile and waved a hand dismissively. That didn't fool Jack for a second though.

"Obviously, they aren't. What was that all about?" he asked and glanced down the corridor where Ryan and Oliver had disappeared out of view.

"Nothing." Sam said and clenched his jaw. He had turned his eyes to the floor.

"Come on. Those guys were clearly bothering you." Jack replied, trying to find some way to get him to open up. Sam might be interested in Hiccup but that didn't mean he deserved to be bothered like that by two idiots.

"Yeah…" Sam said reluctantly. "They were talking about you and Hiccup."

"Oh…" he said and sighed. "Well, uhm…what did they say?"

"They were just being idiots." Sam said as he met his eyes again. "Saying it wasn't okay for you two to have a relationship. I overheard them talking about it and told them to shut up and stop being narrow-minded tossers."

"Huh…" Jack said, surprised by this explanation. He knew Sam was a decent guy but he still hadn't expected this kind of behavior from him. "Thanks for sticking up for us." he said and gave him a small smile.

"Of course." he said. "I can't stand to hear that kind of talk."

"You're a good guy, Sam." Jack nodded slowly.

"So are you…" he said and flashed him a flicker of a smile. "Look…I'm not happy Hiccup's taken now but I'm glad he's found someone like you. Someone who's good for him and treats him well."

He appreciated Sam's honesty, despite the slight awkwardness of the situation. "I'll always do that." he told him.

"I know you will, Jack. I can tell you guys are happy together. That's what matters." Sam said.

"Yeah. It is." he agreed.

Sam cleared his throat. "Well…I'm going to go back to the dormitories now…"

"You're not going to the feast?" he asked.

"Nah." Sam told him. "I'm not really in the mood for that right now."

"Sorry man." he replied and meant it. "But…thanks again Sam and…if those idiots give you any shit again, I'll back you up."

Sam nodded and a tiny smile appeared on his lips. He gave him an awkward goodbye wave before he quickly disappeared around the corner.

"Was that Sam?" he heard Hiccup's voice say from behind him. When did he get there?

He spun around and faced his boyfriend, who looked at him curiously.

"Yeah." he said and gave Hiccup a small smile to reassure him that things were fine now.

"What were you guys talking about?" Hiccup asked, briefly looking down the corridor, even though Sam was long gone by now.

"Just…someone was bothering him and I interfered." he shrugged.

Hiccup scratched his neck. "Why was someone bothering him?"

"They were being homophobic twats and Sam defended us." he explained and tried to push down the irritation he felt towards those two idiots. How dare they say that

"Huh." Hiccup said, as his eyes squinted in thought.

"Yeah, that was my reaction too." he smiled.

"But things are okay? They didn't hurt him or anything?" Hiccup asked, his concern showing in the creases on his forehead.

"Nah, don't worry. It's okay." he said and squeezed Hiccup's shoulder. "Now…what do you say we get to that feast?"

"You go ahead." Hiccup said. "I just need to stop by the dormitories first."

"Sure. I'll see you in a minute then." he said and Hiccup nodded in reply.

When he found himself in the Great Hall shortly after, he reflected on how different the Hall was tonight, as he waited for his friends to arrive. Tonight, there would be speeches, music and scrumptious food and drinks as the students could enjoy a simple night of fun and socializing with friends. Needless to say that Jack was happy about this temporary change.

The house tables had been removed and replaced with plenty of smaller tables, each with room for about 10 people. Students were allowed to sit wherever they wanted to celebrate friendship across the different houses. Each table was covered with a rich, dark brown table cloth, a flower arrangement, golden plates, cutlery and sparkling glasses, as well as a pitcher of delicious punch. Jack was currently enjoying a glass of the sweet, fruity liquid, as he took in his surroundings by a table by one of the walls.

On the podium in front of the professors' table, the frog choir was preparing for their performance. Some of the teachers had taken their places by the long table, while others hadn't shown up yet. Headmaster Lunar was deep in conversation with Professor Bunnymund about something, both of them gesturing with their hands to underline their words, their eyes wide with interest, while Professor Mansnoozie seemed to empty cup after cup of the sweet punch, apparently very thirsty. Or maybe he just had a sweet tooth.

Mavis was on the podium with the rest of the frog choir, speaking to Megan, one of Astrid's friends, as they both held their big frogs and fed them little treats. Behind them, a small array of instruments had been placed for a band to perform some relaxing music later on.

Jack took a swig of his punch and enjoyed the fresh taste covering his tongue. The feast officially began in half an hour, so most of the students had yet to arrive. However, a few tables housed a couple of students, deeply engulfed in conversation, drinking punch and laughing together. There was a relaxing vibe in the air due to the lack of divide between houses and Jack enjoyed the informal atmosphere. He had never been one for rules and limitations. It would be great when the rest of his friends showed up, so they could all enjoy a nice meal together. They were around each other all the time but all of them rarely got to eat together, since they had to sit at their respective house tables. As his eyes darted from one table to the next, he spotted Liam and Harry sitting with a few other Gryffindors and some of their friends from Hufflepuff. They both waved at him and he quickly waved back with a grin on his face.

Suddenly, someone poked his back, so he turned and came face to face with a familiar girl. Chloe was a Slytherin, a year younger than him, with soft blonde curls and smooth skin only interrupted by a few subtle freckles on her nose.

"Hi Jack!" she said, a big white smile showing off her perfect teeth.

"Hi." he said and gave her a small smile in return. He didn't like Chloe much but he tried his best to hide it to be polite. She was one of those girls who was always sticking her nose into other people's business, enjoying when someone slipped up or had something bad happen to them, so she could spread that cruel gossip around, reveling in the attention it got her. That kind of behavior rubbed him the wrong way.

"Can I ask you something?" she said and tucked a lock of blonde hair behind an ear with a slender hand. Her nails were perfectly manicured and decorated with dark red nail polish. They reminded him of the sort of nails a female Disney villain could have.

"Yeah, of course?" he said, wondering what this could be about. They only spoke together on rare occasions in classes, so he was naturally curious about what she wanted from him.

"You're paired up with Summer for the next Arithmancy assignment, right?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he replied. He was_ not_ looking forward to that at all. Arithmancy was not only his least favorite class but having Summer as a partner was horrible. She was a nice girl and he didn't have anything against her personally, but she was also very slow so she would be nothing but dead weight on this assignment. Not to mention that she had a high-pitched giggle that made him want to scratch his ears off.

"Well, I was just wondering if you would mind switching partners? I'm with Mavis and I know you guys are really good friends…and she and I don't really have good chemistry, so I'd rather have Summer as my partner." she explained.

She briefly glanced behind him, before her eyes focused on him again. He did the same and spotted Mia standing by the doors to the Hall, casually leaning against a wall with one of their other friends, an Asian Slytherin girl he couldn't remember the name of even though he shared a few classes with her. They were seemingly engaged in conversation, words quickly spilling from their lips and amused smiles on their faces.

"Yes. That would be great." he said, his restrained smile now blooming into a grin. Now he could do the assignment with someone who was not just one of his best friends but really clever as well. "Just make sure it's okay with Mavis and Summer." he added even though he was sure Mavis wouldn't mind in the slightest.

It was true what Chloe had said. She and Mavis weren't fond of each other while Chloe and Summer seemed to get along very well. Still…it would be disrespectful not to make sure everyone was okay with the switch before actually making it.

"Well, I already checked with both of them and they agreed." she said, her brown eyes lighting up with excitement at the prospect of getting a new partner. "So everything should be fine."

"Great. Well, it's settled then." he said and smiled before he took a small sip of his punch. He put the glass down on the table next to them.

"Brilliant!" she agreed, the corners of her eyes crinkling. She glanced behind him once more and he wondered why she kept looking at her friends. But perhaps that was normal in her circle of friends. After all…they seemed very co-dependent. Like the kind of friends who couldn't even voice an opinion before checking with the others first.

She smiled at him, a small but sweet smile and yet he didn't like it. There was something unsettling about it that he couldn't explain.

"Oh and Jack?" she said, as the smile slowly melted off her lips.

"Yeah?"

Before he could do anything, she pounced and crashed their lips together.

His eyes widened as her warm mouth covered his own. He froze in shock, his heartbeat stuttering in surprise, before he came to his senses again.

His palms found her shoulders, gripped on tight and pushed her off him, tearing her lips away from his. He looked at her in utter shock, his brain struggling to find some words to deal with this situation.

The corners of Chloe's lips moved ever so slightly as her eyes observed him with a gleam he didn't like at all. He could still feel her lips on his and he had the strong urge to go wash his mouth. Hiccup was the _only one_ who was allowed to kiss him on the mouth. He wiped his lips with one of his sleeves, trying to purge himself of her unwanted presence as best he could right now.

He could sense the anger beginning to surface inside him, drowning out the shock that had temporarily shut down his ability to think and speak. His hands curled into fists by his sides and his jaw clenched. The way she looked at him, like he was some kind of amusing prey to toy with, was making the fury bubble in his veins.

Who the hell did this girl think she was? He had a _boyfriend_, everyone in the whole school knew that! And yet, she had just thrown herself at him, forcing him to kiss her! It was a complete disregard for his boundaries and he couldn't help feeling violated. Chloe _must_ have known he wouldn't like this at all but she had done it anyway, not caring about his feelings in the slightest! What the hell was the point of this?!

He was about to release some of his anger, to spit out words high in volume and dripping with venom, untamed and wild like a tornado, when he noticed she was smirking and watching something behind him again.

He spun around to find out what was going on, assuming her friends were doing something that somehow played a part in this. What was their angle? Why would they mess with him like this?

As he looked towards Mia and their Slytherin friend, his blue eyes instantly widened. His boiling anger was chilled by freezing dread and he stopped breathing for a second. Nauseating fear churned inside him, threatening to make him vomit.

No no no no.

There, by the doors to the Great Hall…

…was Hiccup. Staring at him in disbelief.

His heart hammered against his rib cage, infected with raw panic. What was Hiccup thinking now? Did he think he had actually liked this? Was he going to leave now without letting him explain?

No. He _had_ to get to Hiccup. He _had_ to explain that this wasn't what it might have looked like!

He ran to Hiccup, not caring in the slightest that the few other students around him were staring. There was only one thing that mattered to him.

Hiccup was frozen in place, green eyes fixed on him as he approached. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad. He was relieved that Hiccup hadn't just turned and left but he didn't know what to expect from this.

He took Hiccup's hands and stared into his eyes, hoping with every cell in his body that he hadn't just lost the person he loved. Hiccup didn't move or pull his hands away. The shock on his face had faded into a blank expression. It bore no witness of hurt or anger and_ that_ unsettled Jack.

"Please, Hiccup, please don't- I just – I can't – it wasn't me - I just-" he rambled, so desperate to explain, that his tongue didn't cooperate with his brain. He needed to tell Hiccup that he was the only one he loved. The only one he wanted to be with. And he needed to do it quickly, because as soon as Hiccup decided to speak, he could tear him down; he could grab his heart and melt it in his palms like a brittle snowflake, leaving nothing but an empty void.

"You need to know - it wasn't - I didn't-" the nonsense spewed from his mouth, as he desperately clung to Hiccup's hands like a lifeline.

"Jack-" Hiccup said quietly.

"I know how it must have looked but I swear I didn't do it, she just threw herself at me and-" he blabbered, unable to stop himself before he had somehow managed to explain what had just happened and reassured Hiccup he wasn't cheating on him. That he would _never _cheat on him.

"Jack-"

"I would never do anything like that Hiccup, I swear-"

"Jack!" Hiccup raised his voice, a brief flash of emotion in his eyes.

Jack instantly closed his mouth. He squeezed Hiccup's hands, holding them tight, trying to hold on to him in case he was suddenly going to try to leave. He refused to let him leave. He needed him to listen.

"Calm down." Hiccup told him slowly.

"W-what?" he asked, completely baffled by this.

Calm down? What the hell was he talking about? Why wasn't he angry? Or sad? Of all the words that could have left Hiccup's mouth, these were some of the most unexpected.

"Jack…" Hiccup said and the way his green eyes softened made tiny vines of hope sprout through the emotional wasteland inside Jack. He knew that look. It was the look that said "I feel for you and I'm here for support." But he didn't understand_ why_.

"We're not in some kind of teenage drama film." Hiccup told him. "I'm not going to see someone throw themselves at you and then assume the worst and run off without even talking to you." he explained, his calm demeanor a complete contrast to Jack's frantic, anxious mind that was still tearing him apart inside with shards of uncertainty.

"I swear I didn't do that." he said, his words urgent. "She just kind of attacked me and it-"

"I know, I know." Hiccup said soothingly and squeezed his fingers.

"You…you know?" he asked, looking into those familiar eyes that held so much reassurance. "But…the way you were looking at me before…"

"Of course I was looking at you like that. Someone had just _kissed_ you. Right in front of me. I needed a moment to process what was happening." Hiccup said. "But I could tell you were shocked and angry about it. And I _know _you. You'd never do something like that." Hiccup told him, gazing into his eyes with that unwavering support and trust that Jack desperately needed right now.

A hint of a smile settled on Hiccup's lips and for Jack, it was like invisible floodgates had opened, dousing him in overwhelming relief and happiness.

He threw his arms around Hiccup, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. He needed the guy he loved closer. As close as he could possibly hold him.

"Thank you." he told Hiccup over and over, not loosening his grip on his boyfriend in the slightest. Hiccup's arms wrapped around him, strong and protective, calming his frazzled mind.

He buried his face in Hiccup's warm neck and inhaled that wonderful scent of pine, as he reveled in the sweet relief of not losing him. He probably should have thought that Hiccup would be too rational to assume the worst straight away but panic had set in at the mere _thought _of losing him. Of hurting him. Of never being able to kiss him and hold him ever again. That prospect was his own personal nightmare.

Hiccup's palms glided up and down his back in soothing motions and Jack sighed in content as his galloping heartbeat began to slow down.

It was Hiccup who, much to Jack's reluctance, broke the hug again.

"We need to take care of something." Hiccup said with determination written on his face. His green eyes blazed with a sudden flame of anger, before he stomped towards Chloe, who seemed to have been watching their whole interaction.

Jack quickly followed. Now that he knew he and Hiccup were okay, he needed to unleash some of his anger at the source of this whole situation.

"You." Hiccup said, as they faced Chloe. Before this, Jack hadn't known a single word could contain _that_ level of repulsion. "What the _Hel_ is wrong with you?" his boyfriend asked, eyes narrowed with an anger that threatened to evolve into red-hot fury. Toothless hissed at Chloe from his place on the floor.

"Calm down Haddock, it was just a joke." Chloe said and sighed, as if she was already bored of this conversation.

"Just a joke?" Jack snapped at her. "If a_ guy_ had done that to _you_, you'd be screaming at him that he was a bloody pervert or a rapist…but because _I'm_ a guy, you think it's all right to force me to kiss you even though I _don't _want to and even though you _know_ I have a boyfriend. You fucking hypocrite!" he spat, finally being able to vent some of his frustration.

Hell, this was the kind of thing that could ruin a relationship and yet Chloe didn't want to take any responsibility at all. If Hiccup had been a less calm and logical person, this could have been enough to _end_ them and that thought alone fed the rage inside him.

"Sheesh, relax will you? Like I said…it was just a joke." Chloe said, resting her hands on her hips, her eyes turning hard as an obvious defense mechanism.

"No." Hiccup said and crossed his arms. His nose twitched as if he was witnessing something truly disgusting. "You _don't_ get to tell us to relax. You think it's funny to mess with people's relationships?"

Chloe simply shrugged once more and the vague gesture was only making the frustrations build inside Jack at a violent speed.

"Hey, what's going on?" he suddenly heard Flynn's voice say. He, Fishlegs and Rapunzel appeared next to them a second after. Their eyes were narrowed, darting back and forth from him and Hiccup to Chloe, having figured out that something bad had happened.

"Chloe here thought it would be_ funny_ to force herself on Jack right as I came into the Hall, so I might think he was cheating on me." Hiccup explained and clenched his jaw.

"What?" Flynn and Fishlegs said in unison, their eyes growing large in shock.

"You didn't…" Rapunzel said and there was a sharp edge to her voice that Jack had never heard before. Her open and cheerful features had contorted, full lips pressed tightly together, dark eyebrows knitted.

"You think it's funny to hurt other people, huh?" Flynn asked and crossed his arms, having recovered from the shock. His warm brown eyes had become hard and unrelenting, a look Jack knew he reserved for when his protectiveness and anger was threatening to burn its way through him.

"No one got hurt." Chloe said and kept her eyes narrowed even as she fidgeted with one of her sleeves.

"No, but that was clearly the intention." Fishlegs said. "You wanted Hiccup to think Jack kissed you voluntarily so they might break up." he finished, every word prickly like sharp thorns.

"Of course not." Chloe said as if the mere thought was ridiculous.

"Oh really?" Hiccup said. "Then what was the point?"

"Like I said before, Haddock. It was just a joke."

"And where the fuck is the fun in that _joke_?" Jack spat, unable to stop himself. He was_ not_ done purging himself of the infuriating feelings this girl had sparked in him. "It's not fun to have someone force you to kiss them when you don't want to!"

"Oh, get over it, will you?" she said and sent him a glare. "It was just a kiss, take it like a man."

Jack was about to open his mouth and unleash a storm of razor sharp abuse, when Hiccup protectively took a step in front of him and spoke.

"Take it like a man?" Hiccup said. "_Take it like a man_?" he repeated in a low, disbelieving voice that was _way_ more intimidating than any kind of shouting and screaming. "So you're one of _those_ people...those who think equality only matters when it benefits women. That guys don't even have the right to feel violated when their boundaries are overstepped, because hey it's a girl that's suddenly touching you or making inappropriate comments, so that's fine no matter what and if you feel uncomfortable you're just a wimp, right?" Hiccup continued. "_Wrong_. You_ wouldn't_ like it if a guy forced himself on you. Therefore, you _don't_ get to force yourself on a guy either. The same rules apply. Get that through your skull. Being a girl does _not_ give you a fucking free pass to kiss my boyfriend and pretend you did nothing wrong." Hiccup spat and Toothless let out a long venomous hiss to show his hostility.

"Bloody hell, way to be a drama queen." Chloe said and crossed her arms tight like she was shielding herself.

"No no no no." Hiccup said, eyes flashing with the barely restrained fury inside him. "There's _nothing_ dramatic about this. You need to respect people's fucking boundaries. You_ don't_ touch other people like that unless they've signaled that it's okay. It's as easy as that. It doesn't matter if it's a guy or a girl, you keep your hands and mouth to _yourself._ And if I_ ever_ see you kissing my boyfriend again or trying to throw yourself at him in some other way, I swear to _Thor_, you will regret it."

Jack wanted to back Hiccup up on this, to present a united front, but the sheer acid in the words and the use of curses left him speechless. He had never heard Hiccup speak that way to anyone before.

"What's happening?" he heard Mavis' voice say, interrupting Hiccup's and Chloe's interaction, as she and Merida joined them, both looking perplexed by the tense situation they found their friends in.

"Apparently, this _idiot _here-" Flynn said and motioned with his head to Chloe, "thought it would be hilarious to throw herself at Jack and make Hiccup think he was cheating on him."

"You what?!" Merida yelled and rushed forwards in an attempt to get to Chloe. Flynn and Fishlegs reacted quickly and held her back, each of them gripping an arm tightly.

"Let me go!" Merida shouted, eyes wide with rage.

"No." Flynn said, as he wobbled while trying to keep the right side of her in place, while Fishlegs used his weight advantage to hold back the other side. "I can't let you break her legs, you'll get expelled."

Merida huffed and fixed her eyes on Chloe, as she stopped thrashing to break out of their friends' grips. "You listen here!" she yelled.

Chloe took a few steps back, shock evident on her face.

In this moment, Merida resembled a feral animal. Strong and fearsome, wild and intimidating. Her chest heaved from the anger weighing down on her. Her face was contorted in disgust. "If you _ever _do something like that again, I swear, I will find you and hurt you! You'll regret ever messing with my friends! You better leave them alone!"

"Ms. DunBroch!" Headmaster Lunar's voice reverberated through the massive hall from his place at the professors' table. "Whatever the problem is, calm yourself, or I will have you removed from this hall!"

Merida was fuming, like the heat of her anger was boiling her from the inside.

"What is the _matter_ with you?" Mavis asked and that voice could freeze bones. Her calm and sweet demeanor had evaporated, giving way to something frightening. This was a whole other kind of anger. While Merida was a blazing bonfire, Mavis was a deadly blizzard.

"Relax Mavis." Chloe said, trying to put on a confident façade but failing. Her defensive attitude was beginning to crack, revealing slivers of insecurity. She glanced warily at Merida, who was still restrained by Flynn and Fishlegs.

"Shut up." Mavis snapped, before anyone else could say something. "How _dare _you interfere with their relationship? What they have together doesn't concern you in_ any_ way. It's not your business and you better stay out of it from now on."

"Like I said before. It was just a joke." Chloe said, eyes darting back and forth between Mavis and Merida.

"No no." Flynn said. "That was _not_ a bloody joke. That was an attempt to ruin our friends' relationship. And we're _not_ happy about that."

Rapunzel hummed in agreement and took a step closer to Flynn, as she glared at Chloe. Their other friends all spoke words of support.

"Whatever." Chloe shook her head. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other and bit her bottom lip.

"_Not_ whatever." Rapunzel snapped.

"If you mess with Jack and Hiccup, you mess with all of us as well." Fishlegs said and gestured to them all.

"Yeah, and trust me…you don't want that." Mavis said. "Now get_ out_ of here."

Chloe's eyes flickered from one person to the next and she briefly hesitated, before she headed toward the doors with uncertain steps.

"Are you okay, guys?" Rapunzel immediately asked, eyes large with concern.

"Yeah…" Jack said. "I'm just…kind of in a bad mood now."

"That's understandable." Flynn told him and rested a hand on his shoulder.

Hiccup nodded. "Definitely. I'm not in the best mood either."

"Well, maybe we should just enjoy the feast and forget about that stupid girl." Rapunzel told them with a small, encouraging smile.

"Thanks but…" Hiccup said. "I think I'd like to just spend some time with Jack right now. I hope that's okay with you guys."

Jack nodded to show he agreed. He would truly cherish some alone time with Hiccup right now after this horrible situation.

"Yeah, of course." Mavis said and nodded.

"Yeah, just…let us know if there's anything we can do." Flynn told them and removed his hand from Jack's shoulder.

"We will." Hiccup agreed.

"Well…I guess we'll just see you guys tomorrow then?" Fishlegs asked.

"Yeah…see you guys." Jack told them and Hiccup quickly added his goodbye too.

When they approached the doors, Hiccup put his arm around his shoulder protectively. Jack noticed the staring eyes of the students sitting by the tables and he didn't know how much they had heard or understood but they couldn't have avoided noticing Merida's angry yelling, that was for sure. Not that he cared in this moment. It didn't matter what they thought. All that mattered was that his and Hiccup's relationship was intact.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

They left the Great Hall together, as he kept his arm around Jack. He was not a possessive guy but someone had just kissed his boyfriend against his will and right in front of him, so he was feeling rather protective right now. It wasn't that Jack couldn't have taken care of the situation himself, but that didn't mean he would stop having the need to protect him and back him up.

They were moving along the corridor with no destination in mind, a slightly tense silence hanging between them. Hiccup wasn't sure what to say right now. He just wanted them to be together, away from any stupid people who might want to interfere with their relationship.

As they turned a corner, Jack suddenly squirmed out of his grasp. He took his hand and dragged him towards the open door of an empty classroom. He let himself be led along and when Jack shut the door behind them, Toothless stayed outside, presumably to give them some privacy.

The room was dim, only a single lamp on the teacher's desk spreading a faint glow of yellow light. The dark stone walls were confining for his mind, threatening to weigh down on him from every side.

Jack sat down on a desk and stared at the stone floor, his lips sagging, and the emptiness of the room only seemed to call attention to his boyfriend's insecurities. Jack seemed small and fragile among the tall stone walls and the darkness.

"Hic, I…" Jack spoke, still avoiding eye contact. He wrung his hands.

"Jack, come on…don't feel bad. I'm not mad at you or anything." he said, the strong urge to pull Jack into a hug rising within him. But he held himself back. He wasn't sure what Jack wanted to tell him and he needed to give him the time to speak his mind.

"I know, I know…I just…It's…" Jack tried to explain. He gave up and sighed.

"What?" he asked, the concern increasing inside him from the uncertainty.

Jack slowly raised his head. His blue eyes were lacking their usual light. They seemed tired, dull and worried from the events that had just transpired in the Great Hall.

"Jack, what's wrong?" Hiccup asked and took a few steps closer to where he was sitting.

Jack left the desk and a second later, they were standing in front of each other. His boyfriend lifted his pale hand and gently brushed fingers over Hiccup's cheek.

"Jack, just tell me what's on your mind." he said softly.

Jack tucked a lock of his brown hair behind one of his ears carefully and remained quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "I just…I was really scared for a moment."

"Scared?" he asked.

"That I would lose you…" Jack said quietly and turned his gaze to the floor again. "I didn't know how much of it you'd seen…if it might have looked like I wanted it or something…I was just…_really_ afraid when I saw you standing there behind me."

He appeared so insecure that a single word might rip him to pieces and it made Hiccup's heart sting.

"Jack." he said and placed his hand under Jack's chin to tilt his head up. When their eyes met again, he smiled at his boyfriend. "You didn't lose me."

Jack's lips formed a tiny smile, almost invisible by hesitance before it faded away again. His boyfriend frowned and Hiccup squeezed his shoulder to silently ask what was wrong.

"I can still feel her lips on mine." Jack said bitterly and touched his mouth.

That protective instinct surfaced in Hiccup once more. Someone had kissed his boyfriend without consent and there was no doubt Jack felt his personal space and his boundaries had been invaded. Hiccup knew he had to do something about that.

He gave Jack a fond smile. "We can fix that."

He gently pushed their lips together and his eyelids lowered as he showered Jack with slow, delicate kisses, pouring his love for his boyfriend into every brush of lips. He held on to each side of Jack's head while he devoured his mouth patiently, tickling sensations resting on his lips, their mouths gliding over each other in delicious warmth. It was tender and soft and Hiccup could feel the tension leave Jack's body, as he relaxed into the kisses. Small whimpers left Jack's mouth, evidence that he was still feeling vulnerable and enjoyed having his doubts slowly diminished by Hiccup's affections. And Hiccup was happy to oblige. He would kiss Jack for days without stopping if that's what it took to banish his insecurities and push that foolish Slytherin girl out of his thoughts.

When Jack broke their kiss, they watched each other in silence and Hiccup's hands slid down to Jack's waist and rested there, wanting to keep him close.

"Hic." Jack whispered and leaned in so their lips almost touched again. "I _need _you to know you're the only one I want."

Hiccup felt a soft smile appear on his lips. "I already know that." he told him quietly. He didn't have a single sliver of doubt.

Relief seeped into those clear blue eyes and Jack's white teeth showed as he smiled. It was a beautiful change; uncertainty and nervousness melting away, warmed by fondness and reassurance. Hiccup always wanted to be able to do that for Jack.

He was about to say something. To speak more comforting words that would put Jack's mind at ease. But Jack threw his arms around him and claimed his lips again and he was more than content to let his mind be clouded by his boyfriend's warm mouth.

It was a myriad of slow, deep kisses; brimming with gratitude and sweet relief. The way Jack took his time to patiently mold their mouths together, to lazily roll his slick tongue around Hiccup's in electric caresses, the way he gently held on to each side of Hiccup's jaw and let his thumbs softly brush his skin, like Jack wanted nothing more than to cherish him. It all spoke of Jack's fierce love for him and Hiccup could_ feel_ how much Jack wanted to reassure him. To show him how much he meant to him. Hiccup sighed blissfully into their kisses and his heart shed the weight of his worries and felt lighter, like it would soar towards the skies if he didn't keep it contained behind his ribcage.

He rubbed Jack's lower back and let everything else fade away, as Jack's wonderful caresses on his lips continued, lavishing him with amazing warmth and closeness. He breathed in through his nose and the scents of peppermint and Jack's hot breath were intoxicating, sparking an urge inside him to run his lips and nose all over his boyfriend, leaving kisses and nips along every part of that tempting slender body and inhaling that sweet pale skin.

He hummed into Jack's wet mouth from the satisfaction of his thoughts. Jack tightened the grip on his jaw, before slowly sliding his hands down to his waist. The lazy smacking of their hot mouths swallowing each other up was the only sound he focused on. His knees were struggling to keep him standing from the powerful stream of emotions inside him. Jack was fully capable of turning his bones to water with his touches.

His soft hold on Jack's waist turned tighter, nails pressing into skin and he tore his lips off him. "I love you." he whispered.

"I love you too." Jack whispered back, the smallest of smiles flickering across his lips before disappearing again. Hiccup knew it wasn't sadness that banished Jack's smile this time. Something familiar gleamed in shades of blue. Something bold and heated that had Hiccup swallowing thickly in anticipation. He licked his lips and Jack watched him, slowly leaning in.

When Jack pressed their lips together again, slow kisses turned urgent and hungry. Their gentle touches grew impatient from eagerness, fondling underneath each other's shirts to satisfy the craving of touching bare skin. Their lungs struggled to keep up as they neglected proper oxygen supply to claim each other's mouths with smoldering kisses that pushed them both farther away from soft reassurance and into the depths of desire.

Jack was his mead. He swam in Hiccup's bloodstream, warming his entire being from head to toe. He made his mind sing with elation and forget the usual boundaries of rationality and insecurity. Jack made him bolder. Stronger. Braver. He awoke something inside him that he had never known existed before that first brush of lips that day by the lake.

Hiccup could feel the heat rush south and his incoherent fragments of thoughts all revolved around how much he wanted to feel their naked skin together, how he wanted them to connect and share that intimacy they would never share with anyone else. That intimacy they both sorely needed right now.

Jack's attacks on his mouth and the way he began to rub against him, made his trousers unbearable tight and when Jack grinded their erections together, he was just about ready to crack. This was agonizing. Hiccup had a lot of self-restraint but not _that _much.

"Shit…" Jack whispered as he broke their kiss and they stared into each other's eyes, their chests heaving. Jack leaned in and nuzzled into his neck, his strained breathing heating Hiccup's skin. "If we don't get to the Room of Requirement soon, I'll have to rip your clothes off right here."

By Freyja…did Jack have_ any_ idea what he was doing to him?

"Let's go." he said and dragged Jack along with him, hurrying out of the door. He couldn't think of_ anything _but how much he wanted to be close to his boyfriend right now.

Jack chuckled. "Impatient are we?" he said and Hiccup could hear the self-satisfaction in his voice. Clearly, he was thrilled with the effect he had on him.

"How can I not be? Look at you." he said, shooting a quick glance at Jack, whose pale cheeks were dusted with pink, whose white hair was perfectly messy and whose blue eyes were darkened. He was impossible to resist.

"I know right?" Jack said and chuckled again.

"You're hopeless." he shook his head and kept pulling Jack along down the corridor at a quick pace.

"You love it." Jack shot back.

"Unfortunately, yes." he agreed and smiled to himself, before he looked at the black cat walking next to them. "Bud, we're going to need some privacy." he told Toothless. His best friend looked at him and rolled his eyes. Not that Hiccup could blame him. He was pretty sure Toothless knew exactly what he and Jack were doing when they asked for privacy.

The trip to the Room of Requirement was slower than usual. They had to sneak awkwardly through the corridors, peeking around corners to make sure no one would see them. It wouldn't exactly be a proud moment if someone spotted them walking around sprouting two very obvious boners.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

When the large doors creaked shut behind them, they were finally alone. The fireplace glowed with dancing flames that stretched their warm light through the room and the dark floors were covered with soft rugs in red nuances. In front of the fire, a large bed rested on the hard stone surface, a thick mattress on the bedframe, covered with soft comforter and a myriad of pillows.

It was perfect for them. Warm. Comforting. Private.

He grabbed Hiccup's shoulders and claimed his mouth in a deep, thirsty kiss, as he slowly began to slide off his boyfriend's black cloak. As the fabric fell to the floor, Hiccup pulled off Jack's own cloak.

He broke their kiss and their strained breaths accompanied their impatient fingers, as they loosened each other's school ties and dropped them to the floor. Jack moved on to unbuttoning Hiccup's white shirt, eager to uncover that appetizing skin underneath. When he had fiddled with the last button, he almost ripped it right off as he threw it away.

His palms slid down Hiccup's slender yet defined chest and stomach. He always adored running his hands down the small constellations of freckles and the scars that bore witness of his boyfriend's struggles. They undressed each other slowly, savoring every new part of exposed skin, until they were only in their boxers.

Jack held Hiccup's neck as their lips met in sweltering wet heat, expressing the deep desire that had risen within both of them. He softly pushed Hiccup back towards the small table by the doors, not taking his mouth off him for even a second. When the back of Hiccup's legs collided with the table, Jack was in for a surprise.

Hiccup switched their positions and forcefully hoisted him onto the table. Jack's breath caught in his throat from the unexpected movement. He kissed Hiccup harder, turned on by his usually gentle boyfriend manhandling him like that. It was beautiful and arousing beyond belief when Hiccup let go of his self-restraint.

He shivered as Hiccup's palms moved slowly up and down his pale, bare thighs, forming delightful goosebumps. His fingers quickly found his boyfriend's brown hair and carded through it in impatient desire. He wrapped his legs around Hiccup's ass, trying to get him closer and Hiccup took the hint. His hands slid from Jack's thighs to his ass and he pulled him closer in one hard move, pushing their chests and their hard dicks together, causing them both to gasp.

Jack pushed his pelvis back and forth into Hiccup's, wanting to feel the enticing sensation of his boyfriend's hard on. Hiccup followed his example and started to thrust, filling Jack with a desperate want to just devour him in _every_ way possible.

He slammed his lips against Hiccup's over and over and their slick, hot saliva mingled in their mouths, as warm tongues rolled around each other. Hiccup moaned softly and Jack ate it up and yearned to just go one step further with his boyfriend. Hiccup thrusted more, pushing their throbbing dicks together with more force and Jack knew he needed to do something before he came undone.

Hiccup was wrecking him. Stripping away layers so nothing was left but base, primitive needs. His mind was in a thick fog and there was only one thing visible in the distance: the prospect of one of them fucking the other into the mattress. It was time for another new step and it was urgent.

He pulled their lips apart and panted, as he held his boyfriend's dark gaze. "I need you. Now." he whispered breathlessly. He was unable to keep his want inside him any longer.

Hiccup hummed with satisfaction and ceased pushing their groins together. "We. Better. Do. Something. About. That. Then." he said, kissing him briefly between each word. Jack felt his boyfriend's hand cup his crotch and he sighed with the pleasure of being touched there. A part of him wanted to thrust against Hiccup's hand because he was in desperate need of more pleasure. But another part knew he wanted to take things further.

"Hic…" he breathed heavily, holding on to one of Hiccup's shoulders. "I want…_more_." he said, digging his nails into Hiccup's muscles. He was hoping he would understand what he meant.

Jack wasn't prepared for the savage attack on his lips that followed. Hiccup's hands grabbed his neck and pushed their lips together hard. His boyfriend ravaged his mouth in ways that left no doubt that not only had he fully understood what Jack meant but he wanted the same thing. He swiped his wet tongue along the inside of Jack's mouth. He nipped and bit Jack's bottom lip. He massaged Jack's raging boner, earning him countless desperate moans and whimpers. The hard table was uncomfortable to sit on but Jack didn't care in the slightest because he was helpless and could do nothing but moan and shudder and delve his fingertips into Hiccup's shoulders to express his delight.

Shit, he loved it when Hiccup lost control over himself. The thought that it was_ him_ who made Hiccup become this greedy being of lust was beyond words like "hot". It was a side of Hiccup_ only_ he was allowed to see. Purely reserved for their intimate moments together, when the world was forgotten and only the two of them existed and Jack was grateful he was the one who got to experience how heated Hiccup's blood could become.

After a particularly bruising kiss, Jack pushed Hiccup back and jumped off the table. He took Hiccup's hand and led him towards the large bed in front of the fireplace. It looked so soft and inviting and Jack couldn't wait to shower Hiccup with love and pleasure.

In front of the bed, they helped each other get rid of their boxers. They had seen each other naked several times by now, so neither of them were embarrassed about it anymore.

They embraced each other and the warmth of their naked bodies firmly pressing together was perfect. When they pulled out of each other's arms, Hiccup smiled softly at him. "So, uhm…how…how do you want to do this?"

"Oh..." he said, trying his best to think even though that wasn't an easy task right now. "Do you have…any preference?"

Hiccup hummed quietly. "Not really. Neither of us has done this before, so…maybe we could do one thing this time and then switch the next?"

Jack nodded with a smile. He was fine with that idea but it left a massive question unanswered. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea...how do you want to start?" he asked and bit his lip. If he was completely honest with himself, he was a bit nervous about the thought of bottoming. Mostly about the potential pain.

Hiccup observed him for a brief moment and Jack was certain he could tell exactly what he was thinking.

A gentle smile tugged at Hiccup's lips. "I don't care. I just want _you._" he said and pressed their lips together. The warmth that surrounded Jack's heart from those words only deepened his urgent desire to have more of his boyfriend.

"Would it be okay with you if I started…you know?" he asked, uncertain if Hiccup would understand what he meant.

A ghost of a smile played on Hiccup's lips, as his black pupils ate into hues of green. Apparently, he had understood completely and he seemed strangely calm about the thought of letting him be on top. "Do what you want with me." he replied and the words carried an underlying teasing that Jack couldn't resist.

His mouth stretched into a grin. "Now we're going to have some fun." he breathed and pushed Hiccup backwards so he fell onto the soft bed.

He took a moment to appreciate the sight of his boyfriend splayed naked before him. The golden light of the flames licked across Hiccup's scarred, freckled skin. Shadows dipped into every contour of his slender body like dark caresses. His green eyes glowed, reflections of dancing flames swirling inside them. He was breath taking.

He had often told Hiccup he was part dragon but it had never seemed truer than now. Hiccup was gentle and caring but he was_ not_ some innocent lamb. He had the power and strength of a dragon right underneath the surface; the same untameable nature, the same soul longing for freedom and adventure.

Hiccup lay watching him with interest and Jack smiled and grabbed his bag from the floor. He crawled onto the bed, settling next to Hiccup, leaning against him. They gazed into each other's eyes and Hiccup's hot breaths brushed against his lips.

Jack reached out and gently wrapped his hand around Hiccup's warm, hard dick and moved up and down. Hiccup gasped and shut his eyes, his hands balling into fists.

He pleasured him briefly until Hiccup began to buck his hips and Jack decided it was enough. He let go of him and his boyfriend's eyes slowly opened. Jack smiled reassuringly before he reached for his bag and quickly rummaged through it. He pulled out the lube and condoms. It was a good thing he had decided to keep them in his bag. He and Hiccup sometimes made out in strange places and he had wanted to be prepared for whenever they were ready to go further.

He opened the lube and poured a generous amount of the cold substance on his hand. He rubbed his fingers together, distributing it evenly before he looked at Hiccup for permission. His boyfriend nodded with a small smile on his face that spoke of the trust between them.

Even though they had never done it before, it wasn't too clumsy and awkward. Jack did his best to do it slowly and carefully, giving Hiccup time to adjust along the way. He was inexperienced with this but he wasn't naïve. He knew the basics of what to do and how important it was to take it slow. Hiccup was used to pain but Jack did _not_ want to be the cause of it, so he made sure to focus intently on his boyfriend and whisper soft, encouraging words to him, dot his throat with gentle kisses and run a hand through his brown hair in soft, soothing motions, trying to make him relax as much as possible.

Mostly, Hiccup was quiet except for his strained breathing that accompanied the crackling flames in filling the silence. He let him know through nods and small smiles that everything was all right. That Jack could add another finger or continue the scissoring motions to loosen him up. Occasionally he made a little hiss of discomfort and Jack would stop immediately and wait until Hiccup told him to go on.

It was a strange sensation to have his slippery fingers inside Hiccup but definitely_ not_ in a bad way. It was hot and slick and Jack couldn't wait to have his dick buried deep inside, making Hiccup leave red scratch marks down his back from sheer pleasure. They had both wanted this for a long time but inexperience and uncertainty had held them back.

When Hiccup started relaxing properly, it didn't take long for his boyfriend to squirm and actually start to push down on his fingers. Jack watched in fascination as small groans left Hiccup's lips and his eyes slammed shut, head thrown back onto the pillows. He bucked his hips weakly and helped Jack press his fingers inside with more pressure.

"This is…" Hiccup breathed. "Actually starting to feel good now."

Jack hummed with a dark satisfaction of that knowledge and brushed his lips along Hiccup's throat, hot breaths fanning across the freckled skin. He repositioned himself and with his other hand, he curled his fingers around Hiccup's warm dick and pulled down on the sensitive skin. Hiccup's body twitched and his fingertips scrabbled across the pillows, as if desperately looking for something to help him hold on.

"Oh gods…" Hiccup sighed and his eyes closed so tight it made wrinkles appear between his eyebrows.

Jack could feel the blood surge to his cock as he watched Hiccup wriggle and moan and let out choked off whimpers as he shoved his lube slick fingers in and out of his wet tightness and jerked him off slowly. His boyfriend's eyebrows knitted together in needy pleasure every time his fingers thrust inside him and Jack's ego inflated just a little.

Hiccup's body was bathed in the warm light and quick, ragged breaths bore witness of the delight Jack was bringing him. His skin glistened with a thin layer of sweat as if Jack had already fucked him senseless and _bloody hell,_ that sight was so hot he could barely stand it. His heart raced in his chest and his cock swelled eagerly from the juicy thoughts rushing through his mind. He was certain he had never been this hard before.

He thrust his fingers inside even deeper and Hiccup shuddered and let out a sharp gasp that faded into a long, delectable moan.

Jack exhaled shakily. Yep. That did it. He couldn't take it anymore. He needed to have Hiccup. He needed to show him how much he loved him in the most intimate way.

He slid his fingers out and let go of his boyfriend's stiff, inviting dick. Hiccup lifted his head from the pillows. Those green eyes were glazed over with bliss, sweaty locks clung to his forehead and his mouth was open, releasing short, uneven breaths. He looked more than ready for Jack to ravage him.

Their chests rested against each other, as he crawled on top of Hiccup and held up some of his weight on his elbows. Underneath him, Hiccup was warm and firm. A lithe body wrapped in heated skin. He could feel Hiccup's heartbeat thumping madly, matching his own in its frantic pace. It was like they beat for each other.

He dipped his head and captured Hiccup's mouth in a fierce kiss that conveyed the restless longing inside him. When he pulled away, he gazed into those glowing green eyes that reminded him of deep forests.

"You make me want you so bad." he told him, wanting him to know just how much he craved this. Hiccup had no idea how amazing he was and Jack was more than happy to tell him.

Hiccup raised his head so their lips were almost brushing. "I want you too." he said breathlessly and Jack swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat.

He lifted himself so he was crouching over Hiccup, his knees resting on the soft mattress between Hiccup's warm thighs. Their naked cocks slid against each other and he sucked in a breath at the amazing friction. Hiccup buried a hand in his hair and gently massaged his scalp, sending a spill of goosebumps across his skin.

"Ready?" he asked and planted a soft kiss on Hiccup's moist forehead.

"Yeah." Hiccup said and retracted his hand. His eyes revealed a hint of nervousness that contrasted the desire plainly written on his face.

"Okay." Jack breathed and quickly grabbed a condom and the lube from his open bag. Hiccup watched him with a small smile on his face, as he rolled the condom on and made sure to slather his dick in plenty of lube. This was their first time doing this and he wasn't sure if it would be uncomfortable for Hiccup at first.

He threw the lube and the empty condom packet to the side and parted Hiccup's thighs wide, keeping his sticky hands on them to hold them in place. He looked down at his boyfriend with a familiar surge of adoration. Hiccup lay beneath him, tantalizing with his kiss swollen lips, his sweaty bed-head and his hot, flushed skin that gleamed in the light of the flames. Shit, he was too beautiful.

He positioned himself so his cock gently poked at Hiccup's opening. It looked wet and soft and the amazing heat that waited for him in there had Jack summoning all of his self-restraint. He needed to do this carefully despite his own impatient lust.

He hesitated and glanced at Hiccup.

"I want this." Hiccup said, pupils large with desire. Jack did not doubt his words in the slightest.

He took a deep breath and began pushing inside, a little bit at a time. Much to his surprise, it didn't take as long as he had expected before he was almost completely inside. Hiccup didn't tell him to stop or showed signs of distress. He had apparently done a really good job of making his boyfriend ready for him.

He slowly slid in fully and connected their bodies completely. His mouth opened in a silent gasp and his eyes widened from the tightness that pushed around the length of his cock with a warm velvet touch, slicker and hotter than in his filthiest dreams. Hiccup's body trembled and he sucked in a sharp breath that sounded like pleasure blended with disbelief.

"F-fuck." Jack said, unable to help himself. He had fantasized about this so many times since he accepted his feelings for Hiccup and it was surreal that he was finally buried inside the guy he loved, enveloped by an addictive, burning heat he was sure he would never get enough of.

Hiccup's hand glided gently along one of his arms and his boyfriend looked up at him with a look of reverence in his eyes that softened the feral desire on his face. Jack's lips formed a fond smile. They were aching for each other but it was about more than lust. They were two people head over heels for each other, exploring the deepest levels of their bond.

"Okay?" he asked, his voice rough and breathless. Hiccup _definitely _didn't look like he was uncomfortable, but he had to make sure.

"Yeah." Hiccup whispered and shifted underneath him. His green eyes glimmered with determination. "Move."

"You don't have to say that twice." Jack breathed and Hiccup's calm expression transformed into a devious grin that made Jack's cock twitch with impatience inside him.

He carefully rolled his hips, pushing into Hiccup with languid movements. Hiccup let out a sigh of satisfaction and his eyes were half-lidded and dark, evidence that he was enjoying this.

Jack groaned from watching the pleasure on his boyfriend's face and the mind-blowing sensation of his cock sliding in and out that wet, hot channel. Despite Hiccup's eagerness, he was tight and his muscles clenched around the base of his cock in a grip that already had hints of euphoric spasms emerge low in Jack's gut. God, he hoped he could last long enough to satisfy Hiccup.

Hiccup's fingertips gently grabbed his sides as Jack proceeded to rock his hips, every nerve in his cock buzzing with raw bliss. "This is amazing." he panted, his nails burrowing into the flesh of Hiccup's parted thighs. Hiccup hummed and the low sound rising from his throat carried all the agreement in the world.

It was more than just amazing though. It was perfect. They kept their eyes locked on each other as they slowly fucked in front of the swaying flames of the fireplace. It was soft and gentle and they were mesmerized by the other's intense eyes that held so much emotion it barely seemed real. The sheer closeness of the moment was making Jack's heart soft and he couldn't help leaning down and placing small kisses on Hiccup's thighs and knees, earning him more wonderful sighs of joy.

First times doing this were not supposed to be this good. They were supposed to be awkward and slightly uncomfortable. This wasn't.

Jack couldn't help marveling at how far he and Hiccup's relationship had developed as he slowly glided in and out of his boyfriend, savoring every little twitch and gasp from Hiccup. At the start of the year, he hadn't even known Hiccup. He had been just been another student to him. And yet, here he was now, pushing inside him with a love and passion that could blind him with its intensity, Hiccup squirming and panting underneath him, looking drunk on the scorching passion and love crackling in the very air between them.

Being inside him felt so unbelievably good and the heat that had begun to knot tightly in Jack's gut was overwhelming and yet not enough. He basked in the tingling, hot pleasure of their love making but the burning pressure growing inside him begged him to do more.

He rolled his hips faster and Hiccup sucked in a deep breath and shuddered. His own breathless moans floated through the air and melted together with Hiccup's, as he fucked him at slightly different angles to find that bundle of nerves. This was where all of those embarrassing internet searches came in handy. He knew it wasn't a magic button that would make Hiccup scream immediately but if he did it right and kept at it, he could make his boyfriend a very happy guy and that was_ exactly _what he wanted.

It took a little effort but he found it and kept jerking his hips so he hit that exact spot every time. Gradually, Hiccup's noises grew louder and louder and he twitched and writhed underneath him, unable to keep still from the pleasure.

God, how he wanted this to last forever. To always be fucking Hiccup into the softness of the bed, hearing all the arousing noises he could make and seeing the myriad of expressions flickering across his face like leaves in the wind.

"Oh gods…ah! Jack!" Hiccup moaned and threw his hands above his head on the mattress, clutching the sheets in tight fists. The _heavenly_ sound of Hiccup saying his name like that...like he had a deep need that only _he_ could satisfy…It was almost enough to make Jack come right then and there. He knew he couldn't hold on very long, but god how he _wanted_ to. It was so ridiculously hot to turn his strong, calm Viking boyfriend into a squirming, sweaty wreck underneath him, all but begging him to fuck him harder.

"Yesss. Yes..." Hiccup breathed and raked his fingers down Jack's sides, leaving thin rosy lines against his pale skin. "_Yesss_…so good. That's it…oh gods, that's _it_. Don't stop…"

Against his will, Jack whined. Oh god, that was just _not _fair. The needy words made the burning inside him unbearable, filled him with an urgent need to have more...more of Hiccup's arousing sounds, more of his sweet tightness and warmth, more of his nails digging into his pale skin. _More._

"Fuck, you're so amazing." he panted and was rewarded with a particularly loud moan. He gripped Hiccup's hips and thrust into him with abandon, desperate to sate the primitive demand inside him. The fire that pooled in his lower body was so delicious but it wasn't enough. No. He needed to feel the sweet high of coming.

The sound of his lube slick length gliding in and out of his boyfriend in sharp, powerful thrusts was perverse and he was surprised at just how incredibly arousing it was. Hiccup's dick leaked hot liquid and he gasped words in Old Norse now. Incoherent, fragmented sentences that shot thrills up Jack's spine even though he couldn't understand them, because the nature of them was _abundantly _clear.

He could feel his release approaching, crackling heat spreading through his entire being, spasms clamping down on his swollen cock. He was cursing from the pleasure now, his body shaking with need. The room had turned into a furnace, the air thick with the heat of their bodies and beads of sweat slowly trailed down his back as it dipped and arched in accordance with his pelvis.

The sound of skin slapping against skin and Hiccup's sighs and gasps of encouragement only made the need inside him more urgent. He grabbed Hiccup's cock and tugged the skin up and down in a sloppy, frenzied rhythm that matched the quick, uneven thrusts of his hips.

He was getting so close now. So unbearably close. He just needed the final push, the last taste of Hiccup's sweet, slick heat before the promise of ecstasy was within reach.

"Hiccup." he exhaled and Hiccup opened his eyes to gaze at him with green orbs alit with greed. His boyfriend arched his back and pushed against him and they rutted together in pure primitive instinct, the breathless sounds spilling from their mouths growing louder and louder as they searched together for that amazing high that would release them from the torture.

With one last deep thrust, Jack was pushed over the edge. He came deep inside Hiccup and cried out as his body twitched and shook, jolts of electricity rushing through his cock in the most powerful orgasm he had ever had.

Even as the satisfaction threatened to make him collapse, he pumped Hiccup's slick cock, eager to pleasure him as much as he could. When his name desperately rolled off Hiccup's tongue, his boyfriend jerked in pure euphoria and his chest heaved as pearly beads splashed onto his scarred, freckled skin.

He let go of his boyfriend and Hiccup slumped down against the mattress. The pure bliss stretching across his flushed face was incredible.

Jack quickly joined him, flopping down on his back on the soft bed, completely drained and overwhelmingly happy.

"Oh my god…" he struggled to not only express his feelings but simply breathe as well. He brushed away some sweaty locks from his forehead.

"Yeah." Hiccup agreed, sounding just as oxygen deprived.

They lay on the mattress next to each other in silence as they took a few moments to rest. Jack savored the way his mind and body were completely calm and satisfied, his brain wonderfully quiet and tired, his limbs weak and still twitching in the afterglow.

"Aren't first times supposed to be really bad?" he asked and chuckled, finally having enough air to actually speak properly.

"Yeah." Hiccup agreed and rolled onto his side as a blissful grin bloomed on his lips. "I'm_ really_ glad we skipped that."

"Me too." he replied before his ability to actually think returned and a thought occurred to him. "But…you know…it went a lot easier than I had expected."

Hiccup hummed in agreement. "Me too."

"Hic?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"Have you…you know, tried this before?"

"Uh, no? You know that." Hiccup told him with a sudden frown on his face.

"I don't mean the sex." he clarified. "I mean like…" he flailed his hands around, trying to find the right words. "Having something up…_there_?"

"Oh…" Hiccup said, understanding appearing in his eyes. "Uhm…I might have…experimented a little over the years."

"Seriously?" he blurted out. He had certainly not expected that answer.

Hiccup shrugged. "I'm a curious person." he said with the slightest twitching of lips. "And…unlike you, I've known for a long time that I like guys."

"Well, when you put it like that it doesn't seem so surprising." he said and smiled. "I guess I just…hadn't expected that."

"I thought you'd gotten used to my surprises." Hiccup said as a way too self-satisfied grin emerged on those swollen lips.

"I guess not." he chuckled. "But you know…I kind of like that you're able to keep surprising me."

"Me too." Hiccup told him and ran a hand through his messy, moist hair.

"Ah." Jack said, realizing they didn't have the proper means to clean up. "I don't have any tissues or anything." he said and motioned to the mess on Hiccup's chest and stomach.

"This is the Room of Requirement. It knew what we came in here to do. I'm sure you can find some somewhere." Hiccup said with amusement in his eyes.

"Hmm, maybe." he said and dragged his body along the mattress so he could reach the nightstand. His limbs still felt too weak to walk properly.

"Yatzy." he said as he discovered some packets of tissues, before grabbing them and efficiently cleaning them both up.

"So that actually means…" he pondered as he threw out the used tissues. Or rather…threw them on the floor in a little, messy pile. "That I didn't even have to bring the condoms and the lube. The room could have just given us that."

"Err, I guess." Hiccup said. "But that would be a little awkward."

"Are you seriously getting embarrassed by a_ room_, Hic?"

"Oh, shut up." Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Lost your sass, have you?" he teased him and brushed some brown locks away from his boyfriend's brow.

"Never." he said and yawned. "I'm just too tired to deal with you right now."

"Oh, please." Jack said as he scooted towards Hiccup and poked him in the side. "You're never too tired to deal with me."

"Fine. You're right." Hiccup told him before he pulled him into his arms and kissed his nose. Jack rested his head on Hiccup's chest and he could hear the knocking of his heartbeat. The sound made him relax and he sighed as let his body melt against his boyfriend completely.

As they lay there on the bed, their warm, sweaty bodies embracing, their legs wrapping around each other, thoughts about everything that had just happened filled Jack's mind. He smiled into Hiccup's skin when he replayed the beginning of this situation and suddenly realized what must have been the reason for Hiccup's calmness and why he had let Jack decide what they were going to do.

"What?" Hiccup asked, looking down on him with curious eyes.

He placed a tender kiss on Hiccup's chest. "Thanks."

"For what?" Hiccup asked, only looking more confused now.

He smiled tentatively and let out a small sigh of contentment. "Hic…You like to be in control of situations because you…you've been hurt in the past…so now you protect yourself by putting up walls and trying to be prepared for every possible outcome…especially when it comes to people and what they might do."

Hiccup hummed softly and even though it was a noise of agreement, there was a hint of sadness in it.

"But you gave that up for me." Jack continued, brushing his fingers along some scars on Hiccup's chest. "You let me decide what to do to make me comfortable."

The small smile on Hiccup's lips confirmed that that was indeed what had happened.

"But…" Jack said, as his thoughts brought him to a more depressing place. "I really hope you didn't feel pressured to do it."

"Of course I didn't." Hiccup said softly before a relaxed sigh escaped his lips. "I just…I wanted you to feel good about this. It was our first time doing this...I didn't want you to be worried about pain or anything like that."

Jack lifted his head and planted a soft kiss on Hiccup's lips. "You're so seriously wonderful...you know that?"

Hiccup shrugged and made a dismissive noise in his throat.

"Oh no you don't." Jack said and slapped him softly on the head. "Don't go all dismissive and "I'm nothing special" on me, dragon boy." he said and grinned even though it was a serious point. "You. Are. Amazing."

Hiccup pressed his lips together tightly, the corners twitching with amusement, before he let a smile settle on his lips. One of those crooked, warm smiles that made Jack's heart flutter. "Thanks." he said, appreciation shining in his eyes.

"We'll try to switch things up next time." he told him.

"We don't have to do that until you're ready." Hiccup said calmly and squeezed him closer to him.

Jack hummed and one of his fingers skated across one of the long scars on Hiccup's stomach. "How was it though? You know...? Was there any pain?" he asked, eager to know how Hiccup had felt even though he had seemed to have the time of his life.

"Not really." Hiccup shrugged. "I mean, at first there was _some_ pain but it was only a little burning. When I got some time to adjust and force myself to relax, it was completely fine."

"That's good." he said and began to shape patterns on Hiccup's stomach with his fingers. "I hope it was as mind-blowingly awesome for you as it was for me." he added and grinned.

"In case you didn't notice those sounds I made…it was." Hiccup told him and kissed his forehead and Jack sighed in relaxation.

They lay in silence for a while and Jack was so comfortable in his boyfriend's warm arms, sunk into the mattress, tired and worn out, that he could easily sleep. Apparently, Hiccup had the same thought because when he glanced at him, he saw his eyes were closed.

"Heey…are you sleeping, Hic?" he asked with a smile on his face.

"Almost." Hiccup mumbled weakly.

"Just sleep then." he told him. "I'm pretty spent too."

"Mhmm." Hiccup agreed. "Will you…let Toothless in?" he muttered.

"Of course." he told him and that seemed to be the last thing Hiccup registered because only a few moments later, his face was completely at peace, his chest rising and falling steadily with the calm breathing that only the sleeping world could provide.

Jack carefully slid out of his boyfriend's embrace and rolled off the bed. He watched him sleep for a brief moment, finding it soothing for his mind. This day had been an overwhelming rollercoaster of emotions. In the Great Hall, he had been so terrified that he had lost Hiccup but their bond was stronger than ever and he was so grateful for what they had together.

_"Ek ann þér _[I love you]_" _he told him softly before he went to let Toothless in.

**Author's note:**

Yeah...ahem...*cough*

Of course I'm well aware that first times are not usually this easy and this good for the ones involved. But I honestly just felt like letting Jack and Hiccup be one of those rare exceptions.

The funny thing is...before I wrote the smut scene I actually thought "Okay Rikke, you need to limit yourself and keep it short and to the point this time." But then this monster of a smut scene happened during a long night of insomnia where the words just flowed out of me and it ended up almost just as long as the last one XD But I guess that's the most wonderful thing about fanfiction...that you can do whatever you feel like :P I had fun with it and I hope you liked reading it. And the rest of the chapter too of course.

Now I'm going to collapse on my bed and get 4 hours of sleep before I have to get up again and go to Sweden for the weekend. I'm not sure if there's wi-fi where I'm going or not but...no matter what I'll be looking forward to reading your reviews :)

See you!


	22. Howl

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

The Room of Requirement was dim, the darkness of early morning yet to be chased away by the bleeding dawn. Flames from the fireplace illuminated Jack's skin, swirls of gold and shadows dancing in a playful display. His boyfriend was sleeping on his stomach with his head turned to the side, his weight delving into the soft embrace of the squishy mattress. The thick duvet was draped over his pale legs and butt, leaving his naked back exposed to the warm glow of the fire. From Jack's head, disheveled white strands spilled onto the pillow, resembling a raging river frozen in place, icy waves and ripples covered with gleaming frost in the winter sunlight. They beckoned Hiccup's hands to run through them, to feel their delicate softness contrasting his rough fingertips.

He took a lock of white hair and rubbed it slowly between two fingers. Jack smacked his lips before his face was once again still, the peace of sleeping sprinkled into every relaxed feature. Hiccup sighed and smiled as a familiar feeling emerged inside him. It was the kind of rich warmth that slowly spread from your core and into every part of you, like a steaming, spicy cup of tea on a chilly winter night where thick snowflakes fall from the dark skies.

It was incomprehensible how Jack could put his mind at ease without even doing anything. Watching his eyelashes flutter, the shifting expressions on his face, the parted lips that breathed life into his being. Even when asleep, he bathed Hiccup's thoughts in a soothing tranquility.

Jack licked his lips and memories of last night flooded Hiccup's mind. They had finally taken that last step and it had been incredible. Their passion had been a boiling ocean; blistering and steaming with crushing waves, impossible to tame. And yet, the tenderness was what stood out in his memories. The love and care infused in every touch, wrapped around every syllable and sound, reflected in every meeting of their eyes.

He rolled close to Jack and savored the heat radiating off his boyfriend's body. He brushed his nose along Jack's soft, warm neck, before he buried his face in it. He breathed in deep, wanting to inhale him like crisp winter air and coat his lungs with his scent.

The wonderful, familiar aroma of his boyfriend filled his nostrils and his fingertips slowly skated up and down Jack's back, following the dips and bumps of his spine. Jack stirred but remained sound asleep.

Sometimes Hiccup couldn't believe how lucky he was. He had fallen in love with one of his best friends, a guy nonetheless, who had never even been attracted to another guy before. The odds of Jack returning his love had been miniscule and yet it had happened.

Their relationship was still new and Hiccup was well aware the butterflies and sparks of electricity wouldn't last forever. But he hoped his love for Jack would never turn to ashes. That years from now, it would still be able to warm him from the inside out.

Jack's parted lips, coated with a sheen of saliva, called him closer. He leaned in and softly covered Jack's mouth with his own. After a few gentle kisses with no response, Jack began to kiss him back. It was soft and patient, a delicate declaration of love in the early hours of the dark morning.

When Hiccup finally pulled away, Jack slowly cracked an eye open and his lips curved to one side. "Well, hello there."

"Hi." Hiccup smiled and brushed his fingers up Jack's arm. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah…" Jack said as his other eye opened. He squinted from the soft light of the fire and blinked a few times. "What time is it?"

"Very early. You still have more time to sleep. But I need to go flying with Toothless."

Jack groaned and out of nowhere, he lunged and threw his arms around him, locking him in a tight embrace. Jack buried his face in his shoulder and Hiccup couldn't help smelling his hair. He put an arm around Jack's back and slowly stroked his boyfriend's skin. Jack hummed, a content sound that bred goosebumps on Hiccup's shoulder.

They lay like that for a while, bodies glued together, the heat of their skin mingling. Jack's limbs began to grow weak, evidence that he was falling back into sleep. And despite how much Hiccup wanted to lay here all day with his boyfriend, he also wanted – and needed – to go flying before the other students in the castle woke up.

He gently nudged Jack's cheek with the shoulder his boyfriend rested against. "Jack?" he said but got no response. "Jaaack, come on…I have to go flying now."

"Mhmm…it can wait." Jack said and tightened his grip around him, like a child clinging to his favorite teddy bear.

"No, it can't." he said. "Toothless is going to get impatient."

Toothless meowed from somewhere on the floor, confirming Hiccup's hunch. His best friend was very accepting of his relationship with Jack but if it got in the way of their flying time together, then he was sure that acceptance would begin to diminish.

"Pssh…" Jack said and snuggled closer into Hiccup's shoulder. "I'm sure Toothless will understand that I _desperately _need some cuddling from his rider right now."

"No, I'm pretty sure he won't." he said but he had to smile at Jack's insistence.

"Of course he will." Jack mumbled and still refused to let him go. "Cuddling is important. Very important."

"Yeah, but I'm sure Toothless thinks flying is _more_ important."

"Well, he has to wait for a little while anyway…" Jack said, sounding incredibly pleased with himself.

As soon as the word left Jack's lips, a black, blurred shape shot through the air. Toothless sunk his claws into Jack's arm before any of them could react.

"Owwww!" Jack howled and wrenched himself upright, eyes full of shock. "Toothless!"

"I told you he wouldn't understand." he said and tried his best to keep from chuckling.

Toothless let go of Jack and sauntered across the bed with a pleased look on his face. The black cat sat down near Hiccup and stared at him through friendly round pupils, resembling a kitten who would never harm anything.

"Yes, I know, bud. You're the picture of innocence, aren't you?" Hiccup smiled and shook his head, as he received a meow of agreement.

Jack rubbed his arm where thin red lines had appeared. "That really hurt. Devil cat." he said and scowled at Toothless, though Hiccup knew he was just pretending to be angry. Just like he knew Toothless had held back, only wanting to teach Jack a lesson.

"You know…" Jack said, his expression and tone melting into the realm of seduction. "I much prefer _your _scratch marks." he said and nodded towards the red marks on his thighs from Hiccup's fingernails.

That comment was enough for Hiccup's face to burn and he decided the best course of action was to retreat before his boyfriend would start teasing him. He shook his head and jumped out of the bed but when his weight rested on his prosthetic, he noticed the soreness in his leg. He always took his prosthetic off when he went to sleep but he had fallen asleep yesterday without doing that.

It took him a brief moment to get used to the aching limb. He grabbed the bag on the floor containing his flying gear and armor and put it on a nearby table.

He pulled out one piece of clothing and armor after the other and put them on in the correct order. He had his back turned to Jack but he could feel his boyfriend's eyes on him, roaming over every part of his body. He didn't mind. Jack had seen him naked several times by now. There was nothing to be embarrassed about.

As long as Jack didn't make any teasing comments.

Familiar with the process, it didn't take him long to put all the gear on. When he finished getting dressed by strapping on the black shoulder pad, he heard Jack's voice behind him.

"Ugh…"

Hiccup turned and shot him a questioning look. Jack was lying on his side, resting his cheek on the soft pillow. His face twisted with pretend disgust.

"It's so unfair how _good _you look in that." Jack explained.

"Really?" Hiccup said, amusement playing on his lips.

Jack hummed in reply. "You are one _hot_ dragon rider."

"Thanks." Hiccup said and shifted his weight onto the other leg. "You, ah…you're _definitely _hot too."

"Oh, I know." Jack grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

"_Bacraut _[Asshole]" Hiccup rolled his eyes.

Jack chuckled. "That was cold, Haddock." he said. "I show you nothing but love and this is how you repay me?"

"You do _not _show me nothing but love, you idiot." he said, his smile growing.

"Pssh. You're full of lies, dragon boy." Jack said. "Just go fly, then._ I'm _going to stay here and cuddle with the duvet. The _duvet _loves me." he said and wrapped his arms around a piece of the thick, white duvet.

"I'm sure it does." Hiccup said dryly.

"Unlike _some _people." Jack said, pretending to be hurt.

"Oh, don't be such a drama queen, Snær Flekkr. I'll be back again soon."

"Well, don't expect to be on my good side."

"Really?" Hiccup said. "So…if I crawl into bed and try to cuddle with you, you'll just resist it?"

A long pause filled the air with silence.

"Maybe." Jack said, as if he didn't even believe himself.

"Good enough. See you later, Snowflake." he grinned and turned to the black cat waiting patiently by the doors.

"Let's go fly, bud." he told Toothless, before he put on his black cloak and the two of them left Jack behind to snuggle with his beloved duvet.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

After an adrenaline pumping flight with Toothless through the red and golden dawn, he was wide awake and brimming with the sweet sensation of freedom. When he got back to the Room of Requirement, Jack was sleeping once more, his face buried in his new cuddle partner, the duvet. They still had time, so Hiccup managed to sneak in a cuddle session with his sleepy boyfriend. It turned out Jack could_ not_ resist. Unfortunately, they ended up losing track of time and had to skip breakfast to get ready for class. Their stomachs didn't agree with that choice but it was better to go hungry for a little while than get detention.

After quickly throwing on their school uniforms and slinging their bags over their shoulders, they headed through the busy castle corridors on their way to the Transfiguration classroom. Curious eyes lingered on them all through the different hallways, like small sharp sticks poking at them, asking silent questions of whether they were still a couple and what had really happened with Chloe yesterday. For most of the short stroll among the buzzing crowds moving through the castle, Hiccup kept his eyes on the floor to avoid the mental intrusions. Jack didn't seem too bothered by it but Hiccup knew his boyfriend could get enough of people's curiosity as well.

When they opened the creaky doors to the Transfiguration classroom, Hiccup spotted Flynn already sitting in their usual spot. A thought popped into his mind and he put a hand on Jack's shoulder to stop him from walking inside.

"You think Flynn's going to know?" he asked. "What we did…last night?"

"Nah, don't worry…he's just boasting as usual." Jack shrugged. Hiccup wasn't convinced but he would let it go for now.

They headed towards the long wooden desk where Flynn occupied a seat, busy flipping through his notes. They passed by rows of other tables with a few students sitting here and there. Some had the courtesy to try not to look at them, while others openly gawked, following their every move. Hiccup sighed to himself. Astrid smiled at him from the other end of the classroom and he gave her a wave, before he and Jack made it over to Flynn.

When they took their seats next to their friend, Flynn looked up and opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself. He sized them up, glancing back and forth between them, squinting his eyes as if trying to read their minds.

It immediately made Hiccup uneasy. What was he doing? Why was he looking at them like that? He truly disliked the feeling of being analyzed.

Flynn's face relaxed, like he had reached some sort of conclusion. His lips molded into a self-satisfied smile and Hiccup's uneasiness grew tenfold.

"You guys had sex." Flynn said casually and nodded to himself.

"What?" he blurted out, instantly worrying if it was so obvious that anyone could see it. He looked around them to make sure no one was nearby.

"Uh…" Jack said, temporarily stunned.

"Don't even bother denying it." Flynn said and twirled his quill between two fingers. "You totally had sex."

"How do you _do _that!?" Hiccup said, having found the capacity to form a sentence now.

Flynn shrugged but his face radiated smugness. "I have a gift, Freckles."

"Ugh…" he sighed. Great. Flynn knew. Now there would be endless teasing to come.

"That's just…" Jack began, wrinkling his forehead. "So…all those times when you've said someone had sex, they _actually_ had sex?"

"Uh, yes. That's how the gift works, Jackie." Flynn said.

"Whoa whoa…" Jack said and held a hand up. "Wait a minute. So…that time where you said Professor Bunnymund had…?"

"Yup, he definitely had sex."

"With who?" Hiccup asked.

"Well, I don't know _that_, Freckles." Flynn said. "Anyway, stop deflecting. You guys shagged."

Neither him nor Jack spoke. Hiccup wasn't sure what to do or say right now. He hadn't expected his and Jack's sex life to be under Flynn's microscope.

Flynn chuckled at their awkwardness. He was clearly enjoying this way too much. "So…How was it?"

"Come on, we're_ not_ going to tell you about it." Jack rolled his eyes.

"Well, you don't really have to." Flynn said and shrugged. "Clearly, it was great…" he said before his smile bloomed into a devious grin. "Since you both look so…_happy_ and… _satisfied_."

"Oh gods, please stop talking." Hiccup said, his cheeks aflame. "For the love of Thor, stop talking."

"Why?" Flynn said innocently. "Am I embarrassing you?"

"You know you are."

"I know no such thing. I'm just a friend asking about my other friends' wellbeing." Flynn said, pretending to not see the problem. "Now, give me some details."

"Mate. Stop it." Jack said and whacked Flynn over the head. "We're not going to tell you about it."

"Fine." Flynn agreed. "If you're going to be so boring about it."

"And _don't _tell the others." Jack added.

"Come on now mate, I can't promise that." Flynn said.

"Flynn." Jack said in that serious tone he used so rarely. "It's private."

"Fine. I won't say anything." Flynn said. "My lips are sealed." he said and mimed zipping his lips shut.

"Good." Hiccup said and sighed in relief. He knew their friends would love to tease them about this and he didn't appreciate having to blush like a school girl all the time.

"So how was the feast?" Jack asked, obviously eager to change the subject. Hiccup was a bit curious about this as well, since their dramatic encounter with Chloe was bound to have spawned a lot of gossip.

"Well…" Flynn began, the gleam of mischief in his eyes melting away. "It was actually quite fun. Things were a little tense for a while after you left and people were talking about what happened."

"So…everyone knows?" Hiccup frowned.

"Yeah, pretty much. I mean, of course they don't know everything but they could easily put the biggest pieces together. Anyway…it didn't last that long. Once the food appeared and the music started and everything, everyone seemed to forget about it and just enjoy themselves."

"Well, that's good." Jack said. "So you guys had a nice time even though we kind of bummed you out by leaving?"

"Yeah, don't worry, Jackie. Of course we were all a little down at first but we quickly agreed that you guys would be fine in each other's…_company_." Flynn said and winked at them.

"Please tell me you didn't all expect us to do…that." Hiccup fiddled with one of the wide black sleeves on his cloak.

"Nah." Flynn said. "Keep your heartrate down, Freckles. No one knew you would shag."

Hiccup nodded. "So you guys did end up having a good time?"

"Yeah, it was great." Flynn smiled with reassurance. "We spent some time with Harry, Liam and Jim and some of their friends. And we talked a little with Astrid and her friends too."

"Oh right, Astrid knows too now…" Hiccup said, mostly to himself. He glanced at Astrid who was occupied jotting down some last minute notes.

"Oh yes. You can bet she wasn't too happy." Flynn said. "It was a good thing Chloe and the others had disappeared when Astrid showed up because she was more than ready to throw a punch."

"I'm sure she was." Hiccup smiled with affection bubbling in his chest. "And they never came back?"

"Nope." Flynn said. "And that's probably a good thing for them. It seems like most people agree it was a horrible and stupid thing to do."

"Good." Jack said with an edge of bitterness to his voice. Hiccup was aware that he wasn't over this. His personal boundaries had been violated and that wasn't easily pushed aside. In truth, _he_ wasn't over it either. Whenever he thought of Chloe and what she did, his stomach morphed into hard, gnarled roots.

Flynn hummed as a show of support, before his eyes darted towards the doors. Hiccup didn't have to look to know who was approaching. The way the teasing gleam in Flynn's eyes faded into gentleness, told Hiccup all he needed to know.

He found his suspicions confirmed a moment later, when Rapunzel took her seat next to him, a handful of books in her arms and a warm smile on her lips. Pascal rested on her shoulders among long golden locks and leaned against her neck, eyelids drooping. He had never been a morning chameleon.

"Hi guys." she said after putting the books down on the table.

"Morning Blondie." Flynn gave her a nod.

"Hey Punzie." Jack said and winked at her.

Rapunzel replied with an amused eye roll.

"Sleep well?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah, fine." she smiled at him. "How about you? You weren't at breakfast."

"I know, sorry about that. Me and Jack decided to sleep in."

"Wise choice." she said and nodded towards Pascal. "I think Pascal envies you."

Hiccup scratched the chameleon on the top of his head. He knew that was Pascal's favorite spot and he was rewarded with a tiny lizard smile.

With Rapunzel there, they quickly turned towards more cheerful topics of conversation. Jack told them about the Quidditch training session he had tomorrow and how Merida was certain she had discovered a weakness in the Ravenclaw seeker's abilities. Hiccup was delighted to hear about that possibility. Even though he was a Ravenclaw and should be loyal to his house team, his boyfriend and his friends came first. He knew Quidditch meant a great deal not only to Jack but to Astrid and Merida as well, so he would show up in Gryffindor colors and support them in any way he could.

When Professor Hyde burst through the thick oak doors, the conversations bouncing around the room came to a sudden halt. Students rummaged through bags, flipped through their textbooks, unfolded parchment and dipped quills in ink. Their professor took his usual place at the front of the class by the old wooden desk and poured himself a cup of warm liquid from a thermos; one of the many small signs Hiccup had noticed over the years that Professor Hyde was muggle born and refused to use magic for every little thing.

He admired that. There was nothing wrong with doing things the muggle way once in a while. He couldn't tell what was in the mug but the way the vapor rose from it in slithering snakes of smoke was hypnotizing.

When Jack pulled him out of his thoughts with a cough, Hiccup spotted his boyfriend's half-done Transfiguration assignment lying among random notes scattered in front of him. He shot Jack a curious look. He was going to be busy for the next few days if he hadn't gotten more work done than what Hiccup could see on those papers.

His boyfriend shrugged with a small sigh that spoke of frustrations hanging over one's head. Clearly, Jack hadn't made more progress than this and felt the stress of having a deadline approaching. Hiccup made a mental note that he should squeeze in some time to help Jack out with this.

Today's class turned out to be a lecture with no practical elements. This wasn't a problem for Hiccup. He definitely enjoyed performing magic more than studying it but he easily saw the value in quietly soaking up knowledge from someone with many years of experience under their belt. And he had the discipline to sit still, listen to their professor's voice and write thorough notes that would surely help him later on.

Jack, however, was another story. Hiccup knew he got bored out of his mind with most lectures. To top it off, he rarely bothered to hide it. This class was no exception and Hiccup couldn't keep the amused smile off his face, whenever Jack would sigh or tap his fingers on the desk or spin his quill between his fingers. Luckily, Professor Hyde didn't seem to notice how the life force was slowly being sucked out of one of his students.

When the professor proceeded to go through the many precautions needed for human-animal transfiguration, Jack groaned and rubbed his forehead. Hiccup chuckled and received a scowl from his boyfriend. He squeezed Jack's hand underneath the table and the scowl melted into a soft twitch of lips.

He couldn't blame Jack for being impatient and bored. They had already learned the precautions for these kinds of transfigurations several times before, but apparently Professor Hyde found it necessary to revisit them due to the "dangerous and complicated nature of human-animal transfigurations."

Jack suddenly began to rummage through his backpack, as Professor Hyde drew some illustrations on the blackboard. After a few moments, he pulled out what appeared to be a small bag of sweets.

How typical. Jack had a very sweet tooth and his blood sugar was probably crashing because of their lack of breakfast.

Hiccup smiled. His boyfriend was still a kid at heart and by Freyja, how he loved him for it. Jack ran on sugar and fun times. And much like a child, he was quick to run out of fuel and quick to get it back again.

Jack opened the bag carefully to avoid making any noise. He handed it towards him, silently offering him one of the sweets. He took one without a thought, unwrapped it and threw it into his mouth. It was sweet and spread a fresh, rich taste of berries on his tongue.

He went back to writing notes on his parchment, while the candy swirled around inside his mouth. Sure, Professor Hyde was telling them something he already knew but it never hurt to make sure it was burned into his brain. After all, safety regarding transfigurations was important.

Sudden giggles to his left brought his attention back to his boyfriend. Jack and Flynn were whispering conspiratorially and trying to keep their laughter quiet.

They were definitely up to something. And judging by how their looks were aimed at him, he was most likely the target of their mischief.

Shit.

"What have you done?" he whispered to Jack.

Flynn squeezed his lips together to avoid making a sound that would draw their professor's attention. Jack shrugged and tried his best to look innocent.

But Hiccup knew him. He knew that gleam in his eyes. It was the sort of gleam a small child has when they switch the salt and the sugar and wait for their parents to drink their coffee.

He was up to no good. That much was clear.

He shared a brief, confused look with Rapunzel who had also realized something was going on. She wrinkled her eyebrows as she looked at their friends with skepticism, trying to work out what they were doing.

When his stomach started to rumble, his chest filled with dread by the uncertainty of what was going to happen. What had Jack done to him?

Without another second to fret, a loud burp left his mouth, echoing among the stone walls.

Students around them giggled, ravens in a nearby cage squawked loudly and Professor Hyde was so surprised, he drew a long line straight down the blackboard. He spun around and scanned the classroom with his hawk-like eyes before his attention landed on him and the others.

"Sorry." Hiccup mumbled, heat spreading across his face. Gods, this was embarrassing.

And now he knew exactly why Jack and Flynn were laughing and what those 'sweets' had been. It had been Burp Drops from Zonko's Joke Shop.

He was going to kill both of them.

Professor Hyde nodded once before continuing his illustrations on the blackboard. Hiccup desperately hoped he could suppress the urge to burp for the rest of the class, despite how unlikely that was.

He glared at Jack with the sharpness and chill of a thousand icicles but Jack was not intimidated in the slightest; he merely slapped his hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing even more. He looked ready to double over.

Hiccup could feel his stomach roiling again and he gathered all his will power to keep himself calm and suppress the effect of the candy. In the back of his mind, he knew it was a lost cause but by Thor, he was going to try.

It was no use.

Another burp slipped through his teeth and drew more attention to him. Their professor was not as surprised this time but stopped drawing for a few seconds. A deep sigh left him before he resumed moving the chalk.

Jack and Flynn were having the time of their lives, fueled by each other's amusement. Once in a while, they would seem to get themselves under control. Then they made eye contact and immediately broke down in breathless giggles. Despite his annoying situation, Hiccup _did_ admire their ability to avoid the detection of Professor Hyde.

He narrowed his eyes at Jack. "You're a dead man, Frosty." he whispered to him and mimed a knife slicing his throat.

"Awww, come on now, Hic. You know you love me." Jack told him before he lost his composure again.

When several loud burps emerged from Hiccup's throat for the next 10 minutes, Jack and Flynn began to wipe tears from their eyes. Each burp was loud and impossible to cover up, earning him giggles from the other students and some rather stern looks from Professor Hyde who was not amused by being interrupted over and over.

When yet another unbelievably loud burp filled the air with noise and a nearby hamster in a cage squeaked in terror, Professor Hyde had had enough. He took a few steps closer to Hiccup. "Mr. Haddock. Since you are incapable of restraining yourself, please go outside for the remainder of the class." he said and pointed to the doors.

"Sorry, sir." Hiccup said and got to his feet. He headed towards the exit, despite the urge to explain the situation. If he told on Jack and Flynn, it could give them detention, so he chose not to say anything, despite the total shits they were being.

As his feet dragged across the stone floor, he could feel the staring eyes of the other students, intrusive on his skin like the sting of a freezing wind.

_Why, Hiccup, why did you have to fall in love with the school prankster? See where it's gotten you? All embarrassed in a full classroom because you can't stop burping. Nicely done._

He opened the large, creaking doors and gave Jack one last look of contempt. Then he narrowed his eyes and mouthed "I hate you."

Jack blew a kiss at him before his pale lips parted into one of those disarming grins Hiccup knew so well. It was the kind of grin that revealed his perfect white teeth and made his blue eyes glow with laughter. The kind of grin that made it downright impossible to be annoyed with him because he was just too happy and proud of himself, filled with a boyish charm that was not only endearing but ridiculously attractive as well.

Jack could charm any hint of irritation straight out of him and Jack not only knew it; he exploited it.

When he left the classroom and closed the doors behind him, he sighed in relief of being away from giggles and staring eyes. The other students would probably be able to figure out that someone had played a prank on him and made him burp like that but even so…the embarrassment coated his cheeks and he ran his palms down his face.

Toothless was napping on one of the windowsills in the corridor, waiting for him like he did with every class where the professor didn't allow animals inside. His black fur shone beautifully in the sunbeams like obsidian; pitch black and gleaming. As Hiccup approached, the sound of his footsteps woke his best friend from his slumber. Toothless slowly got to his feet and meowed a greeting, which Hiccup returned with some scratching behind the ears.

A few moments later, he found himself sitting in the empty corridors with Toothless purring in his lap, stroking the black cat's back. He told him about Jack's prank on him and he swore he could see amusement in his best friend's eyes before the cat huffed and lifted a paw. Claws extended and Toothless green eyes fixed on him with a silent question.

"No, that's okay, bud. You don't have to maim him, I'll find some way to get back at him." he told him and scratched him under the chin as a reward for always having his back – even against his own mischievous boyfriend.

If Jack thought he was going to avoid revenge, he was sorely mistaken. He might have won this round and he might be irresistible with his bright smiles and those big blue eyes that reminded Hiccup of frozen lakes, but he would find some way to get payback.

He was a Viking.

And when someone wronged a Viking, they better sleep with one eye open.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

After Professor Hyde dismissed them, they gathered their stuff as well as Hiccup's and met up with him the corridor. As soon as he saw the sour look on his boyfriend's face, it became obvious to him that Hiccup was definitely not going to let his little prank go right away. Jack wasn't worried though. He could get back on his boyfriend's good side in no time.

He, Flynn and Hiccup had Potions next, so they said goodbye to Rapunzel and began the long stroll to the dungeons, where Hiccup continued to pretend he was annoyed with him. If Jack was honest with himself, if Hiccup had in fact been annoyed, it would have been completely justified. But he knew his boyfriend and all the little signs that gave away his true emotions. He could see right through his mask of irritation to the amusement bubbling underneath.

It was still fun to try and earn his 'forgiveness' though.

"Come on, Hic. You love me, remember?" he said sweetly and wrapped his hands around one of Hiccup's arms.

"I'm struggling to remember why, right now." Hiccup retorted dryly without revealing any emotions.

Flynn chuckled next to them and Jack stuck his tongue out.

He decided he had to step it up a notch, so he put on his best 'hurt puppy' face. He had been told on several occasions that that look was downright adorable and he hoped to use that to his advantage now. He had to melt a certain Viking's heart.

"Awww. That really stung." he said and pouted with the saddest eyes he could muster.

"Good." Hiccup deadpanned, looking straight ahead. He was cleverly avoiding the challenge of his adorableness.

"Come oooon." he pleaded. "There must be something I can do to make it up to you." he grabbed Hiccup's arm tighter.

"No." Hiccup said but the corners of his lips moved. He was struggling to keep this up and Jack knew it wouldn't take long for him to crack.

"Nothing?" he asked and let out a small whimper to add to his cuteness.

"No."

"What about some sexual favors?" Flynn chimed in and nudged Jack's shoulder.

"Shut up, Rider." he said and grinned. "I didn't mean anything like that."

"Of course you didn't." Flynn said and winked slowly, like they were in on a plan together.

"Hiccuuuup." he said, letting his hand glide from Hiccup's arm to his hand, lacing their fingers together. "Don't be mad at me."

"Why not?"

"Because, look at me!" he said to get Hiccup to succumb to his charms.

Hiccup glanced at him and he turned up the 'hurt puppy' look even more. This puppy had been yelled at, locked in a room and had a door slammed on its paw. In other words, it was seriously heartbreaking.

Hiccup sniffed unimpressed and stared ahead again.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Jack said. "You're not even going to fall for the cutest weapon in my arsenal."

"It's not _that _cute."

"Oh, you are so lying. It's adorable!"

"I'm with Jackie on that one." Flynn said. "He can make pretty much anyone forgive him with that look."

Hiccup shook his head but Jack noticed the shine in his eyes.

Well, time for another strategy.

"Hic, I swear, if you don't forgive me, I'm going to kiss you senseless in every single class for the rest of the day. In front of _everyone_."

That threat was enough to crumble Hiccup's façade. After a fake look of terror, a grin bloomed on his freckled face and Jack found himself chuckling because he knew he had won.

"Fine, fine. I forgive you." Hiccup said and squeezed his hand.

"Finally!" he said, before swinging their entwined hands back and forth.

"Well, the threat of Jackie's kisses is enough to make anyone give in." Flynn remarked.

"Are you still here?" he scowled at Flynn.

"We're kind of heading to the same class, so…yeah."

"At least be quiet, I don't need you to make me look bad." Jack joked. "Now that I'm back on Hic's good side."

"Oh, I never said that." Hiccup said.

"What?" he asked.

"I said I forgive you. But I haven't forgotten this. And I'll get revenge on you."

"Seriously?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Yup." Hiccup said. "You've pulled a lot of pranks on me but that one was by far the worst. So…I have to get you back some time."

Jack scoffed. "You don't mean that."

"Oh yes I do."

Jack hummed as he thought about that possibility. "Interesting…"

"Why?" Flynn asked. "He's got you back before when you've pulled pranks?"

"Yeah but this time he called it revenge." Jack said. "He's never called it that before."

"Well, if I were you, I'd watch my back, Snær Flekkr."

"I'm unimpressed, Haddock. I'm too clever for you to get me back now that you've warned me."

Flynn scoffed at that comment.

"No, you're not." Hiccup said. "You won't see it coming. It might be tomorrow or it might be next month…but I will get you back."

"But you've still forgiven me, right?"

"Yes." Hiccup smiled.

"Good, nothing to worry about then!" Jack grinned and clutched Hiccup's hand tighter.

"We'll see about that." Flynn said.

When they found themselves in the gloomy Potions classroom, Jack instinctively scanned his surroundings for Mia, since she also had Potions. She was Chloe's friend and he was sure she had a part to play in what Chloe had done. His eyes drifted over student after student but she was nowhere to be seen. That meant she was either sick or she was skipping class.

Typical. She wasn't even going to own up to what she did. She was just going to avoid showing her face until the gossip had died down.

Merida, Mavis and Fishlegs occupied their usual workstation, huddled close together in conversation around the square table where cauldrons, books and notes lay scattered.

When their friends spotted them, their faces lit up and they all exchanged happy greetings. Mavis, Merida and Fishlegs were eager to know if he and Hiccup were all right after yesterday's events and they were quick to reassure their friends that things were fine.

"So have you heard Chloe and her friends are pretty much social pariahs now?" Mavis asked with a small smile; a smile that spoke of protectiveness rather than taking joy in the misery of others.

"No?" Hiccup asked. "I mean, Flynn told us that people seem to think what they did was wrong."

"Well…" Mavis began. "The general consensus is that Chloe and the others are manipulative bitches."

"Yeah, that's what I've heard too." Fishlegs chimed in.

"That's a fair consensus." he muttered.

"Yeah. It seems almost everyone disapproves." Mavis said, stacking her scattered notes to get some order back on the workstation.

Jack nodded with a small smile but it wasn't genuine. He had a stream of conflicting emotions inside him that he hadn't sorted out yet.

"Isn't that a little reassuring?" Merida asked.

"I guess." Jack shrugged. He wasn't certain.

"I'm not really sure what to feel about all of this." Hiccup said, echoing Jack's own thoughts. "On one hand, it's nice to see that Chloe and the others are getting what they deserve. On the other hand, it doesn't make me feel better about everything that happened."

"Yeah, me neither." he agreed.

"But at least you don't have to worry about them trying something again." Fishlegs tried to make them feel better and gave them a sympathetic smile.

"We'll see." Hiccup said and chewed on his lip.

Jack hadn't considered the possibility of other attacks on their relationship but no matter what those dumb girls tried to do, it wouldn't work. He promised himself that.

"I don't think they'd dare do anything again, Hiccup." Flynn said, unpacking his Potions supplies and putting them on the workstation.

Hiccup merely shrugged. "You never know."

"If they do, I'll keep my promise and hurt them. Badly." Merida said and cracked her knuckles.

"Thanks Mer." Jack smiled and this time there was joy behind it. Having such supportive friends was a gift.

"How could they even think they would get away with it?" Flynn asked and glanced from one person to the next.

"They thought they had a clever plan." Hiccup said.

"Yeah." Fishlegs agreed. "I mean…from what I understand, Mia and the other one kept watch at the doors so they could signal to Chloe when Hiccup would be there to see it."

Hiccup nodded. "I'm pretty sure that's the gist of it, yeah."

"But…" Mavis said. "Why would Chloe even do that? She's never shown any interest in Jack?"

"But she _has_ shown interest in Hiccup." he said and met Hiccup's eyes.

"She has?" Hiccup asked, eyebrows lifting in surprise.

"Not directly, Hic but…I've seen the way she looks at you. She clearly had a reason to break us up too."

"But what about the others then?" Merida asked and ran a hand through the untamed forest of wild curls spilling from her head. "Why would they even be a part of it?"

"I know Mia has a crush on Jack." Hiccup explained.

"Yeah." he agreed.

"Okay, that makes sense…" Mavis said, staring at her stack of notes in contemplation. "So…Mia obviously couldn't kiss Jack because Jack would hate her for it and that would ruin her chances with him….they must have agreed Chloe would do it instead, because she's _not_ actually interested in Jack."

"Yeah, but how on earth could she believe she would have a chance with Hiccup after kissing his boyfriend?" Merida said and slammed her palms down on the workstation.

"Because she's not very clever." Fishlegs said and Hiccup hummed in agreement. "She must have thought Hiccup's and Jack's relationship wasn't very serious yet. That Hiccup would be hurt at first but then get over it and then she could swoop in and tell him all about how Jack kissed her and that she didn't want it and felt awful about it afterwards. You know…play the victim."

Jack scoffed. "Like that would ever work on Hic." He had no doubt Hiccup was too clever to fall for a scheme like that.

"Yeah, but she didn't know that. She doesn't know Hiccup." Fishlegs said and folded his hands on the table. "And she doesn't know what you have together."

"They're a bunch of idiots." Flynn shook his head. "Something like that would never be enough to break Jackie and Hiccup up."

"Of course not. But…they underestimated our relationship." Hiccup said and took Jack's hand under the workstation.

"Yeah, they did." he agreed and smiled, brushing his thumb over Hiccup's warm fingers.

Hiccup returned the smile. It was goofy and filled with happiness; a sudden change from the serious look from before. Jack couldn't help himself; the joy seeped into every part of his face, mirroring his boyfriend's elation.

God, the two of them must be nauseating to watch sometimes. But he didn't care. He was in love and he had the right to savor that.

"You two had sex." Mavis said knowingly from next to Flynn.

"What?" Hiccup blurted out and snapped his head towards her. "Would you keep your voice down?" he hissed and quickly glanced around them to make sure no one had heard it. Jack did a brief scan too. Luckily, all the other students were occupied by their own conversations.

"Flynn." he said and glared at his friend. If Flynn had actually told them after he had promised not to, he would be in serious trouble. "You promised not to tell them."

"I didn't say anything!" Flynn's eyes grew and he held up his hands.

"Flynn's innocent." Mavis smiled and crossed her arms, leaning back into her chair.

Merida snorted.

"Well…innocent in this particular situation." Mavis corrected her previous words.

"Okay." Jack nodded. "Sorry, mate." he told Flynn in an instant surge of regret. He did trust Flynn but how had she known if he hadn't said anything?

"No worries." Flynn smiled. "But I keep my word, you know."

"Yeah, I know." he agreed.

"So…our two boys are aaaall grown up." Mavis grinned and Merida whistled suggestively.

"How did you even know?" Hiccup asked.

"It's pretty obvious…" Fishlegs chimed in hesitantly, as if he wasn't sure he wanted to participate in this conversation.

"Well, we expected _you_ to know. You know everything." Jack said. "But…you." he looked at Mavis. "How did _you_ know?"

Mavis lifted one eyebrow. "Come on….Jack, I may not be Fishlegs, I _know_ you. And I know Hiccup. You spent all night alone together after something so dramatic and you're looking at each other like two goofy idiots who are closer than ever. I think the conclusion is pretty straight forward."

"Pretty…_straight_ forward?" Flynn asked and looked around to see their reactions, like a little child who had just done something he was sure would result in praise.

"You're kidding, right?" Merida asked. "You didn't just…ugh."

"What? It was a brilliant pun." Flynn insisted.

"No, mate." Jack smiled. "No, it wasn't."

"Pssh. You clearly don't recognize the humor of a genius."

"Yeah, we do. But that wasn't it." Merida said and smacked her forehead gently. "Idiot."

"Oh, Red…" Flynn said softly, holding his hands over his heart. "When will we put these petty squabbles aside and indulge in that burning desire we have for each other?"

Jack laughed at that absurd thought and the others quickly followed, except Merida. The laughter relieved the tension in his gut and even after he stopped, he couldn't remove the smile from his face. Being around his best friends always had that effect.

Merida directed a skeptical look at Flynn. "How about…never?"

"Aha!" Flynn exclaimed victoriously and pointed at her. "So you admit there's something there!"

"No!" Merida refused.

"Oh, you so do!" Flynn grinned.

Merida crossed her arms. "I would rather snog a goblin than you!"

"As if you could ever land a goblin- owwww!" Flynn said and rubbed the side of his head where Merida had hit him. "You seriously need to find other ways of expressing yourself than violence, Simba."

"No, I don't." Merida said, a satisfied smile settling on her lips. "Why change something that works?"

"Well, whoever ends up with you must be a bloody _masochist_." Flynn shot back.

"Don't be such a weakling, Rider. Besides…why are we even talking about me?" Merida said. "Those two had sex! Isn't that a _bit _more important"?

"Yeah, you're right!" Flynn said. "You know, I tried to get them to spill the details but they won't tell me anything."

"Will you be _quiet_?" Hiccup reprimanded them. "We don't want everyone in this castle to know."

"Oh relax, no one's going to hear anything." Merida said, whirling her hands around dismissively.

"That's easy for you to say, it's not like we're talking about _your _love-life." Hiccup said.

"He's got you there." he said. He was sure Merida would injure all of them severely if they ever discussed her romantic endeavors like this. "Well…not like you really have one, anyway."

"Whatever." Merida said. "The point is…you two bonked each other."

"So what?" he asked.

"So now you're no longer innocent." Flynn said

"Not that shit again, mate." he sighed. Why did they have to make that 'teasing is mandatory' rule when they were 12? "Stop it."

"Can't." Flynn grinned. "It's just a fact."

"Why is it that no one is ever talking about Hic's "innocence"?" he asked and gestured to his boyfriend who instantly shot him a look that said why-are-you-pulling-me-into-this?

"As much as we all love Freckles, _you're_ our little brother." Flynn said. "We have to look out for you the most."

"Yeah, but you should really cut it out now." he said. "Especially you" he pointed to Flynn. "And you." he pointed to Mavis.

"Pssh, I'm pure as snow, Jackie." Flynn stretched his arms out casually.

Merida rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right!"

"What?" Flynn asked. "I'm saving myself for marriage."

"Of course you are." Mavis said dryly. "And I'm going to the beach to get a tan."

Merida snorted and they all grinned at that absurd idea.

"That's not the same thing, my dear vampire." Flynn said sweetly.

"You are not innocent. You've had sex. Several times. End of story." Jack said and bumped his fist onto the table to underline the finality of that statement.

"Pssh. Have not."

"Yes, you have, Flynn. Give it up." Mavis said.

"Hey, you shouldn't start either." Jack said and pointed an accusing finger at Mavis. "I know what you've been up to."

"So? Doesn't mean I can't give you a hard time." she said and stuck her tongue out.

Jack shook his head and smiled. But it quickly faded, as he felt the need to discuss something with them. "Have you guys noticed that Mia isn't here?"

Hiccup briefly looked around them, while Fishlegs, to no one's surprise, instantly said "Yes."

"Not until right now." Flynn said and Merida nodded.

"It doesn't really surprise me." Mavis said. "Chloe wasn't in Magical History, so…I guess they're all skipping classes today."

"They're probably ashamed to show their faces around here right now." Fishlegs said with an underlying annoyance that would go undetected by anyone who didn't know him.

"Good." Merida said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah." Flynn agreed.

Jack gave them a small smile to let them know he appreciated their support. He and Hiccup were truly lucky. They had wonderful friends who always had their backs and would be there for them no matter what. Not everyone could say that.

The double Potions class stretched on uneventfully. When Professor Creek arrived, they were told to brew Wiggenfeld potions today – a potion made to awaken someone from magically-induced sleep. The first hour went by with a lecture of the use of Potions ingredients they hadn't handled before and the history of the potion, as well as what could potentially go wrong. Afterwards, they set to brew their batches. It was one of the more difficult potions they had ever brewed, with a long list of ingredients and complicated directions that had to be followed to the smallest detail. It was also a temperamental potion, meaning if something went wrong, it would usually result in an explosion. This was confirmed by several students who managed to get their faces covered in soot and their workstations slathered in potion.

After Potions, he, Hiccup, Flynn and Merida had Defense against the Dark Arts, where they practiced silent jinxes and protection spells. He and Hiccup had a fierce competition going throughout the lesson, putting all their effort into succeeding with the spells. Merida and Flynn were equally competitive and decided to play dirty by whispering the jinxes and other spells at each other, when Professor Bunnymund was busy with other students.

After classes, Hiccup wanted to go to the workshop and work on some projects, while Fishlegs was meeting up with Rapunzel to work on a Magical History assignment. Mavis had frog choir practice and Merida had set some time aside today to fix up her Quidditch broom that had become damaged during their last training session. That left him and Flynn to hang out alone for a few hours before dinner.

They decided to go looking for Liam and Harry in the courtyards. It had been a while since Jack had spent time with them and he knew they often sat outside to do homework, preferring the fresh air much like himself.

After a quick stroll through several corridors in the light of the stained glass windows, greeting people they knew along the way, they found themselves by the entrance to one of the courtyards. Jack had taken a few steps on to the fresh Spring grass and breathed in the lovely mild air, before he noticed Flynn wasn't following.

His friend was frozen in place and staring at something. When Jack followed his line of sight he didn't need an explanation to understand Flynn's reaction.

The courtyard was near the Magical History classroom where Fishlegs and Rapunzel had agreed to meet up. Jack saw Fishlegs slip inside the classroom, his arms packed with books, but what drew his attention was Rapunzel and the company she was currently in.

She was standing by the doors, engaged in conversation with Evan Hill. He was a fellow Ravenclaw in the same year, tall and lean with auburn hair and a face full of freckles. He shared some classes with him and the others but Jack had only spoken to him a few times over the years. He seemed like a decent guy; kind and rather clever as well.

But that wouldn't soothe Flynn's distress. Jack knew the sting of seeing the person you liked with someone else. Their good qualities didn't matter; the hurt tightening in your chest was the same.

He edged towards Flynn, while keeping an eye on both him and Rapunzel. She hadn't noticed the two of them standing further down the corridor, too engulfed in the conversation she was having with Evan.

He noticed Flynn's jaw tighten when Evan reached out and petted Pascal, who was resting on his usual spot on Rapunzel's shoulder. Jack had the urge to stomp over there and slap the guy's hand away to help his friend.

He slowly moved closer to Flynn, who had crossed his arms tight and rested his weight against the stone wall. His friend hadn't even noticed he was coming towards him. His brown eyes were fixed on Rapunzel and brimming with dark emotions that Jack knew all too well.

When Evan made some kind of joke and Rapunzel giggled, Jack made up his mind and walked the other way. He knew he had no right to interfere but he didn't care. He would shield Flynn from this pain as much as he could.

He walked with brisk strides towards them and forced his lips to smile.

"Punzie!" he said with an enthusiasm he didn't feel at the moment.

"Oh, hey Jack!" she greeted him happily.

"Hey man." he acknowledged Evan who smiled and gave him a little wave.

"So, what's up?" Rapunzel asked him.

"I was just wondering if you'd seen Liam and Harry anywhere? I can't find them."

"Oh…no, sorry. I haven't seen them since…a few hours ago." she said and adjusted the leather bag hanging from her shoulder.

"Oh well." he shrugged. "Just thought I'd ask."

"If I see them, I'll let them know you're looking for them." Rapunzel told him with a soft smile.

"Great. Thanks Punzie." he grinned to cover up his real motivation for interrupting.

Rapunzel nodded, before looking at Evan. "Well…I should get going anyway. Fishlegs and I need to work on that assignment."

Evan nodded but Jack caught the disappointment in his eyes. "Sure. I'll see you around." he smiled.

"Yeah, see you." Rapunzel agreed. "And I'll see you too, Jack."

"Sure, see you later." he said.

Rapunzel disappeared into the Magical History classroom and Evan gave him a brief nod before he continued down the corridor.

_Mission accomplished. _

Jack would be lying if he said he wasn't a tad proud of himself. Yes, it wasn't his business that Rapunzel was talking to someone, she had the right to talk to whoever she wanted. But he couldn't stand by and see Flynn go through the same thing he had.

And he had even been discreet about it. Neither of them questioned him for interrupting. He wished Hiccup could have seen this. He would have to tell him about it later. His boyfriend always said he lacked discretion. Well, just look at him now.

When he was by Flynn's side again, his friend had relaxed and slipped into a casual façade. It would take more than that to fool him though. Flynn smiled at him but Jack could easily tell it wasn't genuine.

He squeezed Flynn's shoulder. "Hey…are you okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Flynn said, faking confusion. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, I don't know…" he said. "Maybe because you just saw the girl you like talk and laugh with another guy?"

"What?" Flynn said, disbelief twisting his features.

"I see it, mate. I know you like her." he explained with a sad smile.

Flynn sighed in defeat and ran a hand through his hair. His disbelief evaporated. "Fine…I like her."

"So…why don't you do something about it?"

Flynn looked into his eyes for a brief moment. "Come on." he said and motioned towards the courtyard.

Jack nodded and followed him into the pleasant fresh air and the golden touch of the late afternoon sun. A few other students were outside by different tables, some by themselves others in small groups, buried among piles of notes and books.

They found a secluded table close to one of the castle walls. A tall ash tree bathed half the wooden table in shadow and spread its branches, flourishing in shades of green, against the blue sky.

They sat on the table instead of the benches and for a moment, neither of them spoke. Jack listened to the whispers of the breeze in the bright green leaves on the ash tree, the distant quiet conversations among study partners at other tables, the soft symphony of birds' voices. Peaceful surroundings that contradicted the turmoil inside them both.

"So..." he said, giving Flynn an opening to start talking.

"It's not that simple, Jackie." Flynn said, like he had read his mind.

"What?" he asked, perplexed by Flynn's hesitance. It was a side of him Jack only saw on rare occasions and it surprised him each time. "_You _talking to a girl is "_not that simple_"? When did_ that_ happen?"

"This isn't just _any_ girl." Flynn said and it sounded like an objection.

"Mate…" Jack said softly, deciding to dig straight into the roots of Flynn's insecurities. "What's holding you back?"

"I don't know." Flynn sighed and looked up into the branches of the tree. "Maybe…maybe I just think she deserves more."

"More?"

"Yeah. Someone better."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, taken aback by the trace of self-loathing he could hear in his friend's voice. He had seen Flynn insecure before but putting himself down like this? No. This was new.

"I'm not exactly the kind of guy I think Rapunzel would go for." Flynn explained, keeping his eyes locked on the branches, decorated with leaves gently swaying in the breeze.

"Why not?"

"Come on…I have a record, I'm not a model student, I'm not planning anything ambitious in the future, I'm known throughout the school for being a womanizer. I'm _not_ the kind of guy you want to bring home to your parents."

Jack sighed. "You've made some mistakes in your life, you're not the ambitious type and you're a flirt. That doesn't make you a bad person."

"I never said it did. I just think Rapunzel wants to aim higher."

"First of all, you're a great guy. Second of all, maybe you should let _her _decide what she wants. Tell her how you feel."

"That's easier said than done. You of all people should know that."

"I do know it." he said and kept his eyes on Flynn until his friend met his gaze. "But even though it's terrifying, it's still the best thing you can do."

"Not if she rejects me." Flynn said and in this moment he reminded Jack of himself. Their situation was reversed now. It used to be Flynn who was trying to convince him to confess to Hiccup and he would refuse the idea because of his doubts and fears.

"I have a feeling she won't do that." he said, trying to reassure him. After all…he was pretty sure Rapunzel liked Flynn too but if neither of them ever made a move, nothing would happen.

"What? How do you know?"

"I don't _know_, I just…I think she likes you too."

"Why?"

"It's just a hunch. The way she looks at you. The time you've been spending together alone. You've grown really close."

Flynn quietly took in the information. He turned his brown eyes to the sky and watched the fluffy white clouds skate across a sheet of blue, pushed by the winds.

"Mate…" Jack said. "Hiccup thinks she likes you too."

Flynn looked at him again, a sudden surge of surprise dancing in his eyes. "Hiccup thinks so?"

"Yeah." he nodded. "And he knows Rapunzel even better than we do."

Flynn hummed. "Maybe there's some hope after all then…"

"Of course there is!" Jack said and patted Flynn on the back. "Come on, man…you're not usually the insecure type but I _will_ list_ all_ of your bloody brilliant qualities if it'll make you feel better!"

"Thanks, Jackie." Flynn said. "But I don't think that's necessary." he smiled.

"So…will you consider telling her?"

"Yeah…I'll think about it."

"Good." Jack smiled. "You'd be great together, you know."

"You think so?"

Jack hummed. "Definitely."

Flynn scooted closer to him and held out a fist. "Thanks, mate. For everything."

"Any time." Jack smiled and met his friend's hand in a fist bump.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

The scent of paint stayed in his nostrils as he left the workshop behind and wandered down the hallways. Toothless sauntered beside him on silent paws, green eyes sharp and alert despite just waking up from the nap he had taken on one of the workstations.

It had been a productive hour and Hiccup had managed to finish three projects, including a new bow for Merida because her birthday was coming up. This bow was larger than her other one, built in yew wood with pale tips of silver birch wood and a grip made of dark leather. The last bow he made for her had a pattern of Celtic knot symbols carved into the limbs but with this one, he had gone another way. Since he now knew Merida's Patronus was a bear, he had designed a pattern of vines and leaves that crawled along the bow with strong bears in between in different positions; walking, roaring, standing on two legs. He had wanted to make it a pattern representing strength and resilience, traits Merida possessed in abundance, and he was very satisfied with the result.

His fingertips were coated in a soft layer of sawdust and he brushed them along the stone walls, as he headed towards the nearest courtyard. He was looking for Jack and Flynn. They had talked about getting some air after a long day inside and that idea sounded wonderful to Hiccup right now. His brain was dusty and needed a fresh breeze to blow it away.

He turned around a corner and strolled along a corridor where a few other students were on their way to other places. There was a resigned quietness hanging in the air, as if everyone's minds were dulled after an active day full of classes.

The sound of angry footsteps had him staring down the corridor. Astrid came stomping around a corner, eyebrows pushed close together and jaw clenched like she was trying to grind rocks to dust with it. The other students moved out of her way and even the few who knew Astrid didn't dare say anything.

When his friend was closing in on him, he held out his hands towards her to get her attention. "Whoa, Astrid, Astrid. Stop."

Astrid halted her steps and only then did she finally see him. He and Toothless went to her and the frustration on her features softened.

"What's the matter?" he asked, concerned by her dark mood. "Did something happen?"

"It's not important." she said and waved a hand to dismiss his worries.

"Astrid, come on. You can tell me." he insisted. Astrid was fiery but she was rarely angry like this.

She sighed and briefly glanced down the corridor, where other students went on their way. "I just…I had to deal with some tossers and now I'm in a really bad mood."

"Oh? Who?"

"Brandon and Abbey." she spat out the names like they coated her taste buds with bitterness.

"Oh…" he said while his brain processed this information. Despite also being in Gryffindor, Brandon and Abbey were not people Astrid usually spent time with. Neither did Jack, Flynn, Merida and Mavis, for that matter. He knew Abbey didn't like him and the feeling was mutual, so he could only see one explanation for Astrid's sudden conflict with them.

"It was about me and Jack…right?"

She bit her lip in silence but her blue eyes gave away the answer. "Yeah." she confirmed. "Yeah, it was."

Hiccup nodded slowly. It wasn't a surprise but it left him with a strange feeling that could only be described as a mix of annoyance and sadness. "They think it's wrong for Jack to be with me?"

"Something along those lines." she said and Hiccup didn't overlook the way her fists tightened.

"So what happened?" he asked. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know, but he could tell Astrid needed to talk to someone about this.

"I was in the common room and overheard them talking, when I was on my way to the bathroom. They were…basically saying your relationship with Jack is disgusting." she explained. "I couldn't handle that."

The word 'disgusting' stung. Despite expecting these sort of reactions, Hiccup couldn't deny the emotional stab they left. "What did you do?"

"I started yelling at them." Astrid said, flailing her hands around. "Told them they were idiots…that they better _never _speak of you that way again. Or Jack for that matter…or I'd rip their tongues out."

"Sure sounds like you." he smiled softly.

Astrid chuckled but it was quiet and restrained with the weight of dark feelings. "Yeah…"

"No one backed you up?"

"There weren't really anyone else there except a few first and second years and I don't think they had the nerve to get involved."

"Probably true…Thanks for defending us." he told her.

"You don't have to say thanks for that, Hiccup…" she said. "We're friends. I'll always defend you."

He took a few steps towards her and pulled her into a hug. She rested her arms around his waist and he stroked the long, blonde braid hanging down her back. "I'll always defend you too, though I doubt you'll ever need it." he chuckled. "I'm glad I have you as a friend."

"You better be, Haddock." she told him and it was lovely to hear the amusement chase away the anger.

"Don't get too full of yourself."

"Point taken."

When he let go of her, Astrid smiled at him; it was warm and genuine but melted away too quickly.

"It's just…unbelievable that some people think they have the right to judge you and Jack like that." she said.

"Yeah, I know…but people always judge, Astrid…that's not new." he sighed.

"I know I know." she agreed. "It just makes me so _angry_."

He nodded. "Yeah…me too…but I try to keep myself calm."

"Well, you've always been better at that than me."

"True." he agreed and a grin settled on his lips.

She nodded silently with a crooked smile.

"So…are you going to be okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just need to cool down. I was actually on my way to get my bow so I could shoot some arrows."

"Yeah, that's always a good way to get some anger out…Want some company?"

"That'd be really nice." she nodded.

"Let's go then." he said and turned to walk back the way he came from.

When he found himself in the small forest, the beauty of the late afternoon breathed serenity into his veins. The mild light traveled through the trees in golden columns, the shadows of the wooden trunks casting dark lines across the thick underbrush. The scents of pine needles and moist earth infused the air with a calming freshness, chasing away the smell of paint. A little rowan tree stood nearby, clusters of bright red berries hanging from its thin branches. Once in a while, a small bird would land and nip at the juicy fruits.

He and Astrid had just finished putting up the targets he and Merida used for practice and were now preparing to shoot some arrows. Toothless entertained himself by running after insects across the forest floor, catching them in his paws before letting them go again. He wasn't interesting in harming them, he just liked the chase.

At first, he and Astrid simply shot arrows at the targets in silence. He waited a while to speak, letting her get some of those frustrations out first. She drew her bow tighter and fired arrows at a quicker pace than him, clearly conveying the anger she still felt inside from the earlier conflict. He was content simply being in her company. It had been too long.

After watching a squirrel jumping from tree to tree with acrobatic grace, disappearing into the leafy crowns stretching out above his head, he decided to find out how his friend was doing.

"So…how's everything going with you? I feel like we haven't talked properly for a while. I mean, I only briefly heard about your Easter break the other day and besides that, we almost haven't talked at all." he said and frowned at that realization. Astrid was important to him, so he didn't like not knowing what was happening in her life.

"Yeah, I know. I'm really sorry about that." she said as she released an arrow that found the middle of the target. "I've been swamped with all kinds of things since I came back here. Prefect duties, Quidditch training and making new strategies, homework, extra classes and all that. I've barely had a moment to just sit down and relax."

"Nothing new there." he smiled. "You always have so much going on."

"True…" she agreed. "You know I like to keep myself busy. But I have to admit, at the moment it's getting a bit stressful."

"Maybe you should cut down on all of those activities? I mean, I know you _have _to do some it but…isn't there room to leave some of them, at least temporarily?"

"I'm not sure." she said as she released another arrow. It shot through the air in a blur and found its target without faltering. "But it'll probably get a little better after our match with Ravenclaw."

"Yeah, I've heard from Jack that our team has become a lot better." he said as he drew his bow and prepared to launch an arrow.

"That's true." she agreed. "They have a new Seeker and they also switched that dummy goalkeeper of theirs. So now they're an actual threat."

"Well, I'm sure you're working the Gryffindor team to the bone. At least that's what Jack says." he said and fired the arrow. It landed in the center of the target and he smiled with satisfaction.

"He's always been more into fun than hard work." Astrid said but there was no disapproval in her eyes.

"True. But sometimes those things can be combined."

"Yeah. That's how I feel about Quidditch…and fighting practice. Even when it's tough."

He nodded. "Do you think the Ravenclaw team actually have a chance against you guys?"

"They might have." she admitted reluctantly. "Are you going to stick with your own house this time?"

"Nah. You know me and Fish and Rapunzel will always back you guys up." he said as he launched another arrow that landed in the same target, right in the middle.

"Great." she said and smiled. "I'm glad to hear it."

The arrow had been his last and Astrid had run out as well. Pine needles cracked under his shoes as they retrieved arrow after arrow from the targets in silence and put them in their quivers. Among the quiet melody of the forest, his mind turned to other thoughts and when they had finished gathering the arrows, he decided to ask Astrid about it.

"Astrid?" he asked.

"Mhm?" she replied absent mindedly as she swung the quiver over her shoulders again and picked up her bow from the rock it was resting on.

"Can I ask you something personal?"

"Sure." she said

"Do you still…uhm…you know…do you still have feelings for me?" he said and hoped this topic wouldn't put Astrid in an awkward position.

Astrid was quiet for a moment. She pulled the bowstring back and released, the arrow hitting the target with a loud thud. She lowered her arms, holding the bow in one hand.

"Yeah, a little. But…it's getting better." she smiled at him. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

He studied her features, looking for anything that indicated the contrary. But Astrid's eyes were calm and her small smile was genuine and reassuring. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"Good." he returned the smile.

"You know, Hiccup…for what it's worth, I think you and Jack are good for each other." Astrid said, as she took out another arrow and drew her bow, eyes locked on the target.

"You do?"

"Yeah. He makes you happy, anyone can see that. And you're a good influence on him."

"How?"

Astrid's lips twitched when she let go of the bowstring and the arrow buried into the target. She turned and fixed her eyes on him. "Well…he's better at focusing now. I mean, he still goofs around, it's Jack after all, but…there's a better balance now. It's like he knows now when it's the proper time to be a class clown and when it's better to push everything down and get the job done. And…it doesn't hurt either that he seems to help _you_ let go of your worries."

"Yeah…he does."

"That's important." she said. "You have too much going on in that brain of yours."

"Tell me about it." he agreed. The last few months had been a mess for both his mind and body; the torture, Professor Cooke, the threat of the hostile tribes still looming over his home, everyone finding out about his and Jack's relationship, McGowan's, Levin's and Zamora's trial, the upcoming trial for Professor Cooke…it had been one hit after another.

But Jack had been there through everything.

He smiled to himself.

"Odin's beard…" Astrid said and scratched her cheek. "Stop thinking about your bloody boyfriend." she chuckled.

"Fine." he agreed and drew his bow.

Astrid pulled out another arrow from her quiver. "Come on, lover boy. Let's turn this into a little competition."

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

TIME SKIP: NEXT WEEK

No one could deny the awe the Hogwarts library instilled in you.

Tall walls of sand colored stone where light streamed through colossal windows to contrast the darkness. Majestic bookcases reaching for the impressive arched stone ceiling, packed to their limit with books of all sizes on every magical topic conceivable. The glossy dark floor boards, dented and scratched by being stepped on by wizards and witches for hundreds of years. The sheer age and wisdom of the room should be enough to impress anyone.

He and Hiccup had found a secluded spot in the back of the library by a table next to a large pointed arch window. The sun was hidden by endless granite clouds, a mild Spring drizzle making soft droplets trickle down the pale glass. Toothless rested on the table, black furry limbs tucked in neatly under his body. Sometimes he would follow their conversations, other times he would gaze in different directions, keeping an eye on everyone who passed by.

They were supposed to be studying. Getting some work done on that Potions assignment, they were partners on. Somehow, it had ended up turning into Old Norse lessons instead. Jack didn't want to take responsibility but it was completely his fault.

"So, what's this called then?" he asked and grabbed his wand.

_"__Vǫlr." _Hiccup said.

_"__Vǫlr." _he repeated, as best he could.

_"__Vǫlr." _Hiccup said again, enunciating the word.

_"__Vǫlr." _he said, trying to roll his tongue just right.

"Better." Hiccup smiled at him; a small smile dimmed by fatigue. Under his eyes the skin was darkened and his brown hair was messier than usual; a victim of frustrated fingers pulling and scratching.

Jack reached over the table and brushed his hand over Hiccup's sympathetically.

Hiccup had had a terrible day, filled with worries and lack of rest. He hadn't slept well last night, when they were together in the Room of Requirement. He continued to have nightmares on a regular basis about the torture, tossing and turning, mumbling words in Old Norse. Jack knew it was natural but that didn't comfort him. Earlier, he had had no idea what Hiccup was saying, but as he continued to learn more Old Norse, he could understand fragments of it. It didn't make it easier to watch his boyfriend in distress.

On top of the lack of sleep, Hiccup had received a letter this morning from his dad with updates on everything in the archipelago. Not only was Ivar the Bonesmasher still missing but the other hostile tribe leaders were nowhere to be found either. It was unnerving and left Hiccup stressed out. He didn't talk much about it but he had been unfocused in classes and retreated into his mind almost the entire day. Jack knew he was thinking about worst case scenarios and how he could protect his home and the ones he loved.

Later, Villieldr brought him another letter. This one was from the Ministry of Magic to inform him that Professor Cooke's trial had been carried out yesterday and he had been sentenced to life in Azkaban. The Wizengamot had judged so harshly because Professor Cooke had abused his status as a teacher and the knowledge he had of the inner workings of Hogwarts.

While it was good news that Professor Cooke had been convicted, Jack knew it reminded Hiccup of things he would rather forget. His thoughts were now circling around the torture and how someone he trusted had betrayed him.

He squeezed Hiccup's hand before he let go and pointed to his textbook. It was better for Hiccup to distract his mind with something else so he wouldn't succumb to the stress of worrying about things he had no control over. "This?" he asked.

"_Bók."_ Hiccup said.

"_Bók."_ he repeated. "Well, that one's not too difficult."

"Nope." Hiccup agreed.

"This?" he said and patted the table.

"Borð."

"Borð."

"Try again." Hiccup told him, clearly not satisfied with his pronunciation.

"Borð." he said, attempting to emulate how Hiccup had said it.

"Better." Hiccup nodded in approval.

"Ugh, why do you guys have to roll your tongues on the R's? And you have some of those weird letters I've never even seen anywhere else." he said, partly joking and partly being serious. Old Norse was a difficult language to learn, especially for someone who wasn't even used to speaking a language with similar sounds.

"I don't know, it's not like I invented the language." Hiccup told him with a tiny amused smile.

"Somehow, I'll find a way to make it your fault." he grinned and pointed his wand at him.

"I'm sure you will, Snowcone." Hiccup said without looking intimidated in the least.

Jack was about to open his mouth and shoot a clever remark back in his boyfriend's face, but Hiccup peeked to the right at something, trying to be discreet.

Jack wasn't fooled though. He glanced to the side and was surprised to see Wallace, a dark-haired Hufflepuff, walking by them with quick strides and a spooked expression on his face.

It sparked some thoughts in Jack that he'd had before. He had begun to notice a pattern; practically every time he saw Wallace and Hiccup was around, the guy looked positively terrified.

"Hey Hic?" he asked.

"Yeah?" Hiccup said though it sounded absent minded. He was staring out the window where the dark clouds bathed the earth in mild drops.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"What?"

"Why does Wallace look like he's about to shit his trousers every time he sees you?"

Hiccup bit his lip and didn't look away from the window. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you."

"Okay…?" he said, uncertainty squirming inside his chest.

"That Quidditch match when you were hit by the hexed Bludger?

"Yeah…?"

"Wallace did it."

"What?" he asked. He needed to hear it again to make sure he hadn't imagined it.

"He did it. I saw him." Hiccup said. He was speaking calmly but the tightness of his jaw and the way his fingertips suddenly dug into the wooden table told Jack he was angry.

"So…" he said, trying to process this information. "If you knew…why didn't you say anything?"

"I couldn't prove anything no matter what and…I was trying to prevent the others from beating him to a pulp or hexing him and getting themselves expelled." Hiccup explained and finally tore his gaze away from the rainclouds. His eyes were apologetic, like he was worried Jack might be angry.

He nodded slowly as he took this in. "But…why is he scared of you?"

"I might have…threatened him a little." Hiccup said reluctantly.

"What?"

"I needed to make sure he wouldn't try to hurt you again. Ever. So…I told him that if he ever messed with you, he'd be messing with me too. And that I wouldn't think twice about shoving his wand down his throat."

"Wow…" Jack said, surprised by this revelation. "But…back then we'd only been friends for a few weeks."

"Yeah, well…you were already becoming very important to me." Hiccup said with a careful smile.

"I must have, since you were willing to threaten someone to look out for me." he said, still surprised by that thought.

Hiccup nodded but didn't speak anymore.

Jack mulled this new information over for a little while, before he decided to interrupt the silence. "You must have been bloody scary for him to be so afraid of you."

"I was pretty furious..." Hiccup said with bitterness in his voice.

"I can imagine…I would feel the same way if it had been the other way around." he said, knowing with certainty that that was true. If anyone ever laid a hand on Hiccup, he would unleash an avalanche of frostbitten hurt on them.

Hiccup's eyes shined with appreciation before a frown appeared on his face. "I'm sorry for not telling you until now. I hope you're not mad about it."

"No…it's okay." he said. "It was a long time ago and…you were trying to protect me. And the others too."

"Yeah…" Hiccup said and sighed. "I don't know if I made the right choice but…at the time it was the only thing I knew how to do."

Jack nodded until another unanswered question emerged. "But…why would Wallace even want to hurt me? I've never done anything to him?"

"I don't know." Hiccup said. "That was the one thing I couldn't find out. He said he was sick of you and how everyone loves you and talks about you. I figured he liked a girl who was interested in you. That's usually the kind of thing that makes teenagers do stupid things like that."

"Yeah…" he agreed. "Wauw…I can't believe he hated me so much and I didn't even know."

"I don't think he hates you. I just think he blames you for his own problems."

"Maybe." he said. "Anyway, enough of all that serious stuff. We don't need more shit to worry about." he smiled softly and Hiccup nodded.

He pointed to Toothless with a silent question in his eyes. The black cat's green eyes gleamed with mild interest.

"Cat or dragon?" Hiccup asked.

"Why not both?" he shrugged.

"Cat…_kǫttr_." Hiccup explained. "Dragon…_dreki_."

_"__Kǫttr…Dreki… Kǫttr…Dreki…Kǫttr…Dreki."_ he chanted to himself to make his brain remember it.

"Add it to your notes?" Hiccup suggested.

"Yup. I'll do that." he agreed, flipping open the notebook he used to jot down words in Old Norse. He quickly added the new words, their meaning and the pronunciation.

Hiccup covered his mouth as a yawn slipped out. He blinked a few times in quick succession.

"Maybe we should call it a day." Jack said. He doubted Hiccup could focus much longer. It was already a dumb idea to try to study when he was this tired but his stubborn boyfriend had insisted it was fine.

"Yeah, maybe we should." Hiccup agreed.

They silently packed notes, quills and books into their bags and left the library with Toothless on their heels.

Through the castle hallways, Jack kept up his attempt of distracting Hiccup's mind by telling him more about the great Quidditch training he had yesterday. His teammates continued to be impressed by how much he had improved now that he had Blizzard. The broom Hiccup had made for him was faster than any of the others' and had incredibly maneuverability, allowing him to do sharper and quicker changes in directions and altitude than ever before – priceless improvement for a Seeker.

"I think some of the others are going to ask you if they can buy some brooms from you." he grinned.

"Huh." Hiccup said. "Well…I wasn't really planning on making more. Unless, maybe if Astrid or Merida want one at some point."

"They'd probably like one, because they're totally envious of Blizzard but…I don't think they'll ask you, because they know how much work you put into it."

"It is a lot of work, yeah." Hiccup agreed. "But fun too."

"Ugh, you're such a dork." he said and ruffled Hiccup's hair.

"And you're an idiot." Hiccup smiled, as they turned around a corner, coming face to face with two familiar boys.

"Hey guys." Harry said, his freckled face brightening in a white grin. Liam waved at them.

"Hey." Jack smiled, happy to run into his friends. Hiccup smiled too but it was dimmed by his lack of energy.

"Sorry, we haven't hung out in a while, mate." Harry said. "We've been swamped with this ridiculously ambitious Astronomy project."

"Yeah." Liam said. "It's going to be the death of us, I swear."

"No problem." Jack smiled. "We'll find time at some point."

"What about today?" Liam said. "We actually don't have anything planned after dinner."

Jack glanced at Hiccup. His green eyes dulled at that suggestion, like the last dying ember after a bonfire. Jack knew it wasn't because he didn't like Harry and Liam but because he just wanted to retract from the world. He was tired and stressed so socializing was probably the last thing on his mind.

"Now's actually not the best time for us." Jack said. "But maybe the day after tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure." Harry smiled. "After Care of Magical Creatures?"

"Yeah, it's a deal." Jack said, already looking forward to spending time with them. "We'll bring the others too."

"Great!" Liam said.

"So where are you guys heading?" Harry asked, looking back and forth between him and Hiccup.

"I'm not sure actually." he told them and looked at his boyfriend. "We were just going to relax a little."

"Oooooh." Harry grinned.

_"__Relax."_ Liam said, doing air quotes.

"I swear, you're almost as bad as Flynn." Jack shook his head, looking at Hiccup whose lips curved into a tiny but amused smile.

"We'll take that as a compliment." Harry said and Liam nodded.

"Tossers." Jack said and ruffled Harry's long, blonde hair.

"Hey now, don't talk that way to the handsomest guys in school." Harry said and gestured to him and Liam.

"You two?" Jack said. "I don't think so."

"By the way…" Liam said, turning serious. "Just a head's up: you should probably spend the next couple of nights in the dormitory, because a few people have been asking about you."

"What do you mean?"

"Like, late in the evening when everyone's going to bed, a few people have been asking where you were."

"What did you say?"

"Don't worry." Harry said. "We covered for you. We'll always cover for you. And Flynn and the others are there too of course."

"Thanks guys." he said. He and Hiccup would both get in trouble if the teachers found out they'd been sleeping in the Room of Requirement every once in a while.

"No problem." Liam said.

"Well, I think me and Hic will get going now."

"Sure, mate. See you." Harry said and patted him on the back.

"Yeah, see you guys." Liam said.

"Bye." Jack smiled and Hiccup waved.

"You could have spent some time with them, if you wanted." Hiccup said, as they strolled down the hallway again.

"I know that." he said. "But I'd rather be with you right now."

Hiccup nodded with a small smile but it faded all of the sudden and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh no." Hiccup sighed deeply.

"What?"

"Look." Hiccup said, his eyes fixed on something in the distance.

Jack looked down the passageway. A familiar group of girls stood close together in a suspiciously intimate half circle by one of the large stone columns. Their rosy lips gave birth to fast paced conversation and long shiny hair swished back and forth whenever they threw their heads back or leaned forward with shrill giggles.

Jack recognized them. They were a year younger than him and Hiccup and had taken an interest in their relationship. And by 'interest', he meant 'watching intently and giggling' every time they were around. They had other girls who clearly approved of their relationship but this particular group were the most obvious because they didn't even care about discretion.

"Oh…" he said, now understanding Hiccup's reaction.

"Yeah." Hiccup grumbled.

"Well, there's no way around it." he shrugged. "Just give the fangirls a wave and let's move on."

"Fine." Hiccup agreed.

"Just think of them as wild dragons." he grinned.

"Can't. I _prefer _wild dragons."

"Oh, I know." he chuckled. "But still…it's just a challenge to get through."

Hiccup rubbed his forehead. "Let's just get it over with."

"That's the spirit." he grinned and patted Hiccup on the back.

When they approached, one of the girls spotted them and whispered something to the others. In one second flat, five pairs of eyes were locked on them.

"Hi Jack. Hi Hiccup." one of them, a Hufflepuff with a brown French braid and large blue eyes that reminded him of a doll, said and waved. Jack had long ago identified her as the 'leader' of this little group.

"Hi." he put on one of his confident, toothy smiles.

Hiccup managed a reluctant wave, fulfilling his promise without any enthusiasm.

As soon as they acknowledged them, the girls broke down in a fit of giggles and huddled closer together to whisper, like they were hatching an evil plan. That thought left sourness stinging in his chest.

"Every time." Hiccup said, when they had left them behind.

"I know." he said. "It'll probably blow in time."

"Let's hope so." Hiccup sighed. "It's getting old."

Toothless hissed from next to them.

"Yeah, you said it, bud." Hiccup told the black cat.

"Yeah…" he said. "I kind of agree with you both there."

"Really? I thought you just found it funny?"

He shrugged. "I just…it's become a bit much lately. And since everything that happened with Chloe, I guess I just don't have the same tolerance anymore. Is that bad?"

"No." Hiccup said softly. "It's not bad."

They wandered aimlessly through the hallways and Jack resumed talking about Quidditch, this time to give them both something else to think about. He let Hiccup decide where to go and he soon realized that his boyfriend was guiding them towards Ravenclaw Tower. He probably wanted some safe, comfy surroundings to rest and that was more than fine by Jack. He didn't care where they went as long as they could keep each other company.

The corridors became more and more deserted the closer they got to the tower. That wasn't unusual. Dinner time was approaching so the other students were either heading to the Great Hall or squeezing in some last minute socializing with their friends from other houses.

He was in the middle of regaling Hiccup with the magnificent story of how he stole Merida's beater's bat during practice and started swinging at Bludgers, when they spotted something in the distance that made them both stop.

"Oh god, not _those_ guys." Jack groaned.

Further down the corridor, Jarvis, Know and Kinney had surrounded someone against one of the stone walls. Their rigid body language and the sneers on their faces made it clear that they were threatening someone.

"We need to do something." Hiccup said.

"Yeah." he agreed.

They strode towards them with determination. Jack's muscles twitched with uncertainty and he mentally tried to prepare himself for whatever was about to come.

"Hey twats!" he said and the three guys turned their heads towards them, showing hostile eyes and sagging mouths.

He and Hiccup had reached them by then. "Back off." he added.

"Well well well." Jarvis smiled sweetly. "Look who's here. The new couple."

"Back. Off." Jack repeated and kept staring straight into his eyes. Jarvis was taller and more muscular than him but that didn't mean he would hesitate in challenging him. From next to Hiccup, Toothless hissed and narrowed his green eyes.

Jarvis and Kinney stepped closer to them, revealing the person behind them.

It was Liana. The sweet brunette Hufflepuff who not only shared the Building, Managing and Repairing Magical Objects class with Hiccup, but who had seen McGowan, Levin and Zamora drag him into the workshop and had gone running for help. She was the reason Hiccup was still alive.

Know kept his grip tight on Liana's arm and with her skinny frame, there was little she could do. Her eyes were asking them for help to get out of this.

"Why on earth should we back off?" Jarvis asked casually, as if there was nothing unusual about this situation. "We're just having a friendly chat with Liana here." he added and patted her cheek. The way she winced from the contact was heartbreaking. It was definitely not the first time these guys had bothered her.

"There's nothing friendly about what you're doing." Hiccup said, his eyes drifting from person to person. Jack knew he was planning strategies for a potential fight and thinking about the possible outcomes.

"Well, that's not really up to you to decide now is it, Haddock?" Jarvis said, his voice now carrying a sharp warning.

"Actually it is, since you're hurting her." Hiccup said and cast a concerned glance at Liana, who kept quiet out of fear and tried to make herself as small as possible.

Jarvis scoffed. "We're not hurting her. We're just talking."

"Yeah, right." Jack snapped, already growing impatient with this. "You need to leave her alone."

Jarvis stalked towards him. "Or what?"

"Or we'll have to _make _you do it." he said and motioned to himself and Hiccup.

"That'd be interesting." Jarvis smirked. "Maybe you shouldn't make threats you can't follow through on."

"Who says he can't?" Hiccup said.

Jarvis squinted as if considering his answer.

"Look. Just let her go and leave." he said, hoping to solve this without too much conflict.

"No." Jarvis said. "You're not the boss of us."

"Doesn't matter." Hiccup said. "You're clearly bothering her. And we want you to leave her alone."

Jarvis stepped even closer, standing only a few feet from Hiccup. If Hiccup was feeling any uncertainty or concern, he didn't show it in the slightest. His face remained a blank mask and his body language was strong and confident, signaling that he believed in his own abilities if this turned ugly.

Toothless arched his back and his fur bristled. He may just be a cat right now, but there was no doubt he was able to do some serious damage too.

"Oh really? And what are you going to do about it, Haddock?" Jarvis challenged Hiccup with a mocking head tilt.

"Are you seriously trying to get him to fight you?" Jack asked in disbelief. "I know you're a tosser but you can't possibly be _that _stupid."

Everyone in school knew Hiccup could fight. Only an idiot would try to attack him.

"We're three against one." Jarvis said, a gloating smile stretching his thin lips.

"Uhm, nooo." Jack said, like he was speaking to a slow child. "You're three against _two_."

Technically, three, since Toothless would never let them fight by themselves.

Jarvis rolled his eyes. "Like you're any use to him, Frost."

"Jack can hold his own." Hiccup said calmly. "He could definitely kick _your_ ass if he wanted to."

Jarvis held Hiccup's gaze and kept his words trapped behind his teeth. Something flickered in his eyes; a fragile doubt growing through cracks in his confidence.

Jack realized he was beginning to consider backing down. Despite being a narcissist and therefore reliant on his massive ego and pride, Jarvis was not the type to get into physical fights. He much preferred verbal abuse and manipulation. Hiccup's assurance that Jack could back him up had left an indecision brewing in Jarvis' mind. Was it better to stand down and swallow the damage on his pride or to gamble and risk getting his ass kicked?

Know and Kinney must have figured out their 'leader's predicament. Kinney shifted his weight back and forth restlessly, his small eyes fixed on Jarvis in an attempt to read him. Know had loosened the grip on Liana a little and rubbed his free hand on his trousers.

Jarvis focused his attention solely on Hiccup and the two of them stared into each other's eyes for a moment. Nobody made a sound as they all waited for Jarvis to decide if he wanted to fight or leave.

Jarvis finally tore his eyes off Hiccup and gave Know a curt nod. Know released Liana, who rushed towards him and Hiccup to get as far away from the others as possible.

Jarvis motioned for his friends to follow him and they obeyed with a word. The three Slytherins moved hastily down the corridor, their sharp strides powered by the frustration of defeat. He and Hiccup kept an eye on them all the way down to the corner of the hallway.

Know and Kinney disappeared around the stone wall but Jarvis took one last look at them. "Fucking faggots!" he spat, before he vanished out of view.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!? COME BACK HERE AND SAY THAT?!" he bellowed and took a few steps forward, despite the fact that they were gone now. The anger flared inside him, shooting blistering sparks through his blood.

Hiccup put a calming hand on his shoulder. "Ignore them. They're idiots."

"Yeah, but we can't just let them say that shit!" he said and pointed to the corner where the three Slytherins had just been.

"I know, I know." Hiccup agreed. "But when they spit it out right before leaving, we shouldn't go after them and start a fight. They're cowards. They don't even have the guts to say it to our faces."

Jack took a deep breath and tried to will the anger away.

"Are you okay, Liana?" Hiccup asked.

"Uhm, yeah…" she said and rubbed her arm. The white skin was pink where Know's fingers had dug into it, leaving red marks like an oddly distributed sunburn. It must have hurt.

"You sure?" Jack asked softly, having forced his rage down. He didn't want to scare the poor girl with his frustrations. "It looked like a pretty unpleasant situation."

"Yeah…" she said, eyes downcast. One of her dainty hands fiddled with the hem of her white school shirt.

"We won't tell anyone." Hiccup said with a gentle reassurance. Jack wondered if that was the same voice he used to calm dragons. "You can trust us."

Liana peeked at them through her brown fringe. "They've been bothering me for a while." she mumbled.

"Why?" Jack asked, wondering what she could have done to get on their bad side. Liana was a quiet girl who kept to herself, like she was guarding her inner world from everyone. She was shy and rarely spoke to anyone but she had a kind nature.

"They want my homework." she said, refusing to look at them. "Mostly for Charms…"

"We have Charms together…I've never seen them talk to you in class?" he asked.

"Of course not." Liana said, a hint of sadness sneaking into her voice. "They're jerks but they're not stupid…If they did it in class, Professor Mansnoozie would notice."

"So…they wait until no one's around?" Hiccup asked and wrinkled his nose with disgust.

"Yeah…pretty much." she said quietly, fingers twitching by her sides, unable to keep still. She was clearly nervous and embarrassed about being in this situation at all.

"Have you told the teachers?" he asked.

"There's nothing they can do." she said. "Unless they catch them in the act, I have no proof of anything. And they can't punish them without proof."

"Liana…" Hiccup said and stood in front of her. "If they ever bother you again…you let us know. Okay?"

"I don't want to drag you guys into this." she said. "It's not your problem."

"Don't be ridiculous." Jack said. "They're hurting you. We can't just let that happen."

"You're a good person. You don't deserve that." Hiccup said.

"Thanks." She said. "I hope you're not just doing this because of…you know…that day."

"No." Jack said. "We're not…Look…I'm _eternally _grateful for what you did for Hiccup but…even if you hadn't been there that day, we would never let them hurt you."

Hiccup nodded. "I know what it's like…to be cornered and not be able to fight back. To be forced to accept that you're either going to fold or be in a world of pain. I would never want that for you."

Liana's lips moved ever so slightly in a careful smile. "Thanks…both of you…I think you're one of the few people here who know what this is like, Hiccup…but who's actually able to stand up for himself now…"

Hiccup smiled at her. "Just…promise me you'll tell us if they hurt you again?"

She nodded. "I promise…and thank you, again."

"Any time." Jack said and meant it.

"I should go now…" Liana said, looking down the corridor. "I need to get to the Great Hall."

"Of course." Hiccup said. "We'll see you."

"Yeah. And take care, okay?" Jack added.

"I will…" she agreed before leaving them alone in the passageway.

"Well…that was just what I needed after a horrible day." Hiccup sighed. Toothless rubbed his lean, furry body against Hiccup's legs and Hiccup bent down to stroke him a few times.

"Yeah, I know." Jack said. "It's been pretty rough today, huh?"

"Yeah." Hiccup agreed. He rubbed his forehead as a sigh blew past his teeth. "I just want to take a shower now and go to bed."

An idea sparked in Jack's mind.

He would need to convince Hiccup but it would be brilliant and a great way for his boyfriend to relax and push the troubles out of his brain.

"Hey, Hic?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's go this way." he said and pointed to another corridor.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

"Admit this was a really good idea." Jack said as they both slid into the warm water of the huge bath, surrounded by massive stone pillars and solid steps of white marble.

Hiccup sighed happily as he sat down on one of the steps inside the bath. The water lapped at the middle of his chest and the pleasant heat blanketing his skin reached into his muscles and melted away the strain of his worries.

"Fine…this was a good idea." he said and smiled tiredly.

"A _really_ good idea!" Jack insisted with a bright smile.

"A _really_ good idea." he agreed and rolled his eyes.

The darkness of early evening had devoured the sun but the pearly radiance of the full moon gleamed through the tall windows circling half of the large bath. One of these windows was made of stained glass in shades of blue and green, picturing a mermaid on a rock in the middle of a river.

The surface of the water was a snowy landscape; decorated with a thick, fluffy layer of white foam, covering their bodies from view. Like they were bathing among bulbous clouds of sparkling frost. The warm shine from the few lamps hanging on the stone walls painted the endless bubbles with flakes of gold.

"I'm still bloody sore all over from fighting practice yesterday." Jack groaned as he stretched his arms out under the water.

"But you're improving a lot." he smiled.

"Thanks." Jack said. "Do you think it'll be long before me and the others can try to actually fight each other?"

Hiccup hummed as he considered that. He rested his elbows on the edge of the bath. "You're not ready just yet, that's for sure."

"Probably not." Jack agreed. "Man, it takes a long time to get good at fighting."

"It takes years."

"Yeah. A long time." Jack repeated.

Hiccup chuckled. "I know patience isn't always your thing but…just stick with it and you'll get really good."

"Yeah, I'll do my best." Jack agreed. "Who knew, though?"

"Knew what?"

"That you and Fishlegs can be such drill sergeants?"

"Oh please…if you think we're being tough on you, imagine being taught by Astrid."

"Bloody hell…I'm not sure I would survive that." Jack chuckled. "But Mer would probably love it."

"Yeah, I'm sure she would. Those two together would be seriously lethal."

"Oh yeah." Jack agreed. "They're dangerous enough as it is when they're together for Quidditch."

"Definitely." he smiled and plunged his arms into the water again, savoring the way the heat seeped back into his flesh.

Jack gathered foam in his palms and blew on it, making small bubbles float into the air like a swarm of tiny glass air balloons. He did it repeatedly, watching the bubbles with that childish glee in his eyes that Hiccup adored. Jack never failed to find joy and fun in even the smallest things. It was a special gift that had to be cherished and protected.

He sunk further into the water, closed his eyes and rested his neck on the edge of the bath. He slowed down his breathing and concentrated on how the pleasant burning in his bones consumed fragments of his stress.

It had been a rough day. One of those days where everything goes wrong. That's why Jack had managed to persuade him to sneak into the prefects' bathroom. There were only showers in their dormitories and the promise of a relaxing, hot bath where he could soak in the warm water had been too tempting.

He could hear Jack take the soap from the edge of the bath, water sloshing around with his movements. He assumed his boyfriend was washing himself and despite how enticing that thought was, he couldn't be bothered to open his eyes.

Suddenly, a gentle hand rubbed his wet shoulder. "Hey…" Jack said.

"Hmm?" he mumbled, not caring about forming coherent words.

"Feeling some of that stress fade away?"

"Yeah…" he sighed.

"Good." Jack said and there was a suspicious hint of amusement in his voice now.

Great. Now he _had_ to open his eyes. He slowly forced his eyelids up, only to find his boyfriend grinning at him.

"What are you planning?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing nothing…" Jack said innocently and looked the other way briefly. "Just THIS!" Jack started thrashing his hands in the water, splashing foam topped waves at him.

He blinked the water out of his eyes, even as more water kept dousing his face. "Oh, it's on!" he said and began shoving water towards Jack as quickly as he could, forgetting his own fatigue.

They flailed their arms everywhere, trying desperately to get the other to surrender. Water sloshed all around them in the huge bath, sprinkling a myriad of tiny drops and soft bubbles into the air. They both laughed as they kept up their little competition, refusing to back down. They yelled taunts at each other and screamed homemade battle cries, as they forced white foam and warm water in each other's faces. In that moment, they were like two children in a tub.

But it was hard work to keep moving water around and after a while, they both grew tired and their frantic movements gradually slowed down. Large waves turned to pathetic ripples. The noise of water splashing calmed to a dull squelching. Hiccup's stomach was cramping from fits of laughter and Jack was trying to catch his breath. Both of them were drenched with soap running down their skin and bubbles in their hair.

"Truce?" Jack asked breathlessly, in between remnants of giggles.

"Hmm…" he said, squinting at Jack to pretend like he actually had to think about it. "Okay." he agreed.

"Good. My arms are killing me." Jack smiled.

"Yeah, me too." he said and rested them by his sides.

They sat in the water quietly for a moment, catching their breath and relaxing in the lovely heat. Hiccup found himself thinking it was a good thing the bathroom was up here on the fifth floor since it had so many windows.

"You know…I'm not much for hot baths but-" Jack suddenly began.

"Oh really?" he interrupted him. "You, Jack _Frost_, lover of all things cold and wintery, isn't much for hot baths? I never would have guessed."

"Well, look who managed to unleash a week's worth of sass all at once there?" Jack said and poked him on the side of the head. "Anyway…I'm not much for hot baths but there are certain…advantages to them."

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like…" Jack said and inched closer, so they were sitting shoulder to shoulder. "Soaking in warm water with a naked Viking."

"Huh…" Hiccup smiled. "You like naked Vikings?"

"There's a certain naked Viking I like." Jack told him. "Although I have to admit…he's kind of annoying. I only like him because he's hot."

"Hmm…" he said. "Well…I'm sorry Jack, but I'm pretty sure Fishlegs only wants to be friends."

Jack splashed water on to his face. He flinched from the sudden wet intrusion and blinked the drops out of his eyes.

"Idiot." Jack laughed and shook his head.

"What?" he asked innocently before wiping his eyes with wet fists.

"You know bloody well I wasn't talking about Fishlegs." Jack grinned.

"Then…I don't know who you were talking about?" he asked and shrugged. "I mean…_I'm _not annoying, so it couldn't possibly be me."

Jack got to his feet and the water squelched as his boyfriend stopped in front of him. A myriad of drops trickled down his slender, pale body like miniature waterfalls. Jack looked down at him, a familiar predatory spark igniting in his blue eyes.

Hiccup's heartbeat raced with anticipation. He was left momentarily speechless, while he waited to find out where this situation was leading. Judging from the look in his boyfriend's eyes, Jack was in the mood for a special kind of mischief.

Jack carefully crawled on to him, resting his knees on each side of Hiccup's thighs. Their naked cocks slid against each other in the warm water and by Freyja, Hiccup was already getting seriously turned on by this.

"No." Jack said and leaned closer to his face. "You're not annoying."

"Well, thank you for-" he was about to throw a sarcastic remark in Jack's face, but then those pale lips attacked his neck and throat, nipping and sucking and kissing. He choked on the words as the blood in his body surged downwards. Jack's white teeth scraped along his sensitive skin, his warm tongue dragged lazily over his throat, lips gently pressed down on him like the touches of a soft flower.

"Jaaaack…" he protested weakly even though he didn't want Jack to stop. The irresistible burn of desire was being awakened inside him but gods, this _really _wasn't the place for…_that_.

Jack hummed, his warm breath buzzing on Hiccup's skin. He could feel Jack smiling against his throat and before he could blink, his boyfriend resumed his merciless assaults.

He leaned back his head to feel more of Jack's mouth on him. This was against his better judgment but he couldn't help himself. _Odin_, that mouth was so ridiculously talented and by now in their relationship, Jack knew all the places that pulled the plug on his brain and made his body twitch with impatient lust.

His throat had dried up and his lungs stuttered with shallow breaths. When Jack's tongue crawled teasingly under his chin, while a pale hand rubbed up and down his chest, he shuddered and knew he had to do something. This was leading to somewhere it wasn't supposed to.

"Jack, come _on_…we're in the bathroom." he protested and much to his regret, his voice was shaky with need already.

"I know where we are." Jack whispered against his skin. "And I don't care."

Hiccup's cock hardened from the underlying lewd promises. Gods...this was unbearably hot. Jack's heated breaths on his neck, his low voice filled with desire, his knees on each side of Hiccup's thighs, their drenched, soapy bodies so close to each other.

"What if someone hears us?" he managed to say in between his quick breaths, pulling on the last threads of rationality he could grasp at.

"No one is going to hear anything." Jack said before planting one last kiss on his throat and brushing his nose against the skin in a loving gesture.

Hiccup had his doubts about that though. They could both get pretty loud during sex. It spurred them on but made it difficult to be discreet.

"And even if they do…" Jack muttered in his ear. "I. Don't. Care."

And that was it.

Jack had crumbled any reservations in Hiccup's mind about this. His dick was now insufferably swollen and longing for them to just have each other right here in the bathroom. A thrill tickled in his stomach from the idea of having sex in a public place where they could get caught and the fact that Jack couldn't even wait for them to get to the Room of Requirement to fuck only made it hotter.

Jack's mouth left his ear and they stared into each other's eyes, mesmerized by the yearning hiding in each other's dark pupils. They both knew what was going to happen now.

Slender, pale fingers disappeared into the water and brushed up and down Hiccup's cock. He sucked in a breath from the blissful touch and Jack's lips formed a crooked smile when he discovered how utterly hard he was; a clear invitation for Jack to continue touching him. Gods, how he needed him to keep touching, no matter what.

Jack leaned forward and that soft, tempting mouth was so close to him. They breathed with parted lips, warm sweet air calling for him to tear Jack apart with slow deep kisses until both their minds were raw and wanting.

It was too much for him to handle. Jack was straddling him with one hand stroking his cock teasingly, his pale body slick with water and his white locks gleaming beautifully in the soft light.

He rubbed his palms along Jack's soapy, naked back with a certainty in his heart that his fingertips would never have their fill.

"Don't you want this?" Jack murmured, his hungry eyes pouring fuel on the bonfire in Hiccup's veins. Drops of water made it down Jack's face at an excruciatingly slow pace and Hiccup had the strong urge to lick them away. To lick and kiss every inch he could reach.

He groaned. Jack knew very well he couldn't resist him when he poked that primal instinct inside him.

"You know I do." he admitted.

"Then…let's play." Jack whispered.

Hiccup closed the gap and swiped his tongue over Jack's bottom lip, smothering the water drops. Their lips met in sweltering kisses, tongues swirling and licking in each other's mouths, writing passionate stories of sweet surrender.

Hiccup found Jack's cock under the water, while their mouths filled the air with wet smacking sounds, expressing their aching need. It was just as stiff as his own and Jack gasped into their fiery kisses, when he softly caressed it with his fingertips.

Jack tore his lips away to lick teasingly on his ear. The warm wetness tickled his sensitive skin and sent a shiver through him. When Jack folded his fingers around his throbbing cock, Hiccup had no choice but to moan, as his boyfriend began to please him slowly in the warm water.

His fingertips dug into Jack's ass, kneading it hard to release some of his sexual frustration. He tried to roll his hips and bury his dick deeper in Jack's palm but Jack softened his grip and slowed the kisses on his ear.

He knew what Jack was doing.

He was trying to get him to play rough. Hiccup had learned his boyfriend liked it when he let go of his restraint sometimes. When the desire filled him up to the point, where he got impatient and had to take the lead.

Well, two could play at that game. If Jack wanted it so badly, he was going to give it to him.

He pushed Jack backwards and quickly switched their positions, water and bubbles sloshing around from his sudden movements. He turned Jack around, pressed his swollen cock against his ass and forced him to bend over the edge.

"There he is." Jack breathed victoriously, leaning his soaked upper body out of the bath.

"Well, you wanted this, didn't you?" he asked, though he already knew.

"Oh yesss." Jack whispered and pushed his ass back further against Hiccup's dick.

Hiccup leaned to the side and grabbed Jack's backpack lying on the marble edge. He rummaged through it and found the lube and condoms Jack kept there, for occasions such as this.

After rubbing a generous amount of the clear, cold gel onto his fingers, he held on to Jack's hip with one hand and began prepping him with the other. He was gentle and patient, waiting for Jack to give him a sign every time before moving on. He placed rows of delicate kisses along his boyfriend's soft lower back and rubbed his hip with soothing fingertips, telling him to take as long as he needed. They had done this quite a few times by now but going slow was still important.

Hiccup didn't mind. He enjoyed slowly preparing Jack, having his fingers inside that wonderful, warm moistness. He loved caressing Jack's hips and raining chaste kisses on his delectable skin. The skin only _his _privileged lips got to taste.

The hormones raged inside him as his fingers slipped in and out of Jack's delicious ass. Naughty images of what they were about to do made his cock swell with impatience but his priority was making it good for Jack; to lavish him with gentle love and then make him scream with delight until his lungs were aching.

Luckily for Hiccup's restless teenage dick, it didn't take long for Jack to adjust. Soon his boyfriend was panting for more, pushing his ass backwards in short jerks. Hiccup groaned involuntarily at the insufferably hot display. Jack was thirsty for more pleasure and Hiccup was more than willing to oblige. He pushed his dripping fingers in and out of Jack's warm, soft opening quicker and quicker, eliciting wonderfully greedy sounds from Jack's tantalizing lips.

Jack's lithe back rippled as his muscles clenched to the rhythm of Hiccup's lube gleaming fingers. He reached deeper and deeper inside his boyfriend, reveling in the way Jack trembled on unsteady legs like he was about to collapse.

Keeping up the fast pace, he leaned over Jack and moaned in his ear. "Gods, you're so perfect. I love you so much."

He needed Jack to know how amazing he was. That he held his heart in his soft, pale palms. That he could spark a searing wildfire in his blood that no one else could.

Jack's answer was an unbelievably loud, breathy moan, reverberating between the walls.

Jack was definitely ready. And so was he.

He pulled his fingers out and took in his boyfriend's slippery back with a feverish desire in his heart. That delicious pale skin glistened in the soft light, every inch covered by a myriad of shining water drops. Clusters of bubbles rested in beautiful, glimmering patterns and watery soap slowly slid down Jack's back in ghostly trails.

He was so achingly beautiful. Hiccup would never tire of drinking him in, of running his fingers along every part of him, of devouring him in their passionate love making.

"Tell me what you want." he told Jack breathlessly. He wanted to hear those filthy words spilling from Jack's sinful lips.

"I want…" Jack began between shallow breaths. He dipped his back, pushing his ass further up, before he glanced back at him.

Hiccup swallowed from the amazing sight.

Jack's cheeks were flushed pink and his chest heaved from the strain of his moans. His blue eyes were glazed over with arousal and snow-white tresses clung to his forehead, soaked and drizzling with sparkling drops. A mischievous smile played on Jack's lips, as they stared into each other's eyes. It was a dark smile that made Hiccup's breath stutter.

Shit. How could Jack always have that effect on him?

"I want you to fuck me." Jack told him shamelessly.

His cock jerked with lust from those lewd words. He would never be able to say no to that.

His flesh searing with pent up desire, he grabbed Jack's hips and pushed against his boyfriend's ass. Gods, how he loved that ass. It was firm and inviting, teasing him with the pleasure that waited for him inside.

"Are you ready for me?" he asked for permission.

"Yesss." Jack sighed and turned his face away.

That was all he needed to hear. He quickly got a condom on and coated his cock with plenty of lube, desperate to fuck Jack as fast as possible.

He poked Jack's lube dripping opening before sliding all the way inside. Jack sighed with pleasure and Hiccup gasped from the exquisite bliss of warm wetness grabbing onto his cock from all angles.

Finally.

"Shit, I need this so much..." he exhaled sharply and let his wet fingers glide down Jack's slippery back.

It wasn't a lie. He needed to forget his troubles. What better way to do that than to lose himself in the amazing feel and sounds of the guy he loved?

"Me too." Jack panted.

Hiccup rolled his hips, gently sliding in and out of Jack's wonderful slickness. He moaned with satisfaction and began to color Jack's snowy back with nibbles and kisses.

"Oh my god." Jack sighed, fingers pressing down hard onto the white marble.

"You feel so amazing." he breathed against Jack's milky skin. Jack always felt amazing. Warm and soft, moist and addictive. It never ceased to fry Hiccup's brain.

Jack shuddered in response to the compliment and goosebumps spilled across his back. Hiccup caught delicious, soaked skin between his teeth and left more marks along his boyfriend's juicy flesh.

He fucked Jack softly with lazy strokes, taking his time to savor this impulsive first taste of public sex. Jack moaned his delight and it mingled in the air with Hiccup's harsh breaths.

"Yesyesyes." Jack murmured. "Yesss. That feels so good."

Hiccup's dick twitched inside Jack's dripping heat and the words made a devious plan form in his mind. It would be tough for him to hold back but it would make everything even more amazing in the end.

He slowly slid out of Jack, watching how his hard cock gleamed with lube in the glow of the lamps and the pale moon.

Jack grunted in disapproval. "Come oooon, Hic." he panted and arched his back encouragingly. "Don't tease me like that."

Hiccup's lips formed a small smile. He leaned over Jack's back and kissed him on his ear before nipping on it. "I'll do whatever I want, Jack." he whispered. "I think you deserve to be teased."

The way Jack sucked in a breath and his body trembled in response, was exactly what Hiccup wanted. And now he knew: Jack found it hot to be teased. To be told he couldn't get what he wanted.

He delved his fingers into Jack's sides and kissed a trail down his back, tasting warm water and bubbles on his tongue. When he reached the lower back, he showered him with soft brushes of lips in that exquisite curve.

"Come on, Hic." Jack whined.

"No." he said and wrapped his arms around Jack's waist, resting his chest on his back. He reached for his boyfriend's cock. It was stiff and warm in his curled fingers, dripping with water. He slowly moved his grip up and down, pleasuring Jack just enough to make him squirm and moan but not enough to give him what he craved. "That prank you pulled on me…" he growled in his ear. "It's time for payback."

Jack's cock hardened in Hiccup's hand and he couldn't help smiling with delight at his boyfriend's reaction. Jack weakly pushed further into his hand for more friction but Hiccup made sure he didn't get it.

He lavished Jack's swollen cock with delicate touches and licked and kissed across his soft back. He brushed his fingertips along the length of the shaft, he circled the head with his thumb, he pulled on the poor needy cock a few times for extra pleasure and then went back to the almost non-existent touches. He did everything he could to tease.

Jack wriggled restlessly against him, needy whimpers leaving his throat. His pale fingers crawled back and forth over the marble as if trying to get those unbearable urges out somehow. Hiccup savored tormenting his boyfriend like this; it was unbelievably hot to pleasure Jack's exquisite body, filling him with animalistic greed. He wanted Jack's mind to rip itself to shreds from the wild yearning pooling inside him until he would beg to be fucked.

And he was hoping he could be strong and hold back.

Jack's amazing cock in his hand, the eager sounds he made, the thought of ramming into him right here in the stone bath. It made drool collect in the corners of his mouth.

His own dick was rock hard, begging for the thrill of sex. He rubbed it against Jack's ass, while he slid two fingers over the head of Jack's cock, smearing hot pre-cum over the skin.

"Oh god." Jack moaned and slammed his fingertips onto the marble. "Oh god…more, Hic. Please…more…"

Hiccup bit his lip hard and kept up the slow pace that was driving his boyfriend mad.

Jack was desperate for it now. His confident, stubborn, mischievous boyfriend was begging him for his cock and it was taking everything Hiccup had to avoid giving in and pushing inside that tempting warmth. Gods, how he wanted to fuck him deeply and sink his nails into his flesh. Hear him scream without a care that someone might hear them. Feel their bodies shake as they both came.

"Hic, come on….more." Jack breathed and a long moan tore itself from his mouth as Hiccup decided to tighten his grip around the leaking cock. "Hiccup!…Hic…I want-"

"I know what you want." he whispered and pulled himself upright. He kneaded Jack's ass with both his hands and stared at that enticing body.

Hiccup knew he couldn't do this anymore. He was getting desperate to have his dick pushed deep inside him. "Shit, I can't wait any longer."

He aligned himself with Jack's ass and plunged inside, the silky heat clamping down on his thirsty cock. They moaned their pleasure loudly in unison, as he took Jack right there in the prefects' bathroom.

Someone could come in. Someone could see Jack's naked, dripping body bent over the edge and Hiccup fucking him like there was no tomorrow. But that only made it more exciting. They were having sex in a bathroom in their school, their loud sounds echoing among the stone walls. It was risky. Dirty. And so hot Hiccup knew he wouldn't last long.

"Ohhhh! Hiccup! Ah!" Jack cried and parted his legs as wide as he could to give him more access. The view of his boyfriend desperately spreading his legs for him left Hiccup moaning Jack's name and he rolled his hips faster, the sounds of wet skin slapping together and heavy panting drowning out any other noise.

It wasn't sweet and gentle anymore. His stiff, lube coated cock snapped in and out of Jack, reaching deep inside to make him scream with pleasure. Heat radiated from their skin and thickened the air around them with the smell of sex. Their bodies melted together, blistering with lust, the chill of the evaporating water forgotten.

"Oh god, yes! Yes!" Jack moaned over and over as Hiccup jerked his hips faster to bring them both closer to the release they desperately wanted.

"Fuck! Harder! Oh god, harder!" Jack begged him and clenched his fists, his body trembling.

"Oh gods, you're so hot." Hiccup panted, almost unable to breathe, and sunk his nails into Jack's fleshy ass. He gave his boyfriend what he wanted and fucked Jack harder with powerful but sloppy strokes. They were both getting close now and Jack's greedy cries for more were so arousing Hiccup could feel the beginnings of an orgasm tightening inside him.

"Hiccup!" Jack gasped, fingers raking across marble. "Oh god! Yes! Yes! YES!"

"Jack…" he moaned and left scratch marks down Jack's heaving back. He frantically kept up the fast pace, drowning in the urgency of his approaching orgasm. He couldn't wait to come deep inside Jack's intoxicating warmth and feel that heavenly ecstasy overtake him. He watched his wet dick glide into his boyfriend and back out, glossy with lube and _Jack_.

"Jack!...I'm getting close." he choked out, struggling to find the words. Jack was flooding his senses on every level; nothing mattered but being buried inside him, feeling Jack's tight muscles squirming around his cock, his smooth, burning heat melting away the world.

"Yesss…Please…yessss." Jack murmured. He pressed his ass back against Hiccup and they bumped together in a blazing frenzy, controlled by the haze of pure carnal desire. Hiccup groaned and kept thrusting into Jack over and over, the promise of that sweet high and Jack's sinful noises spurring him on.

His face felt scorching from the sweltering air and the pressure grew to torturous heights inside him, knotting tightly in his lower body. He was so close now, he could almost taste it.

Just a little while longer…just a little…more…Oh gods, he wanted to come so badly…

"Jack! Ah!" he cried out as the orgasm rampaged through his body, rattling his bones and filling his head with sweet euphoric buzzing that could rival any drug. Warm cum streamed from his cock and he scratched Jack's hips and moaned his name as the storm of pleasure wrecked him.

A sliver of reality came back to him and he reached around Jack and grabbed hold of his cock, pumping up and down quickly, needing to get Jack to this high with him.

Jack stood up and trembled in his embrace, throwing his head back. Broken breaths and loud chanting of "Yes! Yes!" seeped from Jack's lips and Hiccup basked in the remnants of his ecstasy. His chest heaved and his head swam with joy, as he pleasured Jack to make him come undone.

"That's it. Yes…yes…that's it!" Jack moaned, sounding feverish now. Hiccup kissed gently along his sweaty neck where white strands still dripped. Jack shuddered when he hummed lovingly against his creamy skin, brushing his nose over one of his shoulder blades as he continued to jerk him off fast.

"Hiccup, I'm close." was all Jack managed to say before his legs shook and he came in pearly ribbons across the marble, gasping Hiccup's name. His slender body quaked with the power of his euphoric orgasm and Hiccup held on to him, feeling every twitch and shiver.

When Jack stilled, Hiccup released him and instantly slumped down on one of the stone steps in the bath, warm water reaching his navel. His mind hummed with pleasant exhaustion and his limbs felt like melted candles. He was amazed that he had managed to stay standing for this long.

Jack grinned at him and he was a heavenly sight with flushed cheeks and glossy eyes. He took Jack's hand and pulled him down towards him. Jack sat down one step below, resting his head against Hiccup's stomach. He wrapped his arms around Jack's neck and they both sighed from the relaxation of sexual satisfaction.

He leaned forward and kissed moist white locks. "That…was just what I needed." he told Jack before resting his back against the edge of the bath again.

"Yeah." Jack chuckled. "Me too. There's seriously_ no_ better way to de-stress, am I right?" he asked and Hiccup could practically sense the happy grin on his boyfriend's face.

"Definitely." he agreed and smiled, before squeezing Jack closer.

"So…was that your revenge?" Jack asked.

"Oh no." Hiccup said. "You're still not off the hook."

Jack chuckled. "You're hell bent on making me pay, aren't you?"

"Yeah, definitely." Hiccup grinned.

"Well, whatever…I'm not frightened, dragon boy." Jack said. "Besides…I'm too relaxed now…" he sighed and leaned further back on Hiccup's stomach.

Hiccup hummed. "Me too." he said and softly carded his fingertips through Jack's soaked strands. "Hey…scoot forward a little."

Jack did as he was told, creating a little more distance between them.

"Now lean your head back." he said.

Jack tilted his head back so his neck almost touched the water. Hiccup grabbed Jack's backpack from the marble edge. He pulled out the bottle of shampoo Jack had brought, opened it and squirted some of the pale liquid into his palm.

He rubbed the shampoo into Jack's wet locks, carefully massaging his scalp. Jack sighed happily and closed his eyes. Soap bubbles filled the white hair and glistened like a moonlit ocean. He took his time distributing the shampoo and rubbing it into every strand, wanting to care for his boyfriend. When he thoroughly rinsed it out, the shampoo slithered through the water like soapy ghosts.

They stayed there in the stone bath, soaking in the water until the heat had disappeared, leaving only cold liquid enveloping their skin. When they decided to leave, they retreated to the Room of Requirement and fell asleep in each other's arms.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

TIME SKIP: A FEW DAYS LATER

When the castle came into view, powerful stone walls and majestic towers cutting into the clear blue skies like jagged mountains, he sighed in contentment.

Rapunzel's bubbly voice was a familiar, soothing melody as she told him about her next art project. Fishlegs' strong presence on his other side was a reminder of trusty friendship that would endure any hardship. With both his siblings by his sides, he was always comfortable.

They were coming back from spending some quality time together, just the three of them and Toothless. They had gone to the forest, where he and Rapunzel had sketched animals and plant life, while Fishlegs had read in a newly acquired Herbology book, sharing interesting facts with them now and then. Toothless had sun bathed in a patch of tall grass, his black fur warmed in the golden beam of light. Peaceful and familiar, Hiccup had savored every minute of their time together.

Now they were going to meet up with Jack and the others and go to the Quidditch pitch to see Jack, Merida and Astrid practice. The Gryffindor Quidditch team had intensified their training to be prepared for their upcoming match with the Ravenclaw team. That meant practicing more often, for longer periods of time and experimenting with new strategies. He and the others were there once in a while, not only to give their friends support but because they found it exciting to watch them train.

Small colorful flowers bloomed along the rough paths leading back to the castle and hills of lush grass filled his eyes with green. On a day like today, he felt the approach of summer in the warm touch of the sun and every inch of nature sprouting with life.

When they reached one of the courtyards, he spotted Chloe, Mia and their two friends sitting by one of the tables. He bit his lip hard. Seeing them around hadn't gotten easier yet. Their faces reminded him of how they had attempted to ruin the love he had with Jack. He wasn't the type to hold grudges but that was unforgiveable.

It seemed however, that Chloe and the others had ruined things for themselves. By focusing on their little schemes instead of respecting other people's feelings, they had made themselves unpopular among many of the other students. Hiccup had noticed that when he saw them now, they lacked their usual energy and confidence. Hopefully, they had learned their lesson from all of this.

Rapunzel told them about an idea for a new painting of Pascal as a Viking chameleon, and he and Fishlegs gave her some suggestions, as they entered one of the corridors. Since it was Saturday, only a few students were roaming the hallways, everyone else occupied by activities. Hiccup much preferred deserted corridors, empty of screeching voices, hot air too thick to breathe properly and accidental touching.

Fishlegs was in the middle of explaining to Rapunzel what a Viking chameleon might wear, when a shrill howl sliced through the quietness of the corridor, drowning out any other noise with its overpowering intensity.

Hiccup froze in his tracks. Fishlegs flinched and turned to him. They stared into each other's eyes in a moment of panic that lasted an eternity, while the howling raged on around them. Toothless meowed in alarm.

No.

No…

_Anything _but that.

Waves of nausea rocked inside his stomach. He couldn't breathe, invisible hands wrapping around his neck.

"Is that…?" Fishlegs asked hesitantly, afraid to finish the sentence.

Hiccup reached into his pocket, mute with fear, and took out the tiny box. It was open wide, unleashing constant piercing howling.

He closed the lid and looked at the box in his palm. The sound of his heartbeat drummed in his brain.

He swallowed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his determination crushed his paralyzing fear.

"We have to go." he said.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

The grass glittered like the dust of crushed diamonds, gleaming raindrops clinging to green blades. It had rained earlier today but it had stopped in plenty of time before Quidditch training.

He and Merida had met up with their team by the Quidditch pitch to settle a conflict with the Hufflepuff team on who was allowed to use the pitch today. Apparently, it had been booked by both of them, due to the confusion of one of the teachers who had recently been assigned responsibility for the Quidditch teams. Luckily, the Hufflepuff team was convinced to move their training session to tomorrow.

After a quick motivational speech by Astrid, he and Merida headed towards the dormitories to change into their Quidditch uniforms and grab their brooms. The air was fresh against his skin, laced with a mild humidity after the rainfall. Merida complained to him about the current state of her broom, as their shoes scraped over the bendy, moist grass. She had managed to fix the worst damage to it but there was still some things she couldn't repair properly. He suggested letting Hiccup take a look at it and she agreed that that was probably a good idea. She knew a bit about fixing Quidditch brooms but not enough for something this complex.

They had put a little distance between themselves and the Quidditch pitch when Hiccup's voice overpowered all nearby sounds and the blood in Jack's veins chilled with sudden dread.

"ASTRID!" Hiccup roared, his voice brimming with panic.

Jack snapped his head around frantically before he managed to spot him. Hiccup, Toothless and Fishlegs were sprinting across the grass, like they were being chased by a pack of lions. They were heading in the direction of the forest. Rapunzel lagged behind, shouting desperately at them to stop. She sounded like she was about to cry.

Astrid was frozen by the Quidditch pitch, staring in Hiccup's direction. Then she dropped her books and shot off towards them like a viper.

Jack watched her retreating form, still stunned by shock.

That was the moment his mind put the puzzle pieces together. The only reason why Hiccup would be panicked and only turn to Astrid and Fishlegs was…

No.

His heart was squeezed in the sharp grip of fear and he sucked in a breath.

No.

Not that.

The realization that Hiccup was going to leave him behind hit him like a train and his mind shed the petrified shock at once. He sprang into action. He had to go with Hiccup! He needed to protect him!

He bolted towards the forest, one thing blaring in his head: Stop Hiccup. Stop him at all costs. "NO! HICCUP, NO!" he screamed after him, desperate to stop him. His voice echoed and he knew Hiccup had heard him. But he didn't stop.

"JACK!" he heard Merida yell before the sound of footsteps followed him.

Hiccup, Fishlegs and Toothless closed in on the forest, Astrid not far behind. Jack knew they were going for the portkey. Rapunzel had gained on them, her terrified cries filling the air. She flailed her arms around and begged them to stop but they continued to dart towards the line of trees in the distance.

"HICCUP! DON'T YOU DARE DO THIS TO ME! NO!" he screamed, his voice grating the skin in his throat. The fear of losing the one he loved, of Hiccup getting injured or traumatized or dying, overwhelmed his being.

The veins in his legs pumped acid. His lungs were sore and throbbing. Behind his ribcage, his heart was frigid with anxiety.

He didn't care.

He ran and screamed with a fury that mirrored the desperation inside him. He couldn't let Hiccup do this. No. He had to go with him. He had to keep him safe. He had to-

The others had reached the edge of the small forest up ahead. As soon as they were concealed from other students by the trees, Hiccup took out his wand. When Toothless grew and fur disappeared to make room for gleaming, black scales, Jack knew it was almost too late.

"HICCUP!" he bellowed in a last desperate attempt, his throat burning. "DON'T DO THIS! NO!"

Hiccup looked at him for the briefest of moments and the unspoken apology on his face filled Jack's gut with rocks.

No.

Hiccup had made up his mind. He was leaving him behind!

No! This was wrong! This couldn't happen!

Hiccup swung himself into the saddle, quickly followed by Fishlegs and Astrid. Rapunzel had almost reached them but Astrid pointed her wand at her and shouted at her to stop.

He used the last remnants of energy inside him to force his legs forwards even faster. His vision was swimming with unshed tears of fear. His cheeks stung with anger. He kept his eyes locked on Hiccup. He was the only thing that mattered.

Even from afar, he saw determination shining in Hiccup's eyes. That scared him more than anything.

Hiccup wasn't changing his mind! He was going through with this!

But Jack was so close now…he was almost there…if he could just…

A second later, Hiccup and the others vanished into thin air.

He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the empty space where Toothless large paws had just rested.

No.

NO!

He fell to his knees in the wet grass, every will to move lost. The pain was overwhelming. One brief moment had smashed him to pieces and poured the shards into his blood, cutting him open from the inside out.

Hiccup had left him behind! How could he do this to him!?

He was going to be sick. The poisonous grief stuck its tainted fingers down his throat, nausea bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

He slammed his fists into the ground and screamed, coating the world around him in his screeching pain.

**Author's note:**

Yup...that just happened.

In the next chapter there will be an Ivar the Bonesmasher POV.

(Edit): For anyone who might be confused: the box that howls is mentioned in chapter 6. Hiccup has enchanted it to open its lid and howl when his dad opens a matching one back on Berk. That way Stoick can let Hiccup know if Berk is under attack and need him, Toothless, Astrid and Fishlegs to come home and help defend it.

(Edit): Regarding Liana (and similar situations in the story where there is no proof), I've chosen that the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts and other magical institutions with some kind of authority over either all or some witches and wizards don't consider memories a reliable way to prove innocence or guilt. This is because memories can be tampered with and therefore, they can't ever be considered solid evidence. No matter how unlikely it is that someone has tampered with them (for example, it must be assumed Liana don't have those kinds of skills, at least not yet) then you can't be sure because it can be done either by the person themselves or someone else can do it to them (and without them even being aware of it). So, by principle, no memory is a reliable source of what actually occurred in a situation.

Guest: Thank you for your lovely words! I really appreciate it :)


	23. Innocence dies, villainy thrives

**Author's note:** Wauw...has it really been three months since the last update? Sorry about that, I've been busy and stressed out. But I promise you all that I'll continue to write until this story is finished.

Anyway...I'm sure you're all eager to get on with the story, considering how I left things with a cliffhanger last time, so...here we go!

CHAPTER WARNINGS: Graphic violence, angst, death.

* * *

~~~~ Ivar the Bonesmasher ~~~~

The cave was deep and dark; a maze of long, winding tunnels that none of them knew the end of. Perhaps they led straight to Hel itself where the goddess of the underworld awaited the souls that hadn't gained access to other realms of the afterlife.

There was an ancient air about the cave that demanded respect; like the gods themselves had touched it long ago. The old cave walls standing strong, forming the tall arch ceiling above, their rough surface molded and remolded by the centuries they had witnessed.

His chair squeaked as he leaned back. The noise reverberated among the archaic stone. Every sound left an echo in here; nothing went unheard by the gods.

Finnr was pacing back and forth around the wooden table until he finally had enough and slumped down on a chair.

"We should be going instead of just waiting around!" he said.

"We're waiting for the scouts to come back." Egill said with his feet on the table. He took another bite of the plum in his hand. The juice of the fruit dripped onto his clean-shaven chin and he wiped it off with his sleeve.

How different they were, his two sons. Finnr; the headstrong but impatient one. Eager to prove himself in battle. Egill; the cunning one who could outsmart his enemies, yet sometimes too slow to act because he spent too long weighing the different possibilities.

"They should have been back an hour ago! What's taking them so long?" Finnr said and left his chair to pace back and forth again.

"Don't be an idiot." Egill said and tossed the plum seeds onto the dusty ground.

"You're the idiot. We need to get moving." Finnr told his brother and scratched the back of his head.

"No." Egill said and sat up straight. "We need to wait until we know for sure that Berk's allies are incapacitated."

"And how long are we supposed to wait? We have to move before it gets dark and the dragon riders have all the advantages."

"Yeah, but we can't just go straight to Berk without even knowing if we've taken out their allies or not."

"But we could move now and our scouts can find us on the way. We need to save time."

"We need to be patient." Egill said.

Finnr rolled his eyes. "We need to act!"

"Be quiet." Ivar said from his seat. "I've had enough of your bickering."

His sons became silent. Finnr stopped moving around and decided to lean against one of the cave walls.

He had raised them well. They followed his commands, not only as their father but as their leader.

He looked from Finnr to Egill. "If you think a war can be won using one and forgetting the other, you are fools. A leader without patience can never be two steps ahead of his enemy. He will march his men straight to their deaths. A leader without the will to act is a coward. He doesn't deserve to have anyone follow him into battle and lay down their lives for him."

His sons remained quiet. Judging from their wrinkled foreheads, he had given them something to think about.

Good.

They were competent fighters and good examples for other Vikings but they were new to the ways of war. His sons were in their 20's and still possessed the folly of youths with something to prove; too sure of themselves and the prospect of victory despite their lack of experience.

"You will stay quiet when the others get here." he told them. "I can't have you embarrass me with your bickering."

Finnr and Egill nodded in understanding.

Ivar hoped they would come unharmed out of this battle despite their unwise confidence. He had lost enough in life and a father shouldn't outlive his children.

The faint sounds coming from their men outside was the only thing interrupting the silence. The island they had made a temporary camp on had thick, lush forests that stretched for miles. The large treetops concealed them from the curious eyes of dragon rider scouts and the many caves in the area shielded them from rain and wind. It was forbidden to make fires, practice fighting, sing, yell and anything else that could attract the attention of the hostile scouts. The sorcerers at his disposal had cast some concealment spells that hid them further from enemies but that didn't make him change the rules for the men. They needed to have the element of surprise on their side, so he took no risks. It was vital to their chance of victory.

When the others arrived half an hour later, his sons kept in the background as they had been told.

His two fellow tribe leaders, Harald the Devourer and Sigurðr Ketilsson, as well as their children, entered the dim cave. Since the scouts had not returned yet, they had decided to go over the details of their battle strategies again.

"Now…" Sigurðr began and took a seat by the table. His daughter Álfdís and his son Tjorvi, both in their early 20's, sat down next to him. "Shall we discuss the details once more?" he asked and rubbed his chin underneath his bushy, black beard with streaks of silver. Age was catching up with him. With all of them.

"Yes." he agreed and motioned for the others to sit down too.

Harald's chainmail rustled when he sat down and the table creaked as his large arms rested on the wood. He was in his late 40's, younger than himself and Sigurðr, but no less experienced in battle. Only a fool underestimated Harald in a fight. There was a reason he had gotten the name Harald the Devourer. His three sons were on either side of him. They were all tall, muscular and brave; great examples of Viking sons that made their father proud.

Ivar rolled out the large map of the archipelago on the table. He had marked all the relevant routes and points of attack and he was going to go through them with Harald and Sigurðr one last time, so he was reassured they knew exactly what to do. There was no room for mistakes.

As it turned out, he had no reason to doubt his fellow chiefs. Both of them had remembered the strategies down to the smallest detail and they made sure that their children knew them as well. It was customary in all of their tribes that the oldest child would be a temporary chief until an election could be held, in case a chief died on the battlefield.

"…and in that case, we will redirect this group of men over…here." Sigurðr said and pointed with his dagger on the location on the map. "Is that clear?" he asked Álfdís and Tjorvi who both nodded.

"What if the Berkians use their sorcerers or their beasts to block this area here?" Álfdís asked and placed a slender finger on another place on the map.

Ivar's lips formed a small smile. She may be a girl but Álfdís had more strategic knowledge than Harald's, Sigurðr's and his own sons by a long shot. She would make a fine chief one day.

"Yes. Now that we have time, we need to discuss the sorcerers again." Harald cleared his throat. "Stoick's son. And the Hofferson girl and the fat one."

"Ingerman." Ivar corrected him. "We've already decided how to handle them."

"I know that. I was there." Harald said but there was no humor in his eyes. "Are you certain your own sorcerers are up to the task?"

"Of course they are." he said. "They are older and more experienced. They'll have no trouble handling a couple of kids."

"Kids with magic." Sigurðr said. "Which must never be underestimated."

"Even so." he said. "They have reassured me it's not a problem to deal with Stoick's son and the others."

"You're usually not a man to rely on reassurances." Harald said.

"No." he agreed. "But they know what's at stake and they know the punishment if they fail."

Harald and Sigurðr nodded contently.

"Good." Sigurðr said and leaned back in his chair. "Even one Berkian sorcerer can do too much damage for us to risk."

"I'm well aware of that." he said, the words sharp with an underlying warning.

He and Sigurðr maintained eye contact, silently challenging each other.

The others were quiet but finally Sigurdr looked away.

"Your sorcerers better be as effective as you say they are." Harald said.

"They will protect as many ships as possible against the beasts and their riders. And they know who the Berkian sorcerers are, so their second task will be to take them out."

"I still don't see why _you _will be leading the ground attack, Chief Ivar." Harald said. "I have as much, if not more, battle experience."

Ivar forced a polite smile. They both knew that leading the ground attack was the most dangerous and therefore prestigious part of the battle. If they won, the chief leading that part of the battle would gain the most honor and respect.

"No one is disputing that, Chief Harald." he said. "We all know of your great exploits in battle. But you have the most sea faring experience of the three of us and your valuable knowledge on that matter is needed on the ships to secure our triumph." he said, despite his desire to tell that dim-wit what he truly thought of him. Chief Harald was a fierce warrior but he wasn't a cunning man; his inflated ego blinded him and he was easily bought with flattery.

"Well, that is certainly true…" Harald said with a self-satisfied gleam in his eyes. "Fine. You will lead the ground attack. I will lead the fleet to victory."

"Well, as long as your sorcerers know how to follow orders..." Sigurðr said. "Sorcerers are not like the rest of us."

"They follow orders." he said. "I know you don't trust sorcerers. But they are loyal to me and one of the most useful tools at my disposal."

The sound of footsteps alerted them to an extra presence in the cave. Stepping into the dimness, one of his best servants, Knútr, came into view.

"My chief, the scouts are here." Knútr said and bowed his bald head where tattoos in dark green and blue decorated each side; a pattern of tree branches, ravens and runes.

"Send them in." he said.

The six leaders of the scout groups joined them in the cave shortly after. They had been overseeing the attempts on sabotaging Berk's allies.

He rose from his seat and the scouts positioned themselves in a row, facing him.

"What's the status on Berk's allies?" he asked Hákon, one of his own men.

"All the ships in their docks have been burnt. They will be unable to sail anywhere or get any messages out." Hákon told him,

"Excellent." he said. "And what about the Berkian scouts? Have they been distracted?"

"Yes, my chief." Hákon replied. "We dispatched ten small groups of men on different islands, as you ordered. They are keeping the scouts occupied far away from their allies' islands. Half of the groups are luring them in with trapped dragons that they will be trying to free, a third is distracting them by setting the islands on fire so they will come and investigate and the rest are pretending to be people in need that the scouts have to rescue."

"Good." he said with a content smile. "They won't be able to warn the other Berkians in time…You did not encounter any problems along the way? Any risk of detection?"

"No, my chief." Hákon said. "As ordered, stealth was the highest priority. We went in, only a few men at a time, using the look out' blind angles. When the ships caught on fire, everyone was too distracted to notice our departure. We weren't seen."

"And you're certain the scouts won't be communicating with each other?"

"Most of them fly in pairs of two or three. They could try to tell the other scouts about where they are going but they use the Terrible Terrors as messengers. Even if some of them do send messages to each other or back to Berk and someone finds the whole thing suspicious, they have no idea what is happening to their allies and they won't be able to put the puzzle pieces together in time. They'll be too busy trying to rescue beasts and people they think need help."

"Good." he said and nodded. "Well done, men." he addressed all of them. "With great Vikings like you, we are certain to win this battle." he told them confidently, despite knowing there was always a risk of losing. This time, it was a small risk but a risk nonetheless. However, you don't motivate your warriors with talks about risks.

The scouts' report and this last meeting with the other chiefs and their children had only increased his confidence. Their tribes were the three biggest tribes in the entire archipelago, outnumbering Berk by far. Their plan to stop Berk's allies and scouts from helping had succeeded without any trouble.

It was a glorious sight when he finally stood before his men and his allies. He had waited for years to deliver this speech to them. To tell them it was finally time to take action against their enemies.

Every warrior had gathered before him and the other chiefs underneath the thick ceiling of treetops. They were clad in leather and metal armor, their hands curled around axes, spears or swords, their heavy boots planted solid on the moist earth. To an outsider, they may have looked ready for battle but they were missing the most important thing.

Fire.

"Brothers! Sisters! Allies!" he exclaimed so even the ones in the back could hear him. "Long have the dragon riders oppressed us! When they first made peace with the beasts, we tried to reason with them! It was never our desire to fight them! But they chose the beasts over us!"

Angry boos came from isolated places in the crowd. The sea of faces stared back at him, their eyes dark with the recollection of how they had been betrayed.

The spark was lit.

"And it wasn't enough for them to let the monsters go unpunished! To let them roam free! The Berkians began to interfere with our right to do what our ancestors have done for hundreds of years before us: kill the beasts that have raided Viking villages, stolen our livestock, killed our loved ones and burned our homes to the ground! They have made themselves the kings of the archipelago! The dragon riders have forgotten the Viking legacy! They have spit on our common ancestors!" he roared and raised his sword into the air.

The outbursts from the crowd grew. They fed on each other's anger; the anger that seemed infused into the very air among them.

The spark became stronger, filling their blood with heat.

"Now, it's time for retribution!" he shouted and placed one hand on the pouch hanging on his belt. It contained bones from his two most important kills; his wife's father, who had beaten her as a girl and refused to let them marry, and the scaly beast who had taken his firstborn child from him so many years ago.

There was a certain peace in knowing that neither of their hearts beat anymore.

"The Berkians have brought this on themselves! Our cause is just and our vengeance will be swift! We will fight for our freedom! We will fight for the right to decide our own fate!"

The crowd roared in response, raising their weapons and fists. "Kill the Berkians!" someone bellowed. "Cut off the beasts' heads!" another screamed. "Death to the traitors!"

The spark had transformed into a flame, burning its way to their hearts.

"Don't underestimate the Berkians!" he warned them. "Even without their allies, they are a fierce enemy. We outnumber them but they have a close alliance with their beasts! This battle will not be easy! The Valkyries will lead many of us to Valhalla today! But we shall not grieve! Those who go will sit by Odin's table among the greatest warriors in history and we will celebrate their courage for decades to come!"

"Which is why…" he continued. "The oldest ones among us will be on the front lines; be the first to greet the Berkians' swords and their dragons! We have lived full lives and it is better that we get our chance to meet our fate in battle and get to dine with Odin in the afterlife than our young ones dying in our stead!"

The men and women with grey in their hair and lines of age on their faces cheered the loudest of all. They were not eager to die but they would rather die in battle than of old age; rather lay down their own lives than to send their grown children first into the enemies' hands.

He held up his arms. "We will spill the blood of the dragon riders until the earth is drenched in red! We won't stop fighting until freedom is ours! WE WILL WIN!"

His men and women stomped their leather boots into the ground over and over until it seemed like the ground itself was shaking. The rage and conviction in their hearts left their bodies and came out as fierce battle cries. Everywhere, Vikings shook their weapons in the air, chainmail rustled and silvery blades reflected the small streams of sunlight that came through the treetops.

It was beautiful.

Their commitment to fighting for the common good was inspiring and he found himself proud of leading such strong, courageous Vikings into battle. Surely, Odin would grant them victory.

"It's time to go! Kill every man and woman you come across! Kill every child old enough to remember this day! Slay every beast!" he shouted.

He pointed his sword towards the ships in the docks, currently concealed by magic. It was time to finally utter the words he had been wanting to roar for so long.

"TO WAR!"

"TO WAR!" his fellow Vikings agreed and ran towards the shore to board the ships.

What started as a spark had grown into a raging wildfire.

A wildfire that could only be put out with blood.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

When Berk came into focus all around him, the noise attacked his mind in one swift wave of sound.

Urgent yelling, clinking armor and weapons, dragons roaring. Everywhere, their fellow Berkians were preparing for battle; grabbing weapons, donning armor, saddling their dragons. Some were reinforcing their defenses; lining up catapults, preparing fire extinguishing, setting traps for their enemies.

He spotted Gobber calling out orders by his forge and he was certain his father wouldn't be far away.

He dismounted Toothless along with Astrid and Fishlegs. The three of them shared a few seconds of silence as they took in the chaos around them. They had never seen anything like it before.

He took a deep breath. "Go get your armor on. Then find your dragons." he told them, trying to sound calm. Without a word, they ran towards their houses.

He and Toothless hurried through the village, trying to find his father. "It's Hiccup!" someone yelled. "Hiccup's here!" another voice sounded. He could feel the eyes on him but he didn't dare to look. He knew what he would see: hope. Hope that broke his heart. His fellow Vikings had faith in him and Toothless. But what if they failed them all?

"Hiccup!" Gobber called out. "Hiccup! Go to Stoick!" he pointed his prosthetic hand towards the Great Hall.

"I will!" he called back.

He made a quick stop at his house, where he put on his armor and flying gear in a hurry, his mind still numb from the realization that he was about to go to war.

When he was ready and had grabbed Inferno, his other sword and his daggers, he headed out into the swarm of people once more, towards the Great Hall.

Young teenagers, much too young to see the horrors of war, were equipped with swords and spears by Gobber's forge. He watched Gobber hand Valdís a sword, with a somber gleam in his eyes.

She hesitantly took it and in that moment, she seemed even younger than her 13 years of age. She looked at the sword with a brief flash of fear in her blue eyes. Moving towards Tryggvi, who was handing out armor to anyone who needed it, she clenched her jaw tight in determination, pushing down the fear.

The sadness and the guilt pressed down on Hiccup's chest. He remembered when she first made friends with her dragon, a Deadly Nadder named Sharpwing. He remembered how she would follow Astrid around a few years ago with eyes full of wonder and adoration. He remembered when she and the other kids her age started training with weapons and she accidentally broke Gobber's most prized shield.

He tore his eyes off the people around him. He couldn't bear the thought that some of them would die today and he would never see them again.

His dad came into view by the long stone staircase to the Great Hall. He was surrounded by several of his best warriors, all of them putting on their armor piece by piece.

"Hiccup!" his dad said when he spotted him and broke away from the small group.

"Dad." he said. "Isn't there any way to stop all of this?"

"I'm afraid not, son." his father said with sorrow in his eyes. "You know I would never lead our people into war if there was a chance of resolving things peacefully. I have no desire for blood."

"I know, dad…" he said with a small nod. "Where are our allies?"

"We've sent scouts out to gather them but they have not come yet." his dad said, deep furrows of concern appearing on his forehead.

He nodded as the sinking defeat washed over him. There was no way out. They were on their own and it was time for him to do his part.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"I need you to lead the attack from the air." his father said and pulled his rustling chainmail over his head.

He blinked. "What?"

"Our enemies outnumber us, Hiccup." his dad said and put a large hand on his shoulder. "We need to use every advantage we have. So we'll split up: you will lead the dragons and the riders from the air and I will lead the men and women I choose to stay on the ground." his dad explained with a determination in his eyes that only came from being a seasoned warrior.

"But, I cant-"

"Yes, you can, son." his dad said. "I have faith in you. Deep down, you're a leader, Hiccup. And you know the strategies and the strengths and weaknesses of the dragons and the riders. You can do this. I _need _you to do this."

He nodded mutely. He would do what was needed, no matter how much the pressure filled him with dread.

"Here, take this." his dad said and handed something to him.

He took it and realized it was the enchanted horn, he had made for his dad a year ago.

His father used it to communicate with the other dragon riders in the air, where it was difficult to be heard. The horn could be heard over all other sounds and every dragon rider had learned a series of codes, so they could decipher the messages his dad gave them.

Now, it was his turn to use it.

He ran his fingers over the polished black and white horn.

"Son." his dad said. "I know you're scared. You would be a fool not to be. We're all scared."

"Even you?"

His dad nodded. There was a vulnerable glaze in his eyes that Hiccup had only seen very few times in his life. "Of course I am. Not for myself but for my people. For you. But I believe we can win as long as we fight with everything we've got."

"I'll do everything I can, dad." he said.

"I know you will." his dad said and went back to the other warriors to finish preparing.

He could only stand there and watch them put on their helmets and equip their weapons.

Fishlegs and Astrid appeared by his side, dressed for battle. Leather armor covered their torsos, metal shoulder pads shone in the sunlight.

"Where are the twins and Snotlout?" he asked.

"They're readying their dragons." Fishlegs said and patted Meatlug solemnly on the head.

"Good."

"What do we do now?" Astrid said and adjusted her belt where two long daggers hung from.

"My dad says I'm going to lead the attack from the air while he leads from the ground."

Astrid nodded. Hiccup didn't miss the brief flicker of worry in her eyes. Even Astrid, strong, confident Astrid, was afraid of what was to come.

"That's a good strategy." she said. "Playing to our own strengths."

"It's what our chief wants." he said. "And I trust him."

"He knows what he's doing." Fishlegs reassured him but his eyes were concerned.

"There you are." he heard Tuffnut's voice say, as he, Ruffnut and Snotlout joined them. They were all wearing armor too and had extra weapons on them.

"Here we are." Astrid agreed flatly.

He and Fishlegs only responded with sad smiles.

"Are you ready?" Snotlout asked them softly. He stood next to Hookfang and held on to one of the reins so tight that his knuckles were pale.

It was strange seeing them like this; on edge and worried. Snotlout's usual arrogance was gone and any hint of mischief had disappeared from the twins' eyes.

"As ready as we can be." he said.

The air was tense between them. All of them knew the seriousness of what was about to occur but no one wanted to speak of it.

"I just want you to know…" Fishlegs said. "In case I haven't said it as often as I should…I love you guys."

"We love you too, Fish." he said and tried to give him an uplifting smile but all he could manage was a sad one.

Astrid put a hand on Fishlegs' shoulder.

"Oh for crying out loud…" Snotlout said but there was no irritation in his eyes.

"Shut up." Astrid said. "This might be the last time we're all together."

"Yeah…You're right." Ruffnut said and wrung her hands.

It was a daunting prospect; that some of them wouldn't make it. That they would never ride and train their dragons together again, never have meals in the Great Hall, never explore new places, never sit by a bonfire late at night and laugh and share a bottle of mead.

Never again.

That could be their new reality after this day.

Nearby in the village, the people of Berk had gathered and were waiting for his dad to give his speech.

"Hiccup!" His dad yelled from the front and motioned for him and the others to come join the crowd. They quickly made their way over to him.

"Brothers and sisters!" his father began addressing all the Berkians. "Our enemies are at our doorstep! They are coming to take away what we hold most dear! Each other! Our dragons! And our freedom!" he shouted and raised his arm into the air. His newly sharpened axe gleamed in the sunlight.

"We can't allow that! We will fight! We will burn their fleet to ashes! We will crumble their bones to dust! We will do what it takes to defeat them!" he roared and Hiccup didn't fail to notice how the other Vikings were affected by his words; their chief's bravery awoke their own courage and fed their conviction. His dad slowly melted their fears and filled them with confidence and anger instead.

"WE WILL SEND THEM TO THE AFTERLIFE BEFORE WE LET THEM TAKE OUR HOME AND OUR LOVED ONES!" his father bellowed with an authority every other chief in the archipelago would envy.

The other Vikings yelled out their agreements. Next to him, Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins roared along with the others and banged their weapons against the wooden house next to them. He added his own voice to the explosion of noise and raised his sword in the air. It felt good to yell; to scream out some of the frustration and fear.

Toothless roared and the other dragons around them joined in. It was an inferno; passionate and primal, fit for a fight between life and death.

"MY FELLOW BERKIANS!" his dad's booming voice cut through the deafening sounds. The crowd calmed down once more and the dragons ceased their roars. "To win this battle we need to be smarter than our enemy! Our defense will be two-fold! From the ground and from the air!" his dad explained. "Everyone who has fought in a battle before will defend our home by my side on the ground, as our ancestors did it! You know the strategies and you have the experience to beat these savage invaders! Everyone else will be in the air and all dragon riders will follow Hiccup's command!" his father shouted and motioned to him.

Hiccup briefly glanced at the crowd but saw and heard no objections. There was nothing but approval in his fellow Vikings' eyes; they had faith in him.

If only he shared that faith.

"You six!" his dad said to some of his warriors. "You will take your dragons and bring the children and the hatchlings into the Great Hall. You will barricade it and guard it with your lives! _No one_ gets in there!" his dad said, his eyes flashing with anger at the mere thought of someone harming the children and the hatchlings.

"Yes, my chief!" they agreed in unison and scurried through the crowd, gathering the small children and the hatchlings onto the backs of their dragons. The tears of the kids and the wails of the hatchlings as they were carried away towards the Great Hall was heartbreaking. They didn't fully understand what was happening but they could pick up on the fear of everyone around them.

He rested a hand on top of Toothless' head. Their eyes met and they shared one of those moments where they could feel each other's emotions without words or sounds. In the depths of Toothless' eyes, he saw concern. Protectiveness. Repressed anger. Determination. A whirlwind of emotions shining in bright green. Emotions they shared. Emotions that spoke of the desperation to keep their home and their loved ones safe. To keep each other safe.

He held his hands under Toothless' chin, dipped his head and bumped their foreheads together softly. "I'll never let anything happen to you, bud." he whispered and Toothless let out a purring noise to tell him he felt the same way.

"OUR ENEMIES APPROACH! IT'S TIME TO SHOW THEM WHAT BERKIANS ARE MADE OF!" his father said when the children and the hatchlings had been carried away. "Sverð! Skjǫldr! Eldr! [Sword! Shield! Fire!]" he chanted and banged his axe on to his plate armor.

"Sverð! Skjǫldr! Eldr!" the crowd roared, stomping their feet and hitting their swords and axes against their shields or nearby walls. "Sverð! Skjǫldr! Eldr! Sverð! Skjǫldr! Eldr!"

The energy in the air from his fellow Berkians was energizing and yet daunting. Their bravery in the face of danger and potential death made his own bravery rise within him. But the gleam in their eyes, and the fierceness of their roars reminded him of the nature of war; everyone believes they're right to resort to violence. Their enemies were yelling battle cries with the same level of conviction. Banging their weapons against shields with the same anger.

People were going to die. Dragons were going to die.

But both sides would be sure that they were the righteous ones.

Hiccup had no doubts about what he was about to do. They were attacking his home and his loved ones. He had to defend everything he held dear. But he was also aware that in the enemies' minds, he and the other Berkians were the threat. The ones in the wrong. The traitors.

"Gobber, the spear!" his dad said and held his hand out.

Gobber handed him the spear and the noise from the crowd died down.

It was a Viking custom to throw a spear at the enemy's army in honor of Odin before a battle began. Odin, being a god of war and the king of the gods, was the one for Viking leaders to honor if they wished to triumph over their enemies. Hiccup wasn't a believer, but if Odin did exist, he hoped with everything he had that he would grant them victory. That he would protect his loved ones.

His dad ran towards the cliffs holding the spear. He hurled it at the fleet coming towards them with impressive speed and strength. It landed in the water not too far from the first line of ships rolling through the stirring waters. Warhorns reverberated through the air from the enemies' ships. Sails were gleaming in the sunlight, cracking and flapping in accordance with the wind.

"Now is the time!" his father told them. "Now is the time to defend everything we hold dear! DRAGON RIDERS; WITH HICCUP! EVERYONE ELSE; WITH ME TO THE SHORE!"

The warriors gathered behind his dad and they ran towards the shore. The dragon riders mounted their dragons and spoke last reassuring words to them.

Hiccup jumped into the saddle, clicked his prosthetic in place and turned to the crowd. A sea of young faces stared back at him, their eyes showing the strange combination of fear and determination that brewed inside all of them.

Now was the time to put away his doubts and do what needed to be done.

"Dragon riders!" he shouted. Everywhere, the last Vikings quickly mounted their dragons and awaited his command. Astrid and Fishlegs nodded at him to show their support. Snotlout and the twins looked at him as if they truly believed he could do this.

"With me!" he yelled and motioned to the skies. Toothless crouched down and shot straight into the air. Behind them, he could hear the sound of a myriad of leathery wings flapping.

As they flew into the skies, they got a proper view of their enemies below. It was true what his father had said; their enemies outnumbered them. Rows upon rows of ships in orderly ranks headed for their shores. Men pulling the oars through the heavy water, working as one. Others; manning the catapults, net trappers and other weapons he could see mounted on the sides of the decks. One was a contraption firing thick metal arrows and worry churned within him, because they looked capable of going through most dragon species' scales.

He pushed his nausea down and focused on crafting a plan. They were facing a mighty enemy but no one was without vulnerable spots. They would fight and they would win. They had their dragons, the most powerful allies and friends anyone could have.

As they approached the enemies' fleet, he grabbed the horn from his belt and blew the needed signal.

The dragons and their riders split into their assigned groups of mixed dragon species. That was one of their defensive strategies because it made it difficult for the enemy to exploit a dragon species' weaknesses since they all had different ones.

He kept one eye on the ground, making sure their attack from the air would be timed properly with the attack on the ground. On the shores, his father and the warriors had lined up in the distance. His dad had given the order for the archers to be ready as soon as the enemy stepped out of their ships and set foot on Berk.

Before he relayed his plans of attack to the other dragon riders, his last thoughts were of Jack.

He did the right thing leaving him behind. To keep him safe. But that didn't make things easier. How he hoped Jack would understand that he only left him, because he loved him too much to lose him.

Especially if he never got a chance to apologize to him.

~~~~ Fishlegs ~~~~

Killing another human being was the hardest thing he had ever had to do.

When one of the invaders screamed in unbearable pain as hot lava coated him from the mouth of Meatlug, Fishlegs could have vomited. His skin was melting off him and he never even made it two steps towards the railing to jump overboard before he died.

Perhaps that was a good thing. At least he was out of his misery then.

Metal arrows hissed through the air, as he and his group attacked one of the ships close to the shore, setting everything and everyone they could ablaze. They quickly learned that their enemies had coated their ships in a fire-resistant substance, making their dragons' fire slower to take hold of the wood and spread.

When Hiccup and Stoick had given orders to attack, everything had turned to chaos in a heartbeat.

He and the other dragon riders' goal was to take out as many ships and men as possible before they reached the shore. It was easier to battle them on the ocean, where they had nowhere to escape.

But no matter how effective they were, their enemies outnumbered them by far and eventually, ships reached their home. Their troops on the ground fired swarms upon swarms of arrows towards the invaders. Enemies held up their shields as they jumped out of their ships and charged through the shallow water. Some of them succeeded, some of them ended up as fodder for the arrows. Dead bodies floated amongst waves and seafoam. Corpses bled on the sand of their shores.

"BEAST!" an invader screamed from the deck of the ship and threw his spear towards him and Meatlug. A burst of adrenaline shot into his veins and he steered Meatlug around the threat.

They hovered just out of reach from the enemy to avoid another attack. "Fire!" he told Meatlug and she opened her giant jaws and unleashed a blast of golden flames. The invader howled in agony and fell to the deck. Meatlug's fire slowly crawled from the dead man's clothes to the mast.

Out of nowhere, something came flying towards them and shoved them to the side. Meatlug screeched in pain and he grabbed the reins tight and looked around for the threat.

A spear fell towards the ocean. It had hit them straight on but hadn't penetrated Meatlug's scales. He thanked the gods that Gronckles had such strong armor.

He had no time for relief though. The enemies on the ship fired arrows and net trappers and hurled spears at an alarming rate and it took constant concentration to avoid getting hit. He kept an eye on the dragons and riders around him and used his wand to stop as many threats to them as he could, while Meatlug attacked invaders on the deck with lava and flames.

Suddenly, a howl came from above. To his horror, he watched Stein, a 15 year old boy, cry out as metal arrows pierced his Deadly Nadder's chest and legs.

The dragon's wings folded in and they dropped from the skies.

"Meatlug! Get them!" he yelled and Meatlug sprung into action.

Astrid and Stormfly came swooping past out of nowhere. They caught Stein and a breath later, he and Meatlug caught his Deadly Nadder. They quickly carried them towards the cliffs to set them down.

"No…no no no…" Stein chanted to himself, as he put his arms around the neck of the unmoving Deadly Nadder. Veins of crimson spilled from the places the arrows were stuck. The dragon's eyes were closed and its chest still.

"No!" Stein's eyes filled with tears and he began sobbing among the sounds of explosions and fire in the distance. He clutched his dragon tighter.

Fishlegs could have cried. Stein's devastation stung in his heart. It was a sorrow he hoped he would never have to feel.

Astrid squeezed Stein's shoulder and then mounted Stormfly. "There's no time." she said but her eyes were full of sorrow.

"I know." Fishlegs agreed.

As he and Astrid headed back into battle, he watched the ship they had been attacking fall to pieces before his eyes; wood cracking and snapping in the roaring flames. It began to sink, disappearing into the depths.

Several other ships quickly followed. Enemies were in the water; both alive and dead ones. Dragons and riders moved on to new ships and more invaders to fight for their home.

"Svana!" Astrid called out to the rider on the Thunderdrum in their group. "Take them out!"

Svana nodded and directed her massive blue Thunderdrum straight into the ocean. It disappeared for a brief moment and then shot up through the water and pulled enemies down to their watery graves.

The rest of them set their fury on the next ship in line, where the invaders were busy attacking another group of dragon riders – including Hiccup, Toothless, Snotlout and Hookfang.

He and Astrid were almost by the ship when he spotted Hiccup and Toothless swooping straight down towards it. Toothless unleashed a plasma blast that blinded everyone around it and blew a massive hole in the ship. Water gushed into the hull. Snotlout and Hookfang attacked some hostiles handling the net trappers on the deck. One of them evaded their attack and sliced Snotlout's arm with his long spear. He tried to defend himself from Hookfang but it was no use. The Monstrous Nightmare grabbed him in his strong jaws. There was a loud crack when the man's spine snapped.

A metal arrow pierced a Deadly Nadder's foot. It cried out and flapped its wings wildly while its rider consoled it. He and Meatlug protected them, working as the close team they were; he deflected arrows and rocks with his wand while Meatlug drowned enemies in lava and tried to set fire to the ship.

The pleas of dying men and the terrifying screams of injured dragons rung in his skull. Everywhere, there was death and fear.

When the rider had gotten her Nadder under control again, he and Meatlug defeated the last enemies at their end of the deck. Their dead faces, disfigured and melted like candlewax, would haunt him in his dreams.

Toothless circled the ship at a fast pace and Hiccup fired spells towards the invaders as quickly as he could, throwing them into the ocean, setting them on fire or smashing them into the mast of the ship. A boulder from a catapult shot towards them. Fishlegs sucked in a breath but Toothless evaded the rock.

Astrid and Stormfly worked together with Snotlout and Hookfang to destroy the catapults, net trappers and arrow launchers. Astrid and Stormfly took out the men operating them before Stormfly used her fire to melt down the contraptions. Deadly Nadders had the hottest fire of all dragons, he reminded himself. Snotlout and Hookfang covered them from arrows, enemies and boulders, making sure they weren't injured.

"AH!" he heard Hiccup yell and by instinct, he located him. He and Toothless had landed on the railing and Hiccup had been hit by something on his right arm. A long gash had ripped open his tunic and some of his leather armguard and blood trickled down the limb.

Toothless roared in unrestrained rage and fired another plasma blast that blew another big hole in the ship. Water was filling the ship so fast, it was like Njórðr himself was helping them bring their enemies down.

He and Meatlug quickly went to their side. "Are you okay!?" he shouted.

"Yeah! I'll be fine!" Hiccup said when they all took off from the ship and into the skies.

The ship was burning and sinking simultaneously, flames slowly trailing through the mast. It creaked and fell onto the deck. From the safety of the sky, he sent a Confringo spell through the air. The blast slung the last invaders straight into the ocean, while the ship let out a splintering scream and broke apart.

"FISHLEGS! ASTRID!" he heard Hiccup's voice call out, barely noticeable above the crashes and screams of battle.

"They have witches and a wizard!" Hiccup told him when he had their attention.

"What?!" Astrid said.

"But how?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" Hiccup said. "They have them! We have to do something, they're stopping too many of our attacks!" he explained and pointed to something.

His eyes followed the direction. On a ship, familiar sparks from spells whirled all around. They blocked and put out dragon fire, shot Killing Curses and helped the men fire catapults with huge boulders and net trappers. A boulder crashed straight into the head of one of the dragon riders and they died on the spot. Fishlegs couldn't see who it was but it didn't matter. He knew everyone here. No matter who had died, it ached inside him. The rider's Monstrous Nightmare screeched in rage and set itself on fire. It circled the ship spewing flames without stopping. Its eyes closed forever when a Killing Curse hit it in the chest.

Floating corpses and body parts, dying men thrashing around trying to make it out, dead dragons who would never flap their wings again. The sea was a realm of death. The water lapping at the shores had turned red.

"What's your plan?" he asked Hiccup. From the looks of it, these sorcerers were more experienced and more powerful than they were.

"We can't defeat them by our magic alone!" Hiccup said, mirroring his own thoughts. "They're more-"

An explosion below them drowned out Hiccup's words. Another ship had met its doom, shooting splinters the size of spoons into everyone around it.

"They're more powerful!" Hiccup repeated.

"So what do you suggest?!" Astrid yelled.

"There's only one way to defeat them." Hiccup said. "We have to take them by surprise."

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

He shook with anger and sorrow.

Wrapping his arms around himself, he stared at the wet grass under him. The smothered raindrops bled into the knees of his trousers. His skin was cold and wet but what did it matter?

His screams echoed in his head even after his voice had broken. His throat ached, mercilessly scraped raw by his desperate attempts to stop Hiccup.

Hiccup.

He was gone. What would happen now?

"Jack?" a soft voice said but he couldn't register who it was.

A gentle hand came down and rested on his shoulder. Warm and familiar, yet not enough for any relief from the nauseating despair.

"Jack?" the voice said again.

He rested his palms on the cold, soaked grass.

How could Hiccup do this to him? What if he died? What if he would never see him again?

That prospect was agony. He couldn't lose him. It just wasn't an option.

Every thought was a rock on his back and it seemed impossible to bear the weight of them all. He choked back the tears that stung in his eyes and swallowed. He refused to cry.

He focused on the anger brewing in his chest instead. How betrayed he felt. How much he resented Hiccup for leaving him behind, like he was some helpless child who made a mess of everything.

Someone grabbed his arm and began to pull him up. He let them get his tired body away from the wet ground without resistance.

He vaguely registered red curls bouncing in front of his eyes before he found himself in a tight embrace. He closed his eyes and let the warmth and familiar scent wash over him.

Merida stroked his back slowly. He rested his head on her shoulder and breathed heavily into her hair. From somewhere next to them, he could hear Rapunzel crying quietly.

The nausea threatened to climb from his gut and into his mouth. His heartbeat drummed rapidly; an ominous rhythm that spoke of the heartbreak inside him.

"Jack!" Flynn's panicked voice called out, cutting through his quiet grief.

Merida slowly let go of him. He saw Flynn and Mavis running towards them across the green hills, eyes wide in alarm.

"What's going on?" Mavis asked breathlessly when they reached them. Her eyes darted from one person to the next. "Elsa told us she saw you guys running and screaming in panic!"

Jack tried to speak but the words wouldn't come. He could only look at them with pained eyes while the lump in his throat ached.

"Hiccup…" Rapunzel said, her voice almost breaking. "Hiccup and Fishlegs and Astrid…"

"What?" Flynn said, looking from her to Jack. "What?"

"They…left." she explained, while a few tears glided down her cheeks. "They…Berk is under attack. They went home to defend it."

"What?!" Mavis said, the worries on her face giving way to sheer panic. "No!"

"We have to help them!" Flynn said.

"I tried." Jack croaked, finally getting some words out. His throat hurt with every syllable. "He…left without me."

It stung to admit it out loud and he couldn't look at them.

"But…" Mavis said with disbelief in her voice, like she couldn't imagine that.

"They left all of us behind…" Rapunzel said quietly.

Jack wasn't sure if her words were meant as a comfort to him but they didn't help.

"So…there's no other way?" Mavis asked. "We…we can't just do nothing!"

"No, but we can't fly to Scandinavia, it's going to take way too long!" Merida shouted, flailing her arms around. Jack knew her aggression wasn't directed at any of them but came from the helplessness she felt inside. The same helplessness that made him want to punch something.

"But our friends might be dying!" Flynn raised his voice and there was a desperation in it that Jack hadn't heard since they rushed Hiccup to the hospital wing after the torture.

"I know!" Merida said. "But what do you want me to say?! I have no idea how we can get there in time!" she shouted and balled her hands into tight fists.

"But we have to try!" Mavis yelled.

"I know! But how?!" Merida threw her arms to the sides in frustration.

"I don't know!" Mavis pulled on her hair.

The fear his friends displayed only fed his own anxiety. They weren't easy to frighten but now their nerves were frayed and they were close to panicking.

"I might know a way…" Rapunzel said and silenced all of them.

"What?" Jack said, his heart leaping with sudden hope. He quickly stepped towards her. "What did you say?"

"There might be a way." Rapunzel bit her lip.

"What is it?!" he yelled at her, impatience burning in his gut. There was no time to hesitate. Every second was precious. Every second could mean life or death.

Rapunzel flinched. "I…" she said, her gaze scurrying from one person to the next. "I once heard Hiccup and Fishlegs say that Professor Lunar has a matching portkey, so maybe-"

Jack didn't wait to hear the rest of the sentence.

He spun around and sprinted towards the castle. His heart pumped renewed hope into every vein. Adrenaline sent shots of energy into his being, making him forget how weak he had felt a moment ago.

There was still a chance he could help Hiccup. Protect him. That was the only clear thought in his frantic mind.

His friends called out to him. He heard the sound of their running feet across the ground but he didn't wait for them or slow down. There was no way he was going to be too late if Hiccup was in trouble.

The castle walls came closer and closer in the distance. His sharp breathing echoed in his head. He was almost there. Just a little more.

"Jack!" the different voices of his friends shouted from somewhere behind him.

He finally reached the entrance. He pushed the heavy wooden doors open and raced through the courtyard. The stone pathway clacked under his shoes. The eyes of other students prickled on his skin.

It only took a few moments for him to cross the courtyard and get into one of the corridors. He darted down the hallways, quickly scurrying around any students in his way. His friends were close on his heel.

Corridor after corridor came into view and disappeared again, as he rushed towards Professor Lunar's office. He took three steps at a time when he came to the stairways and ignored his protesting lungs and the comments from the portraits on the walls.

When the gargoyle entrance to the Headmaster's office finally appeared, Jack's belly filled with fiery determination. He didn't care which obstacles would be put in his way. He was going to get to Hiccup and no one was going to stop him. Not even Headmaster Lunar.

He didn't have the password the gargoyle was going to need to let him through. Instead, he banged his fists on the stone wall. "PROFESSOR LUNAR! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!" he screamed as loud as he could. There was no way Professor Lunar wouldn't have heard that.

He took a few steps back. His friends appeared on each side of him. They all stared at the statue, only their ragged breathing interrupting the silence.

The stone rumbled as the gargoyle swung aside to reveal the moving staircase. Jack wasted no time in climbing the steps and his friends followed without a word.

He pushed open the doors and stepped into the large, circular office with the abundance of tall bookcases, weird contraptions and portraits of former headmasters and headmistresses.

Professor Lunar sat by his massive desk under the shelf where the Sorting Hat and other magical items rested quietly. The headmaster's expression was like a peaceful lake; still and unmoving. He had fixed his calm eyes on them and folded his hands on the table.

"Mr. Overland." he said. "And the rest of you." he added and nodded at his friends. "What can I do for you? It sounded urgent."

"It _is_ urgent!" Jack said and moved towards the desk. "Hiccup and Astrid and Fishlegs have gone back to Berk. It's under attack!"

"I am truly sorry to hear that." Professor Lunar said, his eyes shining with sympathy. "I was hoping this day would never come."

"They left us behind." Jack explained quickly, trying his best not to let his anger show. "And we know you have another portkey." he added and shot Professor Lunar a firm look to tell him that he wouldn't take no for an answer. He was getting to Berk no matter what.

Professor Lunar sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Mr. Overland, I can't send five of my students straight into a Viking battle."

"I don't care! I _have _to go!" he said. The short time of appearing calm was already over.

"We're all of age, Headmaster. " Rapunzel said hesitantly and went to Jack's side. "We should be allowed to make our own decisions."

"Ms. Corona…" Professor Lunar said with a sad smile. "I have a responsibility as headmaster. I can't send you off to Scandinavia to fight in a war."

"But we can defend ourselves!" Merida interrupted and didn't bother to conceal the annoyance in her tone.

"I'm well aware of that, Ms. DunBroch." Professor Lunar replied. "I don't doubt your abilities."

"Then help us get there." Flynn appealed to the headmaster, doing a much better job at looking calm than the rest of them, even though Jack knew he was a wreck on the inside.

"Don't you have someone in your life that you_ need_ to protect?" Jack said, hoping against all hope that their headmaster would change his mind.

"Yes." Professor Lunar said. "All of my students."

Jack lost the battle against his anger. "I have someone who I love more than anything. And right now, he could be dying or getting tortured and I have no way of helping him!" he yelled and slammed his fist into the nearby wall. "I need to go there. I _need_ to protect him! I don't care what happens to me, I don't care if I end up injured or dead! All that matters is that I get to Berk. NOW!"

Headmaster Lunar didn't flinch. He was a blank mask as his eyes drifted over each of them. He leaned back in his chair.

"Mr. Overland. As your headmaster, I can't send you to Berk." he said and rose from his chair. He slowly walked around them towards the door.

The desperation boiled inside Jack. "I won't accept that!" he said and stepped closer.

"_But_…" Professor Lunar continued calmly while he made his way to the door. "As Ms. Corona said…you may still be students but you are all adults now. You can and have to make your own choices…"

Confused by the words, Jack could only watch the professor in sudden silence.

"_I_ can't send you to Berk. I'm your headmaster and it would go against my responsibilities no matter how much I sympathize with your eagerness to protect your loved ones. But…if you were to somehow…_find_ the portkey and take it while I'm conveniently out of my office, well…I could do nothing to stop you….Good luck." Headmaster Lunar said as he disappeared out of the office and down the moving staircase.

They all looked at each other in silence as the rumbling of the stone stairs ceased.

"Did he really just…?" Flynn said, his face scrunched in confusion.

"Yes." Jack said when the headmaster's words sunk in. "And I'm not going to waste any time. Let's find it." he told them and went to Professor Lunar's desk to rummage through the drawers.

"But we have no idea what it looks like." Merida said.

"There's has to be some kind of clue." Mavis said and looked around the office where many shelves, bookcases and boxes took up most of the space. "Headmaster Lunar wouldn't just say _that_ and leave unless he figured we would know what the portkey is when we see it."

"It has to be something Viking related." Rapunzel said and bit her lip in thought.

"Yeah." he agreed as he looked through the three drawers at lightning speed. He couldn't spot anything that seemed appropriate for a portkey to the archipelago.

The others began searching every inch of the office for anything that could possibly be the portkey.

Flynn went up one of the two stairways leading to the second level of the office, Merida and Mavis searched the bookcases one by one while Rapunzel went through the glass cabinets.

Jack quickly moved on to going through the chests and boxes scattered around the office. There was a twinge in the back of his mind telling him it was wrong to go through Headmaster Lunar's things but he pushed it down. He needed to get to Hiccup and Professor Lunar had basically given them permission.

For a while, no one spoke but searched frantically around the office. The only sounds were drawers and boxes being opened and closed, hands rummaging through items and footsteps around the wooden floors.

He was in the middle of going through yet another chest of various items when he heard Rapunzel's voice.

"That must be it!" she said and looked at him and the others.

He slammed the lid of the chest shut and hurried to her side. The others quickly followed.

"What is?" he asked.

"That one. Up there." she pointed to the top part of the glass cabinet. On one of the shelves, a stone the size of a hand rested on a wooden stand. It was dark grey with black runes on it.

"Are you sure that's it?" he said. They didn't have time for mistakes.

"It has to be." she said. "It's the only thing we've found so far that has anything to do with Vikings."

"Okay…" he said and took a deep breath. "You're the only one of us who's ever used a portkey. How does it work?"

"Well, portkeys can work in different ways but the one I used when I went to Berk just transported us when we touched it. But we had to touch it at the same time."

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Merida said. She grabbed a nearby wooden stepladder and placed it in front of the tall cabinet.

"Don't touch it with your hands." Rapunzel told her, as Merida climbed up the stepladder to reach the rune stone.

"I know, I know." she confirmed and took off her black cloak. She wrapped the stone in the cloak and joined the rest of them on the floor.

They all watched as she unfolded the black fabric and revealed the stone. It was strange how such a seemingly insignificant item could transport them straight into a war.

"So…" Flynn said. "Are we ready to do this?"

"Does everyone have their wands?" Mavis checked. They all nodded and pulled them out of their pockets, ready to use their magic. Jack didn't fail to notice the uncertainty in all of their eyes, matching his own nervousness.

"Let's go." he said and clutched his wand hard.

"Wait, Jack." Rapunzel said.

Despite his desire to go to Berk as fast as possible, he held himself back. "What?"

"We don't know what we're walking into but we need to be prepared. Be ready for anything and don't hesitate." she said.

They all nodded in understanding. They didn't know where they would appear or if anyone else would be nearby. They could be transported straight into the midst of the battle, for all they knew.

Rapunzel did a quick nod to herself. Merida held out the stone towards them.

"Okay. On three, everyone." Rapunzel said. She tried to sound determined but her anxiety wasn't so easily hidden.

"One…"

They all reached for the stone.

"Two…"

Their fingers almost touched the dark, rough surface.

"Three!"

Everyone grabbed on to the rune stone.

The world spun around rapidly. Shapes and colors blurred. An unpleasant jolt shot through him and the nausea threatened to make him sick.

Nothing could have truly prepared him for what he saw, when he had solid ground underneath his feet again.

Chaos.

~~~~ Mavis ~~~~

The vicious assault on her senses was overwhelming.

The spinning from the portkey transportation. The deafening sounds of dragons roaring, metal clanging and wood exploding, splinters flying through the air. The smell of smoke from the flames eating into wooden houses.

The five of them stood still for a few seconds, shocked at what they were exposed to.

Dead bodies with skin and clothes covered in blood; their glassy eyes wide open. In the distance, Vikings roared their battle cries and attacked each other with raised weapons. Scattered and injured, people were writhing and screaming in pain on the ground.

Jack was the first to move.

He took a few steps forward and looked around frantically. She knew he was looking for Hiccup. But he was nowhere to be seen in the chaos.

An angry yell made them snap their heads to the side. A large Viking with a thick, red beard raised his axe towards a young boy who couldn't be more than 14. The young boy held out his sword but it was obvious that he was scared and inexperienced.

Mavis raised her wand to interfere but Jack was already running towards them with his wand out. The rest of them were quick to follow, not willing to let Jack meddle in a Viking fight without any backup.

"STUPEFY!" Jack roared and sparks flew from his wand and hit the Viking. He was thrown straight into a nearby boulder. His head smacked against the stone and he fell to the ground, dropping his axe.

They all watched him to see if he would get up but he was either dead or unconscious.

The boy looked at them with wide eyes. Now that they were close to him, she noticed he had smears of blood on his tunic. "You're…sorcerers?" he asked.

"Yes. We know Hiccup and Fishlegs and Astrid." Jack told him, sounding calmer than Mavis knew he was.

"You shouldn't be here." the boy shook his head and clutched his sword tighter. "It's not-"

Angry battle cries caught their attention.

The boy gasped and Mavis froze in place.

A group of Vikings came running towards them past rows of wooden houses. Their heavy feet stomped across the dusty ground. Their long hair swayed in the wind. Their eyes held nothing but murderous rage.

She had a burst of anxiety in her gut. These people would kill her and her friends if they got the chance.

She took a breath and stepped in front of the boy. She pointed her wand into the middle of the group.

"Confringo!" she yelled, putting all of her focus into the spell.

"Stupefy!", "Everte Statum!", "Confringo!", a blur of spells left her friends' mouths and shot through their wands.

A rainbow of different colored sparks rushed towards their enemies. The spells exploded in a mess of fire and blood. Vikings were flung in all directions, their heavy limbs flailing. Some crashed through the walls of houses. Gravity smashed others back into the ground, sprawled like ragdolls.

The pained screams sent a chill across Mavis' skin. The noise of the explosion left a ringing in her ears. Nausea bubbled inside her as she saw the results of their magic.

Most of the Vikings were dead. Bodies were missing legs or arms that had been ripped straight off by the explosion. Others had had their skulls cracked open or limbs twisted in disgusting angles. Blood seeped from their bodies and onto the ground, slithering like crimson snakes. There was no life in their eyes anymore.

She didn't miss the similar looks of horror on her friends' faces. They all stared at the bodies to the sound of dragons roaring in the skies and Vikings battling on the ground.

They had killed people.

It was in self-defense but nonetheless…they had taken someone's life.

"We need to find Hiccup and Fishlegs." Jack said, bringing them all back to reality.

There was no time to stand here. They had to protect their friends.

"THERE!" they heard someone yell, followed by a bunch of deep roars.

Another group of Vikings came towards them with their weapons out. This one was larger than the first and their battle cries more intimidating. They must have witnessed what they had just done to their brothers in arms.

Her heart beat frantically at the sight of the bloodthirsty Vikings coming towards them.

"Shit!" Merida said and held out her wand.

"Just take down as many as you can!" Jack told her but Mavis noticed the fear in his voice.

"Aim for the middle! You do the most damage that way!" she told them.

With flicks of their wands and the necessary words spoken, another rainbow of sparks shot towards their enemies. A few of them smashed into some nearby stone statues and never got back up. The cracking sounds of bones breaking was disgusting. Some of the others had died on the spot. Their dead bodies were unrecognizably. Big patches of skin had been ripped open and burned and blood was flowing freely from huge open wounds.

One of the Vikings ran around frantically. He had caught on fire and flames were spreading through his clothes and to his hair and skin. His shrill screams of pain drowned out the dragon roars and explosions in the distance.

The smell of burning skin and the man's torturous screams was close to making her vomit. She pointed her wand at him and spoke the words. He went flying over one of the cliffs to his death.

She met her friends' gazes, warm tears burning in the corners of her eyes. The looks on their faces mirrored her own sadness and dread.

Jack nodded slowly, as if trying to reassure her that what she had done was okay.

"It was necessary." he said with a sad smile. "He was in pain."

"I know…" she agreed. "But that doesn't make it better."

"What do we do know?" Merida asked and looked around them.

Sounds of battle came from the other side of the rows of wooden houses. They needed to get closer to find their friends.

"Help whoever you can and take down anyone who's not from Berk. Find Hiccup and Fishlegs and Astrid." Jack said and started moving towards the noises.

"How do we know who's from Berk and who's not?" Flynn asked.

"Look at their armor." Rapunzel said. "If they're from Berk, they have the red Hairy Hooligan sigil on their armor."

"Got it." Flynn nodded.

Four large shadows came swooping across the skies above them. They all looked up with their wands ready but there was no threat. Four Monstrous Nightmares with riders on their backs were hurrying towards something. Their scales were on fire and the riders had their weapons ready.

On the other side of the wooden houses, they could finally understand. Their position on the cliffs, made them able to see everything.

An army of ships dotted the water, flags with foreign sigils on them flapping in the wind. Several ships had already dropped anchor close to Berk's shores and the armed Vikings on board had begun to fight the Berkians that were on land. Vikings from both sides had triumphs or fell to the ground and took their last breaths. In the skies, swarms of dragons with riders on them attacked the ships that were still trying to get closer to the shore. Flames spewed from the dragons' mouths and into the wood, pillars of dark smoke rising into the air. Vikings screamed as they were burned and jumped overboard to put the fire out. Some of the hostiles shot out nets from net trappers before the dragons got to them. Nearby, the hostiles had outnumbered a group of Berkians on land who were fighting bravely.

"Come on! We have to help!" Jack said and pointed to the Vikings fighting off the invaders in the village, among houses, livestock and carts. "The others have the dragons!"

They rushed to the Berkians' sides and began firing spells as fast as they could to get rid of the invaders. Her initial shock of being in a battle had died down but the adrenaline was still raging through her body, making her energized and aware of her surroundings. She was acting on instinct, firing spells towards enemies without thinking, trying her best to keep one eye on her friends.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Flynn yelled and made a Viking stop dead in his tracks and fall over, paralyzed.

While Flynn was busy getting rid of two more hostiles coming towards him, a big Viking with blonde hair came at him from the other side.

She paralyzed him, making him drop to the ground like a board, while Flynn took care of the other two with a well-placed Stupefy spell.

Flynn was surprised by the noise and spun around only to find the Viking on the ground. He looked up and met her eyes. and nodded to say thank you.

"DON'T TURN YOUR BACKS ON ANYONE BUT EACH OTHER!" she heard Jack yell from somewhere.

Merida and Flynn took his advice to heart straight away, standing back-to-back while battling the enemies. They were an efficient team, quickly taking down Vikings without much of a fight.

It was impossible to keep track of her friends all the time but Flynn and Merida stayed in her line of sight.

A weird-looking Berkian with a bucket on his head was surrounded by six hostiles and despite his fighting prowess, he was clearly in trouble. Rapunzel hurried to his side and defended him with some powerful curses. Mavis was about to help them after throwing another enemy off the cliffs, but they managed to defeat the hostiles by themselves.

The invaders slowly dwindled in numbers. Not only did the Berkians fight with all their might and they helped with their magic, some of the enemies had run the other way to warn their allies. "SEIDR!" some of them yelled.

She knew the word. Fishlegs had told her about it. These Vikings were telling their allies that they were witches and wizards.

She took down four invaders in the distance with a powerful Confringo spell that she didn't want to see the result of up close. The explosion and the flames were enough to know they were – or would soon be – dead.

Her heart lurched in her chest when someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her close to the wall of a house. A strong arm wrapped around her throat. Her wand fell to the ground.

"What do we have here? A little witch who thinks she belongs here." a menacing, hoarse voice whispered. The fear in her veins made her heart beat faster. Time slowed down.

"It's time to die, kitten." the voice said.

Her eyes fixed on her friends fighting off enemies further ahead. None of them had seen her. There was no way out.

The hands around her throat tightened, pressing into her windpipe. She tried to gasp for air but nothing came into her lungs. Panic shot into her body. She thrashed and flailed her limbs as wildly as she could to break free but the hands were too strong.

Rapunzel sent a Viking flying off a cliff with a powerful spell and spun around. Their eyes met and Rapunzel froze in place. She lifted her wand and narrowed her eyes in concentration.

Mavis began to feel dizzy, the world blurring around her. A darkness descended, slowly consuming the light around her.

A colorful spark broke through the darkness and filled her vision. The world suddenly shrank around her. She dropped to the ground on four paws and ran for cover behind some nearby barrels.

She greedily breathed in as much air as she could, while the sound of screaming and someone falling to the ground filled her ears.

As her heartbeat slowed down a little and her breathing steadied, the realization of what had happened hit her. She crawled out from the barrels in her small, furry body.

Rapunzel killed another Viking in seconds and came towards her. When another spark hit her, she grew taller, fur gave way to skin and a few seconds after, she was back in her human form.

Rapunzel smiled reassuringly and handed her the wand she had dropped. All she could do was to crush her in a hug and whisper "Thank you."

"Are you hurt?" Rapunzel asked, her green eyes drifting over here, looking for injuries.

"No, I'm fine." Mavis whispered, despite the pain around her throat where the hands had pressed so hard. It hurt to talk.

She caught a glimpse of Jack fighting off two Vikings, quickly taking them out by blasting them straight into a house.

"NIGHT FURY!" a Viking shouted and the last few invaders ran off in the other direction.

There was only one Night Fury on Berk. That meant Hiccup was alive.

While the Berkians followed the invaders to take them down, the five of them searched the skies frantically with their eyes until they landed on a black shape in the distance.

None of them spoke as Toothless and Hiccup came closer at a rapid speed and landed on the ground with a thud. Hiccup's right arm was bleeding from a wound but besides that, they looked unharmed. She heard Jack sigh in relief.

Hiccup wasted no time in jumping off Toothless's back and rushing towards them with panicked eyes.

"No!" Hiccup grabbed Jack's shoulders. "No! What are you doing here!? You need to get out of here now!"

"No!" Jack said. "I'm not going anywhere!"

"You have to go back!" Hiccup insisted and she could hear the desperation in his voice.

"No!" Jack said and forced Hiccup's hands away from his shoulders. "This is my fight as much as it's yours! I'm _not _leaving!"

Hiccup sighed. "There's no time for this…" he said and then looked at the rest of them. "Stay close to each other. _No one_ leaves the others, got it? The enemy has witches and wizards too. Three of them. Be careful! Use the most damaging spells you know against any enemy and don't hesitate! No matter what, _don't _hesitate!"

"We won't." Jack told him.

Hiccup nodded slowly. "I can't stay here…" he told Jack with regret in his eyes. "I need to lead the dragon riders."

"I'll come with you." Jack said.

"No!" Hiccup said. "It's even more dangerous up there when you don't have your own dragon. You need to help my dad down here instead."

Mavis could tell that Jack wanted to object but that he also saw the reason in Hiccup's words. None of them had dragons or had enough experience with flying on one. They would be too vulnerable in the air but they could do plenty of damage on the ground.

Jack sighed. "Okay. Do what you have to do. We will help anyone we can here."

"Please be safe." Hiccup said and kissed Jack quickly before he took his place on Toothless' back once more. "If you're in trouble and need help, get to a dragon rider. They can find me or Fishlegs or Astrid."

"Come back alive." Jack told him.

"I will if you do." Hiccup said.

"I will." Jack told him.

Toothless crouched down and he and Hiccup rushed into the air.

~~~~ Ivar the Bonesmasher ~~~~

Weapons and shields collided in brutal clashes of willpower and strength. Dust whirled into the air from the movements of warriors' boots. Blood spattered onto faces and hands. If you were skilled enough, it wasn't your own blood.

He was setting the example any chief should set for his men: fighting bravely in the midst of battle without fear; lunging at the enemies without letting them see even a flicker of doubt.

He launched his sword straight through a tall Berkian woman with a brown braid. Her eyes transformed; the heated determination extinguished by shock. She collapsed on the ground. Blood flowed from the corners of her mouth.

He pulled his sword out, ready to battle the next enemy who was foolish enough to challenge him. The crimson blood glistened beautifully on the blade.

It was a man with brown hair and a peg leg, who came at him. He blocked the attack with his shield and pushed back against the Berkian, who wasn't able to match his strength.

His enemy lunged at him with a sharp axe. He held up his shield and the axe dug into the wood. He ripped the shield to the side, pulling the Berkian along by the axe, and pushed his sword straight into the man's exposed side.

The Berkian cried out and let go of the axe still attached to the shield. Ivar's sword pierced his enemy's chest. He pulled it out again and kicked him backwards. The man fell over without resistance and writhed on the ground, blood spilling out of his wounds.

"No! Mulch!" another man roared and came at him with fury in his eyes. He was too angry to think two steps ahead, so Ivar made quick work of him too.

They had fought effectively and the Berkians in this part of the battlefield had dwindled. Only a few remained close by and his men quickly took care of them, leaving nothing but cracked bones and blood.

"My chief!" Hákon appeared at his side, while he was wiping some of the blood from his face.

"Speak!" he said.

"There are more sorcerers!"

"What!? What are you talking about!?"

"There are five more that came out of the blue!" Hákon explained with uncertainty in his eyes. That wasn't unusual. A lot of Vikings were wary of sorcerers they didn't know.

He was silent as he took in the news.

This was an unexpected and dangerous advantage to the Berkians. Sorcerers, even inexperienced ones, could take down a lot of men with much less effort than a warrior.

"So Stoick's son has more help…" he said. "We'll have to deal with that."

In the distance, he heard the battle cries and heavy boots of more Berkians approaching.

"Gather the sorcerers. Tell them they have a new first priority: killing these new sorcerers. No matter the cost." he told him.

Hákon nodded and quickly ran off.

He pushed some stray locks out of his face, while he waited for the enemies to come. His men gathered behind him and readied themselves for another fight. They were blood soaked and dirty and never had they looked more motivated.

He looked over the ocean where the fleet of ships swayed in the water surface and a myriad of dragons flew through the skies, their roars and fire resembling the anger of a vengeful god.

His men fought bravely against the Berkians and their dragons. Ships were ablaze. Dead bodies washed ashore. Vikings were burnt and ripped apart by the beasts. It didn't make them fight with less conviction.

Another group of enemies came charging around a rock wall but halted when they spotted them. They organized themselves in rows as a huge, red-bearded chief with eyes like lightning came into view.

Stoick the Vast.

His lips formed a small smile.

This was the first time he had seen him so close today. He had caught glimpses of him here and there and tried to get to him, but a battle was unpredictable and often took you places you hadn't planned on.

Even from a distance, he could feel the rage radiating off Stoick. Those large hands gripped so tight around the axe, his knuckles looked ready to burst straight out of the skin. Those burning eyes analyzed the situation and when they landed on him, the spark of angry recognition might have been enough to set a forest ablaze.

"SHIELD WALL!" Stoick's voice boomed.

The Berkians in the front row crouched down and row after row behind them held up their shields a little higher, so they all formed a protective wall of shields together.

So…Stoick had decided to go for the defensive option. Interesting. He must have had his reasons to do so. Stoick the Vast had a fiery temper but he was a clever warrior and chief.

"SPEARS!" Stoick's command rang out. In between the raised shields, long spears shot out like sharp bony fingers, ready to taste flesh.

"Brothers and sisters!" Ivar addressed his warriors and pointed his sword at the Berkians. He made eye contact with his sons. They had done him proud with their bravery. "Odin smiles upon us today! The gods are on our side! KILL THEM!"

He and his men charged with a fury only Odin could bestow on them. The Berkians stood their ground, waiting for them to come.

Warriors and their swords slammed against the Berkians' shields and spears. Wood, flesh and metal came together in a crash of noise.

It was a blur of faces and weapons. He cut down one enemy after another, working his way towards Stoick the Vast.

The warm blood spatter on his face and clothes. The screams of agony from his enemies. The adrenaline coursing through his veins.

It was familiar.

One of his men had an arrow lodged in his stomach. He screamed and ran in the opposite direction, away from the battle.

Ivar ran his sword through another enemy. "Finnr!" he yelled.

"Yes, my chief!" his son replied after kicking down an injured Berkian.

"We have a deserter!"

"Yes, my chief!"

A moment later, the deserter's blood spilled across the dusty ground, three arrows sticking out of his back.

They had done him a favor.

Fleeing from battle; refusing to fight for your cause, for your loved ones, for your chief…that was one of the most shameful things a Viking could ever do. If he had survived, he would have been an outlaw; doomed to roam without any tribe left; judged to be killed by anyone who sees him with the blessing of his former tribe.

Death was a better option for a Viking.

The Berkians' numbers lessened at a rapid pace; effectively slaughtered by him and his men. Stoick the Vast finally ordered his warriors to retreat, as any wise chief would do. The Berkians ran in the other direction around one of the massive boulders.

Ivar ordered his men to follow. Now they had the opportunity to take the chief himself out. That would weaken the Berkians significantly. They chased the Berkians around several rock walls with their weapons ready. They were high on the taste of victory. High on the prospect of finally finishing their enemies.

Until suddenly a wave of roars came from behind them.

A swarm of Berkians descended on them out of nowhere, and the ones on their other side, who had just been fleeing from them, turned around and began to fight.

He cursed as he took on more enemies; splitting faces open, cracking skulls, ramming his sword into their guts and watching their insides fall out.

It had been a trick.

He should have seen that coming. They had pretended to be weakened and on the run, so they could lure them behind the rock walls and come at them at both sides with renewed strength.

Stoick the Vast was on the other end of the battle now; easily killing off anyone who tried to attack him.

What a pity.

He sliced another enemy open and kicked them backwards into the dirt. Then he moved on to the next one.

He had been looking forward to taking Stoick on.

But the battle wasn't over yet.

And he was a patient man.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

Despite his efforts to protect him, Jack had followed him straight into a war.

That was the thought that stayed in his mind, as he and Toothless hurried through the air to get back among the other dragon riders. Columns of smoke rose from burning houses like dark spirits. Homes of people he cared for; reduced to nourishment for hungry flames.

If something happened to Jack or the others, he would never forgive himself. It would be his fault.

He shook his head and forced himself to push the thoughts out of his mind. He had to give all his attention to his fellow dragon riders.

The tall, watch-towers on the edge of the village were on fire, the wood wailing and creaking from the heat. With a loud crack, one of them fell and smashed into embers and splinters on the ground, trapping three hostile Vikings beneath it.

The other dragon riders were carrying out his orders for attacks on the fleet. He had left Astrid temporarily in command when Fishlegs told him he had seen Jack and the others.

"Where were you!?" Astrid yelled as he flew to her side, far above the battle.

"Jack and the others are here!" he explained.

"What?!" Astrid's eyes were round with surprise.

"They followed us!"

"Shit!"

"That would be a fair description, yes!" he said and looked across the ocean battlefield.

The witches and the wizard were effective in defending several ships at once from the dragons, while simultaneously attacking them.

Their first attack on the sorcerers hadn't worked. He'd called for backup by several of the other dragon riders and they had launched a joint attack. But the sorcerers had been too clever and too powerful; they had foreseen their moves and worked together and as a result, several of their dragons and riders had died before they managed a retreat.

_I'm sorry. This is my fault…_

The hostile Vikings focused on launching huge boulders from catapults, firing thick metal arrows from homemade launchers and shooting nets from net trappers. Dragons got caught in nets and fell into the water, relying on other dragons and riders to get them out. The witches and wizard hit them with powerful attacks that killed them instantly or injured them enough to be beyond saving. Arrows found their way into dragons with weaker armor and even into the weak spots of the species with the strongest scales. Riders were knocked off their dragons by rocks and arrows hurling through the air.

The three sorcerers worked as a team; one of the witches focusing on ice magic, while another relied on water spells and the last one on wind and fire.

A Monstrous Nightmare landed on the mast and lit itself on fire. Its scales glowed in the light of the dancing flames. It opened its huge jaws and spewed fire onto the mast but one of the witches were too quick; she encased the mast in a layer of ice that quickly spread onto the Nightmare, suffocating its flames and threatening its ability to use its fire more. It took off with an angry roar to get away.

A Hideous Zippleback and its riders tried to spew gas towards them but the wizard managed to whirl the gas away with powerful gusts of wind from his wand before the dragon could light it.

It was bad news for them that Ivar had managed to get witches and a wizard under his command. They were skilled and it was going to take a lot to defeat them.

But the Zippleback's unsuccessful attack put an idea into his mind.

"I'm going to need you and Fishlegs with me!" he told Astrid.

"Of course! Just say the word!"

He nodded and blew the horn again to get Fishlegs to come to him. Then he blew it again to signal the squad of Hideous Zipplebacks.

The six Hideous Zipplebacks and their riders came together from different areas of the battlefield and were soon by him and Astrid awaiting their orders. "We need the witches and the wizard gone!" he told them as a Deadly Nadder and its rider fell from the sky, both instantly killed by a Killing Curse.

Tears stung in the corners of his eyes but he forced them away. "I'll send the Thunderdrums to distract them! When the Thunderdrums use their sonic blasts against the ship, you make a ring of gas around it! As much as you can! Make them inhale it! Then set it on fire and get out of there!"

"We're on it!" Ruffnut agreed and saluted him.

"That should be no problem for the world's deadliest weapon!" Tuffnut said and puffed out his chest.

The dragon riders, led by Ruffnut and Tuffnut, flew towards the ship.

He blew into the magical horn again, using the code that meant the Thunderdrums should report to him.

Fishlegs appeared by their side then. He had a cut on his cheek and Meatlug had a small wound over one eye but other than that, they appeared to be uninjured. Much to his relief.

"Fish!" he said. "I need you to follow me and Astrid soon. We're going to take the witches and the wizard down!"

"But how?!" Fishlegs said. "They're way too powerful for us to deal with alone! We couldn't take them down the last time!"

"I know!" he said. "Which is why we're going to get help from the dragons! We can't defeat them alone and the dragons can't defeat them alone but together we can do it if we're cunning!" he said and patted Toothless on the head.

"What's the plan then?" Fishlegs asked.

"Use the Thunderdrums as a distraction with sonic blasts from underneath the ship, then send the Zipplebacks to spew their gas and light it. While they're distracted and disoriented, we're going to go in there and strike while they're vulnerable."

"I really hope that's going to work!" Fishlegs said, his eyes filled with nervousness.

"Me too!" he said.

The Thunderdrums had appeared and their riders looked to him for instructions. Most of them were unharmed except for minor injuries but one of them had a large gash on his arm that spilled blood all over it.

"We're going to use the Zipplebacks to get rid of the witches and the wizard!" he told them. "You guys need to cause a distraction, so they can release their gas around the ship without getting injured! That means going underwater!" he said, knowing that Thunderdrums were excellent swimmers and divers. "You dive deep enough so they won't see you and then you strike from below the ship, using the sonic blasts! Make that ship rock so much it almost capsizes! Then you get away as fast as possible! Understood?"

"Understood!", "Yes!" and "Yes, Hiccup!" followed.

"Go!" he said.

The squad of five Thunderdrums and their riders gathered and dove through the skies. They continued downwards and disappeared into the ocean with impressive splashes.

"Let's go!" he told Astrid and Fishlegs. They needed to stay close.

They headed towards the ship in question, navigating around the arrows shooting through the skies. Vikings on some of the ships nearby were preparing to launch their catapults.

"ROCKS!" he yelled to Astrid and Fishlegs.

He grabbed the steering rods tighter and put all his concentration into maneuvering, as a swarm of huge boulders came flying towards them.

He breathed a sigh of relief when they all made it through without being hit.

They had almost made it to the ship when the Thunderdrums moved in. Without any warning, the sonic blasts shot through the ocean surface and the ship swayed and shook violently, threatening to capsize.

It took the sorcerers by surprise.

The two witches lost their footing and hit the deck while the wizard grabbed onto the mast and held on. The hostile Vikings on board also struggled to keep their balance, most of them falling over from the sudden movement.

The Zipplebacks and their riders were quick to move in.

They circled the ship rapidly in a row and the dragons let out their thick gas. The green smoke surrounded the ship, making it impossible for those on board to see anything. They would be disoriented by inhaling the gas.

"Stay with me!" he yelled to Astrid and Fishlegs and flew towards the ship.

The Zipplebacks ignited the gas and a fierce explosion filled his vision with golden flames. Burning Vikings jumped into the ocean, desperate to put the flames out.

"Now!" he yelled to Astrid and Fishlegs.

Their dragons landed on the flame-filled deck. The witches and wizard were dizzy by the Zippleback gas and struggled to stay on their feet.

"Expelliarmus!" Fishlegs yelled and the wand of one of the witches flew out of her hand and over board. She stumbled too near the flames to try to catch her wand and her long sleeves caught fire. She screamed, powerless without her magic, and jumped into the sea.

Fishlegs hurried to the railing to see what had become of her.

The other two were not quite as easy; on unsteady feet, they fired spells towards him and Astrid.

They dismounted their dragons, deflected the spells, and attacked as best they could. If it had been a fair fight, he and Astrid would have been killed. But the wizard and the witch had lost both power and control.

Sparks of different colors darted all around them and the flames from Toothless, Meatlug and Stormfly engulfed the railing of the ship.

Hiccup finally managed to get the better of the witch; while she was distracted for a second by the aftermath of a lava attack from Meatlug, he launched a Stupefy spell that hit her in the chest. She flew backwards and hit her head hard on the mast.

Shortly after, they all sent the wizard smashing straight into the railing of the ship, making him drop his wand. The witch and wizard both scrambled to get their wands back, crawling injured and dizzy across the deck.

"STUPEFY!" Astrid yelled and threw them backwards into the air.

Two Hideous Zipplebacks grabbed them mid-flight in their claws.

The dragons wrung their necks with a sickening crack. Then they dropped them and they fell through the skies like limp puppets.

Hiccup had a nauseating jolt in the pit of his stomach.

"We have to go!" Fishlegs yelled and brought him back to reality.

It was time to abandon this ship before it joined the others on the bottom of the ocean. He jumped onto Toothless, grabbed the steering rods and they set off.

Now that they had defeated the sorcerers, he had to find out who might need backup. From above, he tried as best he could to make sense of the bloody, fiery mess that was the battlefield. He sent Astrid and Fishlegs to help Ruffnut and Tuffnut since they, and others, were currently taking on one of the largest ships with the most men. They could use all the help they could get.

The other large groups of mixed dragons were attacking the different ships as planned but one particular group had trouble dodging rows of archers on three other boats. Three of their dragons and riders had died and floated motionless in the water. An arrow hit a Gronckle in the eye and it roared in pain before it crash-landed in the ocean with its rider. Among swarms of arrows, two Monstrous Nightmares and their Vikings came to their aid and fished them out.

He took the magical horn hanging from his belt and blew into it the needed amount of times to summon the Scuttleclaws and their riders. He needed their particular advantage now.

"Forget everything else you were doing! Your main task now is to follow me and help me take those archers out!" he told them when they had gathered in the air around him. Scuttleclaws were smaller than most dragons but still dangerous. Fast, agile and flexible, they were able to dodge arrow attacks easier than larger dragons.

"Okay, bud." he told Toothless and stroked his head. "You may not be as small and flexible as a Scuttleclaw but you're a Night Fury. Faster than anyone. You can do this. We can do this."

Toothless warbled in agreement.

"With me!" he told the other riders.

He and Toothless dove straight through the skies. The ocean came closer and closer. The wind raging in his ears reduced the noises of battle.

On a nearby ship, he spotted some hostiles directing their net trapper towards him and the other riders. "NETS!" he screamed to warn them.

Nets came flying towards them at massive speed. He and Toothless swerved around them with great concentration. One of the nets grazed Toothless' side. It was a close call.

Right as Toothless' claws touched the water, they turned right and then straight upwards. The Scuttleclaws followed without any trouble, their small, lithe bodies making it easy to do sharp changes in direction.

They all shot into the skies. When they were high enough up, he made Toothless dive again.

It was risky to move between ships this much but they needed to do sudden and unpredictable moves, so the archers wouldn't see them coming from a mile away.

As he had hoped, the archers didn't discover right away that they were heading straight for _them_. When they did, they hurried to the arrow launchers and a rain of arrows hissed through the air. Toothless screeched when an arrow nicked one of his wings. Hiccup put all of his focus into dodging the attacks; even a single arrow could do unbelievable damage if it hit a weak spot.

His heart beat rapidly, as he and Toothless guided each other around arrow after arrow. His mind was quiet, his body working on its own; acting as one with Toothless.

They were almost by the deck of the ship now. "Plasma blast!" he said. Toothless obliged and the purple attack had several Vikings screaming or blasting them unconscious.

They landed on the deck and the sounds of claws scraping against wood were all around him as the Scuttleclaws settled on the railings.

They wasted no time; the small dragons opened their mouths and orange flames engulfed most of the archers. Some tried to launch arrows with their bows and a Scuttleclaw fell into the sea screaming when an arrow pierced the inside of its mouth.

The other Scuttleclaws were enraged and screeched furiously at the invaders on the ship. Three of the dragons jumped onto the deck and grabbed enemies by the throat or the arms. They shook them in their strong jaws, tearing through the flesh, snapping bones in two. The screams intertwined with the sound of crackling flames.

A Viking reached for his spear nearby. "Stupefy!" he shouted and sent him crashing into the arrow launcher. He fell onto the deck, unmoving.

The enemies on board slowly decreased in numbers. The Scuttleclaws and their riders were effective in taking out the Vikings and he and Toothless did everything they could to cover them; he fired spells that broke most of the nets and rocks shooting towards them from two other ships and Toothless incapacitated several enemies on board with plasma blasts or the use of his claws and teeth.

When most of the enemies had been defeated and the ship creaked and swayed, flames taking hold of the wood, it was time to leave. He redirected the Scuttleclaws and their riders to other ships, where they were needed against more enemies with arrow launchers. He would have gone with them again but when he tried to take stock of their situation, he found another place where he had to go.

By two of the ships, the hostiles used some sort of water cannon to render the dragons' fire useless. Four men operated it while the others shot spears, rocks and nets towards the dragons and riders. With the horn, he summoned the Raincutters.

He looked over the battlefield, finding places where dragons and riders needed assistance. He noticed a couple of ships had started firing dragon root from their catapults, rendering the dragons close by aggressive towards each other and vulnerable to attacks. Several dragons fell from the skies, pierced with metal arrows, injured by boulders or trapped in nets. He blew the horn to get the Gronckles and their riders to come to him. Gronckles were slow and therefore not the best at avoiding fast attacks like arrows but they were the only species who weren't affected by dragon root.

The Raincutters and the Gronckles assembled around him in the air. Both riders and dragons were filled with scrapes, bruises and dirt. Fishlegs had a deep cut on his cheek that leaked blood down to his throat and shirt.

"Okay." he said. "Gronckles, we need you to help the other dragons by those two ships down there!" he said and pointed. "They are firing dragon root and you're the only ones who can get near it without turning aggressive! Get rid of it and help the other dragons bring down those ships!"

The riders quickly agreed and directed their Gronckles towards the battlefield.

"Raincutters! We have some other ships who are using water cannons! Follow me and attack on my command!"

He steered Toothless towards the ships in question. The water gushed from the water cannons, splashing onto decks and railings. The dragon riders had pulled their dragons away and were firing arrows with their bows towards the enemies.

He heard the flaps of Raincutter wings behind him. An explosion went off on a nearby ship and he spotted Astrid, Snotlout and the twins flying away on their dragons. Every time he caught a glimpse of them on the battlefield, he could breathe a little easier.

Toothless shot through the air towards the ship below. He clutched the steering rods. "Raincutters! Be ready!...NOW!"

He and Toothless turned to the right, out of Raincutters' way. The five blue and purple dragons bared their sharp teeth and their flames sliced through the sprays of the water cannon.

He and Toothless circled the ship, while he fired spells to get rid of as many enemies as possible. The fight was a blur of water spraying into the air, bright sparks from his wand and the water resistant flames of the Raincutters. With the advantage of the water cannons gone, it didn't take long to overpower the invaders on the two ships.

With only a few enemies left to fight, he and Toothless landed on the deck. A couple of Raincutters followed their lead and working together, they quickly incapacitated the rest.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Then a bone-chilling screech had him snapping his head around. He jumped off Toothless when he noticed the lifeless body of a girl he knew.

It was Líf.

She was 18 years old and had dimples and lovely white teeth that showed whenever she gave someone that familiar, playful grin of hers.

Now her smile was gone forever.

Her dragon, Longclaw, wailed in sorrow towards the skies. The purple Raincutter curled around her limp body and refused to let go. It spread its large, spotted wings and covered Líf from view, protecting her even in death. The agonizing howls of despair continued to echo through the air.

Hiccup's eyes welled up and his throat felt like there was a rope tightening around it.

The other Raincutters and their riders sat on the railings or the deck, watching with sad eyes. Some of them let their tears fall freely.

_Forgive me, Líf. Forgive me, Longclaw._

This was his responsibility.

Toothless came to his side and softly leaned against him as a sign of comfort. Hiccup blinked rapidly to avoid letting the tears fall. Líf had had her whole life before her. Friends, family and a dragon who all loved her fiercely. Now, she was ripped away from the world.

He turned to the dragon riders. "Go. See if there are other ships that are using water cannons and help the other dragon riders out if there is."

The riders dried their eyes and soared into the skies without a word.

He was about to get back on Toothless, when a sudden sob from the other side of the deck drew his attention.

A man was lying with his back to him, shaking and crying in a pool of blood.

Hiccup unsheathed his sword and moved closer, Toothless following.

When he reached him, he understood.

The red-bearded man had had his abdomen sliced right open, a gaping hole with bloody, ripped flesh around it. His intestines spilled out of his gut like a myriad of slimy snakes.

The man sobbed and called out for his mother, clutching parts of his bloody intestines in his shaking hands. A grown man, surely fierce and brave like most Vikings, now broken by the horrors of war.

Their eyes met and the man tried to speak but his lips quivered and all he could manage was more crying.

But Hiccup didn't need words. There was an unspoken plea written on the man's face. Hiccup knew what he wanted him to do.

He took a deep breath and grabbed hold of one of the invader's shoulders. There was a silent thank you in his eyes.

Among the roar and chaos of battle, Hiccup pushed the sword straight through the man's heart. The Viking's eyes went wide and then his whole body relaxed as he died in his arms.

Hiccup gently laid him down and walked away. Toothless bumped his snout against his side and he petted his best friend.

Inside, he was numb. Detached. Like he was floating around in an alternate reality where none of these actions had any bearing in the real world.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

Wave after wave of aggressive Vikings came at them and the Berkians. It seemed like an endless fight, new enemies appearing as soon as others had been taken out.

The pandemonium never ceased. Among burning homes, dragons flying overhead and dying people writhing on the ground, they fought for their survival.

He and his friends kept close to each other and they found a rhythm that worked in defeating enemies and protecting each other at the same time. They had learned from the mistakes they had made in the beginning; now they only turned their backs on each other and they worked together instead of fighting next to each other but individually.

He and Flynn had just defeated a group of six Vikings together when a green spark came flying past him, only missing him by inches. He shot to the side and used the wall of a house for cover.

That was a killing curse. That meant hostile magic users. But who here knew how to use magic?

He looked around the wall and quickly located the source in the distance. The witch was a young woman, no older than 25, dressed in black robes and with a long, blonde braid. She radiated confidence with her strong strides and posture.

"KILLING CURSES! WATCH OUT!" he screamed to his friends but they were too busy fighting off hostile Vikings to evade anything else.

There was only one thing to do. He'd have to cover them as best he could.

He saw the witch look at his friends and raise her wand.

He jumped to the side, leaving his protected position, and sent a Stupefy spell her way.

She saw it in her peripheral vision and shielded herself with a blocking spell. Before he knew it, a Killing Curse flew his way and he shot behind the wall once again.

This was a powerful witch. He wasn't going to beat her on sheer magical ability. He'd have to find some way to outsmart her. And protect his friends at the same time.

He peeked around the wall and shot another Stupefy spell her way before retreating again.

When he looked again, a spark flew right past his head. He sent a paralyzing spell towards her but she countered it and he had to act quickly to block her magic with a shielding spell.

When another Killing Curse flew past his head, he sought refuge behind the wooden wall again to think up a plan. He had to take her down somehow but she was more powerful and experienced than he was.

A bright light filled his eyes.

A deafening boom clawed its way through his ears. He flew through the air and landed hard on the ground. He struggled to breathe again, his lungs squashed. Pieces of wood and metal rained down on him like arrows.

The world turned silent. The inside of his skull ached. Everything he saw melted together like watercolors.

He groaned and rolled onto his side. A sharp pain from his leg made him cry out. He quickly turned onto his back and black spots filled his eyes.

When his vision came back into focus, he looked down his body. A sharp piece of wood was lodged in the upper part of his left leg. Crimson lines flowed from the gash the ripped wood had left in him.

He looked around him. Where was the witch? Was she the one who did this?

He spotted her moving towards his friends and the battle. Apparently, she thought her explosion had taken care of him.

He groaned and clenched his jaw as he rolled to the side again. The wood dug deeper into his skin. He took his wand from the ground. An infernal ringing began to echo in his head.

The witch strode past wooden houses and overhanging cliffs. His friends were fighting off hostile Vikings surrounding them. They knew the witch was there but in the chaos, there was no time to stop defending themselves.

The witch had her eye on Flynn, when she raised her wand again. He was the only one she could hit from her position without taking down people from her own side.

He screamed in anger. Without thinking, he fired a Confringo spell.

His aim was off.

But the power was unlike anything he had done before.

The spell hit a house next to the witch. It was leveled to the ground; consumed in an uncontrollable blur of roaring flames and wood torn to pieces. The force of the explosion swept the witch off her feet and threw her backwards. She landed on the ground, the impact knocking her wand out of her hand.

As fast as he could, he shot a blasting curse at the overhanging cliffs.

There was a loud rumble when the strong spell hit. The grey cliffs cracked open in an instant, the ancient stone torn apart like a napkin, huge boulders falling to the earth, burying the witch underneath them in a crashing inferno.

For a moment, he heard nothing but his own heartbeat and the terrible ringing.

She was dead. There was no doubt about that. His chest felt hollow at that thought.

"Jack!" Flynn appeared by his side. His voice was almost drowned out by the ringing in his head. "Jack! Are you okay?"

"Yeah…yeah." he said, while Flynn pulled him to his feet.

"You're bleeding!" Flynn said and looked at the piece of wood sticking out of his upper leg.

"It's nothing." he said and watched Merida, Mavis and Rapunzel fight off enemies, making sure they were okay.

"We need to get it out." Flynn told him and grabbed the end of the wood. "On the count of three."

"Okay." he agreed and mentally prepared himself.

"One…two…three!" Flynn said and ripped the piece of wood straight out of him, tearing through more flesh and skin.

"AH!" he yelled, the sharp, burning pain overwhelming.

Flynn tossed the blood soaked wood onto the ground. Jack took a moment to handle the pain; his breaths short and sharp.

"Good, it's out." he said when he was able to speak. "Now we need to go back there." he said and motioned to the battle.

"Jack, are you sure you're able to do that?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Come on."

His leg throbbed, the pain crawling up and down, as they approached their friends. His black school trousers clung to his skin, sticky with blood. The ringing in his head grew softer but stayed.

He had only fired one spell when a deep voice roared nearby.

"SKULLCRUSHER!"

A huge red-haired man with a long beard took out enemies at a fast pace. He was even bigger than most Vikings.

It was Stoick, Hiccup's dad. Jack recognized him from Hiccup's drawings.

It was like seeing a natural force; a furious hurricane in the midst of a forest, ripping branches straight off brittle trees. He fought with a strength and determination unlike anything Jack had seen before.

A loud roar had several hostile Vikings flinch. Out of nowhere, a massive green and red dragon came charging through the enemies. It shoved them to the side with its front horn, like an angry rhino determined to eliminate an annoying flock of birds.

He got his head back in the game and focused on protecting his friends; keeping an eye out for any enemies that came near them while they were fighting off others.

"The guards are dead!" a Viking with blonde hair, that Jack knew was Gobber, said and destroyed a hostile Viking's face with his axe. The man fell to the ground like a boneless heap. His face was split right open, skin ripped to shreds, blood flowing like red paint.

"WHAT?!" he heard Stoick bellow. The Viking chief rammed his sword straight through an invader and cut his gut open. Blood and intestines spilled from the man's body as he dropped to his knees and fell onto his side with pained screams.

"THE CHILDREN!" Stoick shouted to his men while another enemy attacked him. "MEN! OUR GUARDS HAVE BEEN KILLED! WE NEED SOMEONE TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN AND THE HATCHLINGS!"

Pictures of scared children and young baby dragons appeared before Jack's eyes, as he kept fighting off hostile Vikings with the others.

"WE'LL GO!" he yelled and motioned to himself and the others. "We'll keep them safe!"

"GO!" Stoick yelled back. "PROTECT THEM AT ALL COSTS!"

The run to the Great Hall was panicked. Jack's leg was giving him trouble but he pushed it down. They all ignored the pain and fatigue in their bodies to get there as fast as possible. The children could be in danger.

He had a small head start and came to the top of the long stone staircase leading to the Great Hall, before his friends did. When he opened the massive doors, they creaked in protest.

Inside, it was dark and quiet. Only one small fire was lit in one of the corners, giving off just enough light so he didn't stumble into anything.

He came to a sudden halt when a small body came into his line of sight. It was lying close to one of the walls, partly hidden behind a table. After a moments hesitation, he slowly stepped closer.

It was a dead child. He almost fell to his knees.

A young girl, about 8 or 9 years old, with two brown braids. Her eyes were open but unseeing; wide and blue with no light remaining. Only cold death that would haunt him forever. Her lips were pale and her brown tunic had dried blood on it; a small pool around a wound, like a crimson flower sprouting from dark soil. In one of her small hands lay a tiny dagger. She had tried to defend herself.

The sorrow filled his eyes and the world swam around him. How could anyone kill a _child_?

"Jack!" Mavis called out. "Jack! Where are you?!"

The fury overtook him and pushed away the sadness. "THEY ARE KILLING THE CHILDREN!" he screamed into the quiet hall, his voice echoing over and over.

"What?!" Flynn yelled back.

"Those bastards!" Merida said.

"We need to find the rest and defend them!" he shouted to the others. He blinked and took a depth breath before moving on through the hall to find out how deep this tragedy went.

In their search through the Great Hall, they found the corpses of three more children; two small girls about ten years old and a boy who seemed to have been no older than six. All of them had defensive wounds but had been overpowered and slaughtered. When they couldn't find any others, they agreed that they had escaped somehow.

They were almost out of the hall again, when Jack heard a floorboard creak.

He spun around as fast as he could.

The Viking wasn't quick enough to hide. There he was, standing close to the fire.

Jack raised his wand and hurried towards him. The others followed.

"Don't touch that sword!" Jack said when the Viking moved to unsheathe his weapon. He pressed his wand into the guy's throat. "Where are the children?"

The Viking's jaw clenched. He was not speaking.

"You think I'm kidding?" Jack told him in a low tone. "I swear, I'll make you suffer if you don't tell me where they are." he said and poked him harder with the wand. "Magic can cause pain you can't even imagine."

The Viking's eyes widened for a second before he got himself under control. "They scattered before we could get to them all."

"Where did they go?"

"I don't know. Some of them ran out a back door."

"A back door?"

"That's what I said isn't it?"

"Don't get fucking cocky with me." he said and with a flick of his wrist, he threw the Viking into the stone wall. He didn't get back up.

"Okay, so the kids are still out there somewhere." Rapunzel said. "We have to find them!"

"They couldn't have gone far." Mavis said. "The ones in here haven't been dead for very long…"

"Let's go find them." Jack told them.

Their search did not take very long. When they found the children, it was a horrifying sight.

The children were trapped in a corner. There were about ten of them, their backs pressed against the stone. In their skinny arms, they clutched dragon eggs and tiny hatchlings against their chests.

The invaders had found them and ran towards the children with their axes raised, no different than when they attacked grown men. There was no mistaking this; they were going for the kill.

"HEY!" Jack screamed and ran towards them, jolts of pain shooting into his leg whenever his foot touched the ground.

"Get away from them, you bastards!" he heard Rapunzel yell.

"Seidr!" one of the Vikings told the others with fear in his eyes before he took off, running in the other direction.

Merida made quick work of him with her wand; smashing him straight into a wooden pillar.

They fired spells at the Vikings and managed to take several of them down although the distance made it difficult.

The ground rumbled with the heavy boots of the invaders slamming down on it. Furious battle cries made the children hold the hatchlings tighter against their small bodies and move closer together.

The glassy eyes of the dead little girl flashed in Jack's mind.

"NO!" he screamed. "NO!"

Blue sparks shimmered from his wand. The wood hummed with magic, vibrating against his fingers. Running as fast as he could, he acted on pure instinct and swung it. "HIEMSFUROR!"*

Long ropes of gleaming frost shot out like lightning. They formed a huge glistening wave that rose towards the enemies. In a second, it collapsed on top of them and whirled around them like a sandstorm.

He couldn't see what was happening. But the screams of terror were nauseating.

He stopped in his tracks when the explosion hit. Frost grew in all directions, engulfing everything nearby. A display of powerful, frozen fireworks spreading through the air.

The force of the explosion shoved him to the ground. He landed on his back and cried out from the pain of his leg and a rock digging into his skin. The ringing in his ears returned; louder and more shrill than before. When he came to his senses, he glanced at his friends. They all looked disoriented but unharmed.

His first thoughts when he managed to get up again were about the children. He scrambled towards the rock wall, ignoring the pain in his body. The kids were slowly getting back on their feet.

"Is everyone all right?" he asked, looking over each of the children for injuries.

"I think so…" a girl about 10 years old with red curls said and picked up a Deadly Nadder hatchling from the ground.

"I…" a small voice said from the left. "My arm hurts."

The voice belonged to a small boy, whose arm was definitely broken. "Sorry kid." he said. "I had to stop them from getting to you."

"I know." the boy said. "It's not your fault."

Jack gave him a sad smile.

"Jack…" Rapunzel said from behind him. "How…how did you do that?"

"I…didn't know I could." he said honestly.

His friends' eyes were full of confusion and rightly so. He was one of the best in Defense against the Dark Arts but this was a whole new level. He had no idea he had that sort of power inside him.

"Look…we have to find someone who can take care of you guys." he told the children.

"Red and I will find someone." Flynn's voice said.

When he looked at them, he noticed how worn down they looked. Dust and dirt darkening their hair and skin, rips in their clothes, cuts and scrapes on hands and faces, blood spatter from enemies.

Jack wasn't religious. But his friends had gone through Hell with him. He had a burst of gratitude that all of them were still alive.

"No." he told Flynn. "I'll go. I need you guys to protect them." he said and motioned to the children and the hatchlings. "Another bunch of those bastards could come around here any minute. It's easier for one person to go find help than to keep all of these guys safe."

Flynn nodded but it was obvious that he wasn't happy about it.

"Jack, you really shouldn't go anywhere alone." Mavis said.

"I'll be all right, Mav. Don't worry. I'll sneak my way through until I find someone who can help us. You know how good I am at sneaking around." he said and smiled at them to lighten the mood just a little. There was enough darkness looming over them.

"Be safe." Merida said.

"I will." he agreed. "Stay here. I'll be quick as a bunny."

~~~~ Flynn ~~~~

Jack had only been gone for a short while before another group of Vikings came by. He and Rapunzel had been preparing to do some concealment spells on the kids, when an angry yell in the distance caught their attention.

Before they knew it, they were emerged in the cruel reality of battle. His mind was blank while the adrenaline bubbled non-stop in his blood. He sent one enemy after the other to their death, acting on nothing but impulse.

They shielded the children behind them and told them to crouch down and keep close to the wall. Even among the noise of spells and weapons, he heard some of them crying.

A spear and a shield came flying through the air. "REDUCTO!" Rapunzel screamed and turned them to ashes before they could come near the children.

The enemies pushed them to their limits. They were greatly outnumbered and despite their magic, it was difficult to take the Vikings out while still defending themselves and the children and hatchlings. They spent every ounce of energy and focus they had on using spells that did the most damage.

He and the others worked together without needing many words. He and Rapunzel were to the left and Mavis and Merida to the right. Not standing too close together gave them more room to maneuver their magic and properly see their enemies, while still being able to protect the children.

"Ahh!" Merida cried out when they failed to stop a spear coming towards them and it nicked her arm. It seemed to only make her angry and even more effective; incapacitating a greater number of enemies than before.

They were battle weary but they kept going, fueled by the adrenaline in their veins and the core instinct of survival. When the last enemy closed his eyes forever, Flynn could finally breathe again.

They had kept the children and each other safe. They had done their job.

But it never got easier to take someone's life.

When they stood alone among the piles of lifeless, mutilated bodies and broken weapons in crimson lakes of blood, he was certain he would never be the same.

After checking that the children and hatchlings hadn't been injured by a misdirected spell or something else they might have missed, they cast concealment charms over them. At least now, they wouldn't be spotted right away if someone came by.

Mavis wandered around nearby on the empty battlefield, wringing her hands.

He knew she was worried about Jack. They all were. What was taking him so long?

She stopped by a boulder, gliding one hand over the surface.

None of them saw the Viking coming from behind.

Flynn stopped breathing when the axe cut straight through Mavis' arm.

The severed limb fell to the ground, like it was nothing but a broken child's toy. Blood gushed out of the remaining stump, a waterfall coloring the ground in death.

"NO!" he screamed and rushed towards them with his wand out. "STUPEFY!"

The Viking didn't have the chance to strike again. His spine broke with a crack when the spell shoved him through the air and straight into a rock wall.

Mavis fell to her knees in the puddle of blood. Her face was paralyzed in shock. Sharp breaths left her mouth.

He got to her side right as she fell onto her back. Rapunzel and Merida were right behind him.

In Mavis' eyes, he saw the fear of dying and the will to fight for her life all at once. Her body trembled and her lips quivered. Her entire system was shutting down from the shock of losing a body part.

They huddled down around her and Rapunzel was the first to try different spells. He and Merida didn't interfere no matter how much they wanted to help. Rapunzel was the best of them at healing spells.

Merida held each side of Mavis' head. "Stop the bleeding!" she told Rapunzel.

"I'm trying!" Rapunzel said, as she kept on uttering different spells and brightly colored sparks flew from her wand and onto Mavis.

But none of them had any effect.

He clutched Mavis' hand tight, like it would prevent her from leaving the world if he just held on to her physically.

Mavis' eyelids slid down, her shock replaced by the exhaustion of the blood loss.

"Mavis!" he yelled, crushing her hand. "No! Stay with me! You have to stay awake!"

Mavis forced her eyes open but they were narrow slits, dancing on the edge of consciousness. He knew she wanted to keep going but her body was working against her.

"Mavis!" Merida yelled, her eyes filling with tears.

"Mavis, just listen to my voice, okay?" he said, desperate to keep her awake. "Just listen…"

The warm blood kept flowing from Mavis' ripped veins. He chose not to look.

"Okay, okay." he said, trying to calm himself down. "Uh, oh remember that time in our second year when Merida was really down about school and her family, so we decided to treat every day, like it was her birthday, but we accidentally dropped one of the birthday cakes on Professor Keller?" he said to her. "Or the night we snuck into the restricted part of the library and got into a lot of trouble, just because Jack was certain there had to be some books about Jack Frost somewhere in Hogwarts…but the caretaker caught us, so we ran back to the dormitories as fast as we could while he chased us?"

Mavis simply stared weakly at him, her usually bright eyes dull and tired. She looked ready to give up now and that thought was enough to send a chill through him.

"Keep talking, keep talking!" Merida said. She stroked Mavis' blood stained hair. Whether it was meant as a comfort to herself or Mavis, he didn't know.

Rapunzel waved her wand over the wound repeatedly, muttering spells. Mavis' blood had soaked through the black sleeves of Rapunzel's cloak.

"Uh, and what about that time you and Jack and Merida convinced me that Professor Bunnymund was getting married to Professor Cherry and I actually congratulated him and ended up getting detention? Or the time where you and Merida scared me and Jack to death by dressing up as serial killers? Or the time when Jack saw Astrid kiss Hiccup and you were the only one who was allowed to comfort him? See? We need you, Mav. We need you to be okay. Please, be okay."

"I've stopped the bleeding." Rapunzel said and tainted her hair with blood, as she pulled some locks away from her face. "But we need to get her to a house so I can bandage her up."

"Where?" Merida said and looked around frantically.

"That's probably our best shot." Rapunzel pointed to a nearby house that was still in one piece.

"Okay…we'll have to lift her there but we need to be really careful." he said.

"Okay…" Merida said and grabbed hold under Mavis' armpits.

Flynn wrapped his hands around the ankles and together they lifted her as gently as they could.

"You need to cover us!" he told Rapunzel who nodded and looked in all directions with her wand ready as they crossed the path towards the house.

The sounds of dragons, explosions and screams in the distance told them that the battle was far from over. Death still lured around every corner and there was no telling where another enemy could come from.

A Viking came towards them but turned around and ran in the other direction when he saw their wands. Rapunzel sent him crashing into a boulder.

He held on to one of Mavis' ankles as tight as he could, while kicking open the door to the small house. They quickly carried her inside and put her down on a long table.

"What do we do now?" he asked.

"I…I don't know." Rapunzel said. "Maybe there are some healing potions or something around here or in one of the other houses? Fishlegs and Hiccup bring that stuff back here sometimes."

"Shit…" he said. "That's going to be difficult. There are enemies everywhere."

"Two of us should go. And one of us should stay here and protect Mavis." Merida said.

"Yeah…we have to find something that can help…" he agreed.

"But we need to hurry." Rapunzel said. "Flynn and I will go and you'll stay here and guard her, okay?"

Merida nodded and sat down on the long table next to Mavis, with her wand ready.

Out of the safety of the house, he and Rapunzel went for the healer's hut. It was a small house that had suffered from the battle; someone had smashed several big holes in the wooden walls and the furniture inside was in complete disarray.

"Over here!" Rapunzel said, after they had searched the house for a few moments. She was standing by a large closet filled with shelves with different containers on them.

"I don't know what half of this stuff is." he said as he took in the many different bottles and jars with colored liquids and creams in them.

"I don't know either. A lot of it probably isn't magical." she said. "But this is!" she grabbed two different containers from a shelf. "Oh and this!" she said and took a few more from another shelf.

"Do you think it'll be enough?"

"I don't know. But these are the only things I recognize and we can't give her something we don't know what is. We could hurt her even more."

"I know." he agreed. "Let's go back. She doesn't have much time."

They hurried towards Mavis and Merida, snapping their heads to the sides regularly to keep an eye out for enemies. The containers clinked in Rapunzel's pockets as they ran along the cliffs. The sea angrily whipped against the stone walls below. Over the ocean, the Berkians and their dragons fought as best they could against the large numbers of their enemies.

When the house came into view, the worry of potentially finding Mavis dead settled in his gut. What if they were too late?

Suddenly, Rapunzel let out a pained noise and disappeared from his peripheral vision.

He didn't expect what he was seeing when he turned around.

A Viking with black hair and a wild beard was standing on a ledge of the cliffs, his entire body except his arms and head concealed behind the stone. He had grabbed onto Rapunzel's long hair and tied it onto his armguard.

Rapunzel struggled against the much stronger man. She cried out in pain as he pulled her closer.

He ran to her side to protect her but he wasn't sure what to do. He only had a few moments to act.

He couldn't hit the Viking with his magic, he had tied himself to Rapunzel, but he needed to get her away from him.

He only saw one solution.

He uttered the spell for heating up his wand. It quickly glowed red and small swirls of smoke rose from it.

Without thinking twice, he took hold of Rapunzel's hair and burned the long golden locks off in one quick move.

The charred tresses fell to the ground, wisps of smoke rising from them.

The Viking swore and Flynn wasted no time in making him lose his balance and fall off the ledge and straight into the ocean. The Viking screamed all the way down.

"Hey…are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asked Rapunzel.

"I…no." she said, staring into the sea where the Viking had just been. "I'm okay. Thank you..." she said, the shock slowly fading from her eyes.

"Come on." he said and grabbed her hand. They ran the short distance to the house.

"What happened!?" Merida said when she saw Rapunzel's short, burnt hair.

"We were attacked." he said. "But we got to the healer's house. We found some things that might help!"

"Quick, quick! Get them open then!" Merida said and glanced at Mavis.

She was even paler than before; her lips and cheeks drained of any color. Her eyes were closed but she was still breathing.

Rapunzel pulled the containers out of her pockets and Merida unscrewed the lids and poured the contents into Mavis' mouth.

"We also found this salve." Rapunzel said and got a small tub out of her pocket. "It should take the risk of infection away." she said and opened it. She took a handful of the creamy substance and gently smeared it on the small stump Mavis' had left of her arm.

He almost couldn't bear looking at it.

The torn skin and dried blood, the red muscles and white bone. It was something he had only ever expected to see in horror movies but now it was happening in front of him. One of his best friends had had a limb cut straight off and was on the verge of death.

Rapunzel bandaged the wound to the sounds of battle coming from outside. "What do we do now?" she asked them. "We can't just leave her here, someone might kill her."

"I know. We have to protect her." he agreed.

"There's no way in Hell I'm leaving her, that's for sure." Merida said.

"We'll stay here and guard her." he said and shared a pained look with Merida. They had both grown up with Mavis. Stuck by each other through the years. They would never leave her when she was vulnerable.

"But…what do we do about Hiccup and Fishlegs and Astrid?" Rapunzel said, the confliction between helping them and helping the others evident in her eyes.

"At least they're conscious and able to defend themselves." he said, despite also wanting to go out there and help them fight. "And they have their dragons and the other Vikings. Mavis has no one. We need to be here."

Rapunzel nodded. "I know…You're right. It's just difficult…but we'll make sure she gets through this."

"She has to." he said. "She has to!"

Rapunzel opened her mouth to speak but in that moment, the door burst open.

They flinched from the sudden intrusion.

He spun around. The words "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS" were screamed and wild red curls filled his vision as someone jumped in front of him.

A hostile Viking froze in place and fell backwards onto the ground with the sound of clattering metal.

He caught Merida right before she collapsed on the floor.

Only then did he see the damage.

Blood streamed out of a large, gaping wound, wetting her white school shirt and black skirt. The Viking had hit her in the stomach with his axe. Gurgling sounds left her mouth and she stared at him with round eyes.

"No no no! Why did you do that?! No!" he said before looking at Rapunzel. "Do we have anymore potions!?"

"No!" she said and looked around without results.

"We need to do something!" he said.

"I'll try to stop the bleeding like I did with Mavis!" Rapunzel said and kneeled by Merida's side.

"It'll be okay, Red. I promise. I promise, you'll be okay…you're not done, all right?" he said to her with the most soothing voice he could muster despite the unrestrained panic creating chaos inside him. "You still have so many insults to throw at me. Who else is going to take me down a peg when I need it? And we still have to resolve all that sexual tension, right? You can't leave…Merida…Merida, stay with me, stay with me."

Rapunzel worked on Merida's terrifying wound where crimson kept pouring out in worrying amounts. The warm blood stained his hands as he held her in a sitting position and clung to her, not willing to let go.

Merida kept her eyes open but it was clear that she was getting tired. Her body felt more and more fragile in his arms and he was beginning to panic again, when Rapunzel spoke.

"Okay…I think I've stopped it now…" she said.

"Good. Good…" he said, mostly to himself.

"I still have some bandages." she said and pulled them out of her pockets. "Hold her up a little so I can reach around her."

He did as she said and Rapunzel got to work on wrapping bandages around Merida's whole midsection. It was a relief that the bleeding had stopped but he knew she wasn't out of the woods yet. Neither of them were. Both Mavis and Merida could still die and that thought was devastating.

He couldn't let that happen. They were his sisters and he had a duty to keep them safe.

"We need to find more potions or salves or whatever else might help." he said. "We need to go back to the healer's house and if there are no more left, we'll go to Hiccup's and Fishlegs' houses. Maybe they have some stuff stored."

Rapunzel nodded solemnly. "But we can't both leave." she said. "I'll go. You stay here and guard them."

"No, I'll go." he said without hesitation. He'd rather put himself in harm's way than Rapunzel.

"No. Flynn, you need to stay here and protect them." she said. "They're your sisters…I'll be fine."

"It's dangerous out there."

"I know, I know, but I'll be quick, okay?" she said. "If I see any enemies at all, I'll come right back."

That appeased the uneasiness inside of him. "Okay…be careful."

"I will." she said and took two steps towards the door. She looked at him and opened her mouth to say something but closed it again without a word.

He thought about telling her how he felt about her. This wasn't the time or the place but who knew if they were even going to make it out of this alive? This could be the last chance he had.

A moment later, she had disappeared out the door and it was too late.

~~~~ Rapunzel ~~~~

It turned out, they had already taken all they could from the healer's house. After a quick trip to Fishlegs' house nearby without any results, she carefully made her way to Hiccup's home.

Every time she passed a house and there was a clear view of the ocean, she looked for Hiccup, Fishlegs and Astrid. A few times on her way between houses, she saw Toothless and Hiccup and her heart felt lighter from knowing they were still alive. But there were too many Gronckles and Deadly Nadders to know which ones were Meatlug and Stormfly.

Remaining unseen to enemies was easier said than done. She had to be hyper-aware at all times because an enemy could appear from around every corner. She hid behind some barrels when she heard someone approach. It was a large group of hostile Vikings running past, bloodied and angry.

Her heart sank when she found herself in Hiccup's house and was unable to find anything useful for Merida. Someone had been in there and destroyed everything; furniture was broken, chests emptied, food spilled all over. She saw glass shards by the fireplace and differently colored liquids resting on the floorboards. Maybe those things had been potions that could have helped Merida survive but now they were wasted.

Outside, she considered what to do now. She had told Flynn she would be careful and go back if she saw any enemies.

But what could she do if she went back now? Nothing. There was nothing to be done for Merida except watch over her.

She bit her lip.

Then she jumped behind a boulder, when she heard the sound of heavy boots slapping down on the ground.

A Viking ran past without seeing her. He had a large wound on his lower back that leaked red all over his shirt.

But that wasn't what caught her attention first.

He was carrying a young boy over his shoulder. He couldn't be more than 14.

She left her hiding place and chased after the Viking as fast as she could. Her heart beat frantically. It was a foolish risk to take but she couldn't just do nothing. She had to help that boy.

The enemy heard her and stopped dead in his tracks. When they stared each other down, she noticed that there was fear hidden behind the aggression in his eyes.

They observed each other in silence. The Viking tightened his grip around the boy's chest and pulled him off the ground with one arm, shielding himself.

The boy's eyes begged her for help.

"Let him go." she said with her wand raised.

"You wouldn't dare do anything, sorcerer." the Viking said. "You could hurt the kid."

He had her there. As long as he used the boy as a human shield, she was powerless to stop him.

She racked her brain, trying to come up with a solution.

"Look…" she said and held her hands up. She slowly stepped towards them. "I'm sure we can resolve this, just you and me. There's no need to hurt him."

"Stop right there, witch." the Viking said, spitting out the last word as if it tasted bitter. He clutched his dagger and poked it at the boy's throat.

A single red drop glided down the child's skin.

Rapunzel halted her steps. "Just calm down, okay? Calm down."

"I am calm, girl." the Viking said. "But unless you throw that wand away, I'll slice this kid right open."

"Fine. Fine." she said. "You win, okay?"

The Viking slowly nodded. "Drop it, then."

She stared into the teary eyes of the boy. Something unspoken passed between them.

She held the hand with the wand to the side and prepared to drop it. The Viking followed her with his eyes.

With the speed of a viper, she did the smallest flick of her wrist.

The Viking froze, his body petrified. The boy wrenched himself out of the huge arms, before the man fell backwards and landed on the ground, his limbs completely stiff.

The boy looked at the hostile Viking with round eyes. Despite Rapunzel's efforts, the Viking had scratched the boy with his dagger. A thin red line marred the young skin.

"Come here." she told him.

The boy obeyed and stepped towards her.

She pointed his wand at him. The boy's eyes reflected the fear within him.

"I won't hurt you, okay? I would never hurt you." she told him.

The boy nodded.

She closed the small wound with a quick spell. The boy put his hand on his throat and smiled when he could feel the wound being gone.

Something hard hit her in the back, shoving her off her feet.

She groaned from the sharp pain spreading through her lower back. Grit stung on her skin. Her wand had been knocked out of her hand and was lying a few feet ahead.

She moved to crawl towards it but a heavy foot pressed down on her back. She groaned again from the pain.

"Well well well…what do we have here? A witch." a deep, gruff voice said.

Rapunzel sucked in a breath. She was trapped. Without her wand.

Two strong arms pulled her to her feet, like she weighed nothing.

Seven big Vikings with their weapons unsheathed watched her with contempt in their eyes. Their faces and armor were marred by dirt, the darkness only broken by streaks of dried blood.

She knew right away who the leader was.

He gave out a vibe of authority and power that the others didn't.

Tall and muscular, he towered over her. His wild black beard and long black hair were sweaty and uncombed. The many scars and age lines on his face spoke of a long life as a fierce warrior. He wore impressive looking armor with an intricate pattern of tree-roots and bones engraved on it.

But what gave away his identity was the red pouch on his belt.

This was Ivar the Bonesmasher himself. Hiccup had told her the stories about him.

Ivar tilted his head. "Not speaking? There are ways to fix that."

"What do you want me to say?" she said. She tried her best to appear confident despite the nervousness churning in her stomach. It would be a mistake to show them anxiety.

Ivar's blue eyes cut into her skin; like he could sense her feelings. "You could tell me your name."

"I'd rather not." she said.

Much to her surprise, Ivar wasn't angered by the refusal. He merely shrugged before a small smile played on his lips. "You came to Stoick's son's aid. You are important to him. That much is clear." he said. "And we can use that."

"What?" she said.

That wasn't what she had expected. They were going to use her as a bargaining chip to get to Hiccup.

No.

No!

If she was the reason for Hiccup getting hurt or killed…no.

"Oh yes." Ivar said and closed one large hand around the red pouch on his belt. "You will be a valuable chess piece."

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

Their men on land needed help. That much was clear, when he took stock of the situation from the air.

Gods, how he hoped Jack and the others were still alive. He looked for them every time he glanced towards land but hadn't seen them in a while. The worry broiling inside him was sickening.

He saw his dad and Gobber among the warriors fighting their enemies. Even from this distance, they were recognizable. The enemies had surrounded them from both sides and despite their skill, they were hard pressed to keep up.

"They're struggling!" Fishlegs said and Snotlout made a noise of agreement.

"We should help!" Astrid told him but she waited for him to give the order.

"Yeah, let's go kick their hostile asses!" Ruffnut said.

"Can an ass even be hostile?" Tuffnut asked.

"Look." he said and turned to all of them. "You're coming with me. We're going to lend some backup."

"Yeah!" Tuffnut cheered.

"Wait. Listen up." he said. "Right now they're surrounded. We need to drive off the invaders from one of the sides, so my dad and the others can fight the rest."

"And how do we do that?" Snotlout said.

Hiccup took a moment to think about that. "We have to separate from our dragons."

"What?!" Fishlegs said.

"Look…" he said. "We're already stretched to the limits in taking down this fleet." he said and pointed towards the swarm of ships below where dragons and riders fought bravely to defeat their enemies. "We can't take more dragon riders with us to do this, so we have to be creative if we're going to succeed."

The others nodded silently but he could see the concern in their eyes.

"Okay. Follow me." he said and steered Toothless towards the ground, a long distance away from the battle, so they wouldn't be noticed.

After telling the others what to do, they hurried back towards the battle, while the dragons went in the other direction. They had to sneak up behind both sides of the enemies to take them by surprise.

They snuck along houses and rock walls, as the sounds of battle intensified. When the enemies came into view in the distance, he stopped behind the corner of a house and told the others to wait for his signal.

Now they just needed their dragons to show up.

As if they could hear his thoughts, their dragons approached from the air on the other side of the battle.

"DRAGONS! DRAGONS!" he heard people shout. He watched their dragons fly closer and closer and their presence worked perfectly as a distraction for the enemies. Several of them became unfocused and made mistakes that ended up costing them their lives against his dad and the other warriors.

When the dragons were almost on the ground, he gave the others the signal.

They jumped out of hiding simultaneously. He, Fishlegs and Astrid began firing spell after spell at the enemies, knocking them into each other or into boulders and setting them on fire. At the same time, the dragons attacked from the other side, blasting the enemies with their fire and mangling them with their teeth and claws.

The plan worked.

By launching attacks on both sides, the enemies were now fighting three different groups of attackers instead of one. They had broken the invaders' united assault on his dad and the others.

He heard roars of encouragement and approval from their own warriors, as they all fought to end this battle. When the enemies discovered them, they focused particularly on him, Astrid and Fishlegs since they were the biggest threat. Snotlout and the twins worked together on defeating nearby invaders with their weapons. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were a force with their sharp axes, one attacking the front of an enemy while the other took the back. Snotlout covered them, cutting down any threat nearby.

He glanced towards the dragons whenever he could. If something happened to Toothless, it would break him. The dragons were working together, protecting each other from enemies and attacking together as well. Meatlug had jumped in front of Barf and Belch just as a couple of Vikings fired arrows at them. Her strong scales were too thick for normal arrows to break though. Stormfly flicked her tail, sending a row of spikes flying into the crowd. Vikings fell to the ground screaming, long spikes impaling them. Hookfang and Toothless were working together on taking out as many enemies at once as possible, Toothless fighting with teeth and claws while Hookfang covered him by spewing long, roaring flames. The amount of enemies grew smaller and smaller.

He sent two Vikings crashing through a barn to the left, while Astrid and Fishlegs knocked a group of four unconscious.

Then his world changed.

His heartbeat froze when someone rammed a spear through Tuffnut. "NO!" Ruffnut screamed. Another grabbed her from behind and sliced her throat open.

Blood poured down Ruffnut's throat and onto her armor. She fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air through her torn windpipe. Tuffnut clutched his chest, where crimson seeped through his fingers. He dropped to his knees.

"NO!" the words left Hiccup's mouth without a thought. He barely registered Astrid's, Fishlegs' and Snotlout's cries around him. The wave of shock had washed everything from his mind.

Tuffnut crawled towards his twin, every movement filled with pain. He collapsed next to Ruffnut and his eyes slowly closed. A heartbeat later, Ruffnut's coughs and gargling ended.

The pointy claws of grief curled around his chest.

They were dead. His friends were dead.

A hot flash of rage shot through his bones. Tears turned the world into an ocean but he wiped his eyes.

He needed to mourn later. He couldn't risk more people dying.

He heard Fishlegs' say "no no no" to himself over and over.

"YOU BACRAUTS!" Astrid screamed. She levitated a box filled with nails and tools by a nearby house and fired it all straight into the crowd. Enemies screamed as nails dug into their skin and flesh. One was hit in the eyes and blood came trickling down his face. Tools knocked enemies unconscious, broke their bones or cut them open.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Snotlout bellowed and charged towards the Vikings responsible for their friends' deaths. Hiccup was right behind him.

Snotlout swung his axe and a Viking held up his shield and blocked the hit. The other enemy saw Hiccup coming and held his spear up to throw it. But he never got the chance. With a flick of his wand, he smashed the invader's skull against a nearby statue.

Snotlout ran his sword straight through the man's abdomen, as soon as there was an opening. He kicked him onto his back and withdrew his sword. Then he finished him by ramming the sword into his chest again. When the man was still, Snotlout spat on him.

They were all fueled by Ruffnut's and Tuffnut's deaths. The anger gave them renewed energy and purpose; Snotlout killed enemy after enemy, never growing tired and not even sensing the pain when a spear grazed him or he was kicked. He, Astrid and Fishlegs fired spells faster and more powerful than ever before, spark after spark flying through the crowd, delivering death and injury.

When Snotlout got in too deep and were surrounded by six enemies, Astrid and Fishlegs backed him up and kept him safe. He was about to do the same but a Viking approached him, walking casually towards him like he didn't have a care in the world.

Hiccup didn't use his wand. Something was off about this. The man had a relaxed smile on his face when they stood in front of each other.

"We have your little friend." he said.

"What?"

"The pretty one with the blonde hair." he said and Hiccup didn't fail to notice the satisfied gleam in his eyes.

"What have you done to her?" he said, dread seeping into his stomach. If Rapunzel was hurt…

"Oh, nothing yet." he said. "But if you want her to live you better follow me._ Without_ signaling to anyone else. I'm watching you."

He glanced towards his friends who were all occupied fighting off enemies. Toothless, his dad and Gobber were also engulfed in the battle; not able to keep an eye on him right now.

That was good. If anyone saw this, they would interfere. And he couldn't gamble with Rapunzel's life.

The walk towards their destination couldn't have taken more than a few minutes. But it seemed like much longer. His mind raced in all directions, trying to come up with a solution to this while worrying about Rapunzel.

When he saw her, her arm in the tight grip of Ivar the Bonesmasher, it felt like he couldn't breathe.

"So…we finally meet face to face, Dragon Conqueror." Ivar said with no hint of malice, as if this was just a meeting between long distance pen pals or business associates.

"Can't say that it's a pleasure." he said.

"Likewise." Ivar said. "Nonetheless…dislike doesn't stop a wise man from bargaining."

"Bargaining?" he asked without showing much emotion, despite the anxiety wriggling inside of him. He knew where this was going.

"Yes, bargaining." Ivar said. "After all…I assume you would rather your little friend here lives than dies, so…I'm certain we can come to some kind of…compromise."

Hiccup stayed silent. With her eyes, Rapunzel urged him not to bargain with Ivar. To get out of here.

But he couldn't do that. He would never leave her in the hands of his enemies.

"So, Dragon Conqueror…what will it be?" Ivar said.

Hiccup knew what he had to do. There was no other way to ensure Rapunzel's safety.

He glanced towards the skies. There was no sign of Toothless or his friends and their dragons.

That was for the best. He needed his best friend and everyone else to be distracted for what he was about to do.

He pulled out a piece of parchment and quickly scribbled some runes on it. He enchanted it and made it fly towards Ivar. How he wished he could just destroy him with a spell but the risk of Rapunzel getting maimed or killed was too big.

One of Ivar's men grabbed the paper, unfolded it and showed it to him. A malicious smile spread across Ivar's lips. "Drop your wand and we have a deal, Dragon Conqueror!"

Hiccup filled his lungs with air and slowly exhaled. He thought of Jack.

His wand slipped out of his fingers and landed on the stony ground with a clack.

It was done.

~~~~ Ivar the Bonesmasher ~~~~

"Get him out of sight!" he told three of his men. "Get him to my ship, tie him up and keep him hidden!"

If they could keep Stoick's son's capture a secret for now, it would be an important advantage. If the Berkians knew he had been taken prisoner, it would only spur them on to fight harder.

The men hurried towards the ships with their new prisoner wrapped in their cloaks. Ivar turned to Alfarinn, one of his most loyal warriors. He had given him the responsibility of handling the girl, while Stoick's son was brought onto the ship.

"Alfarinn." he said.

"Yes, my chief?" came the swift reply. Alfarinn's hand was curled tight around the girl's arm. She wasn't going anywhere unless Ivar gave his permission.

"Tie her up somewhere, injure her and make sure she can't scream."

"Perhaps it would be better to kill her, my chief?" Alfarinn asked him.

"Don't be foolish." he said. "I struck a deal with the Dragon Conqueror. Only cowards break deals, even ones made between enemies."

"Yes, my chief." Alfarinn said and bowed his head as a silent apology.

"Go." Ivar told him and Alfarinn walked off, dragging the girl with him. She put up a fight but her skinny frame was no match for him.

"My chief!" Hákon came running. "We have a problem!"

"What is it?"

"The Berkians…some of their allies are coming."

"What?!" he said, enraged by what he was hearing. "How? We burned their ships!"

"Chief Harald and his sons were killed, and while our men found someone to put in charge of the fleet, some of the beasts managed to pull some of the Berkians' ships to their allies' islands. Now they're transporting them back here."

He banged his fist against a boulder and didn't show any sign of pain. Of course, _Harald_, Harald the Devourer, Harald, who had never lost a battle _in his life_, had to die _now_, take his sons with him and mess up their strategies. Now, they had lost their most important advantage.

"What is our status against Stoick?" he asked, pushing the fury down.

"The Berkians that Stoick is leading have help from their sorcerers and some of the beasts. I don't know how much longer our men can put up a fight against all of them."

Ivar observed the ocean where the beasts ruled the skies and many of their ships were either burning or had been sunk. His men still outnumbered the Berkians but now their allies were on their way. His own men had fought for a long time and wouldn't hold up against fresh warriors arriving.

"My chief?" Hákon asked. "What are your orders?"

Every action made in battle is a gamble. You try to be two steps ahead of your enemy but you never know for sure what they will do. That's how battles are lost; when you fail to predict your enemy's moves and prepare accordingly.

That was happening now. It was time to retreat or lose his men in the fiery maws of the beasts and the angry hands of Berk's allies.

The decision was clear.

"RETREAT!" he bellowed. "RETREAT!"

The word spread through the men like the virus it was. "Retreat!" they passed the message along and ran in different directions to tell their brothers and sisters in arms.

The clammy hand of defeat held on to him, as he watched Berk disappear in the distance from his ship. Some dragon riders and their beasts chased after several ships and managed to kill more men but the men put up a brave fight. In the end, the Berkians retreated, not wanting to lose more of their brothers in arms and being too scattered without a leader.

The mighty growls and roars of dragons faded in the horizon. But the bitterness clung to his lungs with every breath.

He had failed his tribe. His mission. His ancestors. All of his planning and cunning hadn't been enough to triumph.

He could have kept pushing his men and refused to retreat. But only a fool sacrifices his tribesmen in a vain attempt to secure his own pride.

A good chief and a clever warrior knows when he is beaten.

But that doesn't make it easier to accept.

"We can use him to get Stoick to surrender." his son Finnr said to him when they were back in the shelter of the large, ancient caves.

Outside, their men and women were treating their injured, cooking food or resting. The low morale among them made the camp one of the most quiet he had ever witnessed; no one was in the mood to talk unless necessary. Everyone was exhausted, in pain and had had their pride damaged.

The air was dull and dusty inside the dim cave; as if the dark mood among them infused itself into every breath he took. Four of his men stood around Stoick's son, who was blindfolded and whose hands were still bound. Chief Sigurðr and his daughter Álfdís, the only living child of the three chiefs except his own two sons, had taken their seats around the table but remained quiet for now.

"How about you keep your mouth shut instead of confirming what an idiot you are?" he snarled. "Stoick is wiser than that. He may love his son like all fathers do but he knows the burdens of a true chief; he would never condemn his entire tribe to death to save him."

"Then why don't we just kill him and get it over with?" Egill asked and scratched a wound on his cheek. His sons had come out of the battle with only minor injuries. That was a comfort to him. "At least that would give our brothers and sisters something to celebrate."

"What did Chief Ivar just say?" Chief Sigurðr said, bandaging his left arm. He spat onto the ground. "Stoick may not give up the lives of everyone on Berk to save his son but that doesn't mean we should throw away our only leverage at this point."

"Keep him guarded at all times." Ivar told the men surrounding Stoick's son. "Do not take your eyes off him. If he escapes…"

He didn't have to finish that sentence. The brief flicker of fear in his mens' eyes told him that they knew the punishment.

They may have lost this battle but the conflict wasn't over.

His gaze rested on Stoick's son, as his men escorted him out into the light of the forest.

Yes.

This wasn't over yet.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

When the war horns blared and the enemy retreated, the Berkians all around him cheered and embraced.

Jack took a deep breath and felt the chains of fear slowly melt off him. Some of the Berkians patted him on the back – recognition of his efforts in the battle.

He was quick to leave behind the warriors around him. The battle might be over but he needed to see Hiccup and his friends himself before he could truly let the relief wash over him. They were probably all worried about him; he had gone for back up but ended up in yet another fight.

The walk through the village was surreal; smiling, hugging Vikings among bloodied, mutilated corpses and debris. People hurried to gather their wounded and get them treatment. Almost all the houses had either been burnt to the ground, hit with explosions or had people crashing through them. He tried to ignore the pain in his leg but it had grown worse from the strain of fighting.

The destruction was everywhere. In the middle of the path, a stuffed blue dragon toy lay between broken pieces of wood and the corpse of a Scuttleclaw. It was partly charred and had lost an eye. He picked it up and put it in one of the large pockets in his robes.

Fishlegs and Astrid were the first familiar people he spotted. Judging from their faces, something was very wrong.

After telling her something, Astrid ran in the opposite direction, while Fishlegs limped towards a barrel and sat down. He was bleeding in several places from cuts and scrapes.

"What happened? Where's Hiccup? Where are the others? What-" he fired questions at him as soon as he was within earshot.

"Jack…" a soft voice said. Rapunzel came to stand next to Fishlegs.

Jack had to take a breath when he saw her. She had been beaten; her right eyelid was swollen, her nose was bleeding and she had more scrapes and cuts on her face and arms than when he left.

"What happened?" he asked. He wanted answers. Now.

"I…" Rapunzel said. Her eyes were dark. "Hiccup, he…"

"What?" he whispered, the worry tearing its way inside his heart.

"He gave himself up, Jack…" she said. "He went with them voluntarily…to protect me."

"What?! I need to go after him!" he said and looked around him.

"I know. We're all going to do that." Rapunzel said softly.

How could she be so calm right now?

"Where's Toothless?" he asked.

"He left as soon as he discovered Hiccup was gone." Fishlegs told him.

"Good. Maybe he can find him quickly." Jack said. He knew Toothless would never stop until he found him. Him and Hiccup, their bond was unbreakable.

Rapunzel nodded but there was no reassurance in her eyes.

The question was…if Hiccup would already be dead when Toothless reached him. The thought had him struggling for breath.

No. He couldn't lose hope. There was _always_ hope, right?

"What about the others?" he asked. He couldn't see Flynn, Mavis or Merida anywhere and the dread was brewing inside him. Hiccup was gone. What about his best friends?

"Mavis and Merida…" Fishlegs said with sad eyes. He looked like he didn't want to speak the words.

"What about them?"

"We're not sure they're going to make it." Rapunzel told him and squeezed his shoulder.

"What!? Why?! What happened? What-"

"Mavis got her arm cut off, Jack…she lost a lot of blood…and Merida...she jumped in front of Flynn to save him…and got an axe in her stomach."

"We'll bring them back to Hogwarts, so Madam Whitley can take care of them!" he said.

"We can't do that." Rapunzel said, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "The portkey is lost and even if it wasn't, they're too fragile to be moved."

"Fuck!" he said and glared at the ground like it was to blame for his sorrow and fear. "Where are they?"

"Inside the Great Hall. Stoick has ordered that all wounded will be treated in there." Fishlegs told him.

"What can we do to help them?" he asked.

"Nothing." Rapunzel said. "We've already bandaged them and used all the potions we could find. Berk's healers are working on them now. There's nothing we can do but wait."

Jack dug his nails into his hair. "We need to go after Hiccup. Now."

"We will." Fishlegs said. "Stoick is gathering the warriors and dragons who are still able to fight, right now."

"We will find him." Rapunzel told him softly.

Jack nodded, unable to speak from the sudden lump in his throat.

Hiccup was in the hands of their enemies; people who wouldn't hesitate to torture and murder anyone who got in their way. What were they doing to him right now? Was he in pain?

He swallowed and balled his hands into tight fists.

Hiccup had given himself up to keep Rapunzel safe. Now, it was_ his_ turn to keep _Hiccup _safe.

He would find him and he would bring him home. He would stop at nothing to protect the love of his life; even Ivar the Bonesmasher himself couldn't stand in his way.

Hiccup was in danger.

And as long as Jack was alive, he would fight for him.

* * *

**Author's note: **

So...this chapter was quite difficult to write and I'm tired now. Reviews/messages would be a lovely late Christmas present for me :)

*Hiemsfuror: The spell that Jack casts. It's meant to be like the attack he launches on Pitch in ROTG just on the ground, of course. The name is Latin for "Winter rage" or "Winter fury". I thought that was a quite appropriate name.

The name of the chapter is, alas, not my own invention. It's from a Trivium song called Villainy Thrives.


	24. Ashes

**Author's note:**

Shall we continue the angst fest, dear readers?

As always: I proof-read the chapters but there will always be errors that I overlook, so if you see one, I would appreciate if you could let me know, so I can correct it :)

* * *

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

The strong scents of earth and blood itched in his nostrils. Through the ancient cave, only the torches brightened the endless, dark tunnels. They had taken his blindfold off but his hands stayed bound. The rope grinded on his wrists, searing a stinging groove into his skin. Ivar led the way, a torch in his hand. His black hair hung in moist clusters, leaving narrow blood trails down his back. Hiccup had a guard on each side of him. Bulky men with arms three times bigger than his and restrained violence in their eyes. _The only thing keeping them in line are their orders. I have Ivar the Bonesmasher to thank for still being alive. How ironic._ The guards' heavy boots scraped the ground, kicking dust into the thick air. Hiccup's throat was dry, like he had breathed in all the tiny flakes floating around them.

"You killed the children," he said. He could hear his own disgust in the echo. The force of his guilt and sorrow pressed down on him, making it harder to breathe.

"Of course we did," Ivar said, like Hiccup had been naïve to think otherwise. "Except the ones who are too young to remember what happened."

"Why?" he asked, keeping his eyes locked on Ivar's back.

"You know why."

"To avoid a blood feud," Hiccup replied. Blood feuds among Vikings were particularly brutal. They could go on for decades unless a peaceful agreement was reached.

"You're not quite as foolish as you seem, boy." Ivar glanced over his shoulder.

"You are cowards. All of you," Hiccup said, his sorrow pushing away his thoughts about self-preservation.

Ivar stopped in his tracks. "Be careful," he warned him and put a hand on his sword.

Hiccup's rage fumed under his skin, burning its way to the surface. But he had to keep it contained. He took a slow breath and pictured his loved ones. This was like balancing on the edge of a knife. If he made even the smallest error in judgement, he would never see them again. If he was to escape, he had to get his hands on as much information as he could, one way or another.

Hiccup shook his head. "No true Viking would ever kill a_ child_." He spat the words as if they tasted bitter.

Ivar came face to face with him. "I've been killing my enemies and dragging my dying brothers and sisters from the battlefield since before you were even a damn sperm cell in your dad's dick. Don't try to tell me what it means to be a true Viking," he said. His voice had dipped lower and Hiccup knew Ivar was close to losing that steely composure.

"There's more to being a Viking than war," Hiccup said.

"Yes," Ivar agreed and took a step back. His body language softened, as if they were having a normal discussion. "But a man who can't stand up for what he believes in and fight the enemies that oppose him is no Viking."

"Who are you to decide what Vikings should do?"

"Who are _you _to do that?" The words slipped through Ivar's gritted teeth without hesitation. "I keep the old traditions alive. I honor the gods and our ancestors, making sure our culture will survive. Making sure that our connection with the gods doesn't weaken," Ivar said and paused. "You have spat on our common heritage by choosing the beasts over your fellow Vikings."

"Vikings and dragons can live in peace," Hiccup said. "Why can't you see that? There doesn't have to be a war between anyone. Just let me show you. We won't lose our culture because of the dragons!" His voice reverberated among the stone. One of the guards huffed.

"You are blind, boy," Ivar said and grinded his teeth. "To avoid taking revenge, to forget hardship, to ignore your ancestors…that's not the Viking way. You made a choice when you befriended that Night Fury. Now you have to deal with the consequences like a man."

"_You're _the one who's spat on our common heritage," Hiccup said. His arms prickled, going numb from being bound. "Spat on the history between our tribes. You're the one who burnt Berk to the ground and killed other Vikings. We defended ourselves!"

"I did what was necessary to protect my tribe and our way of life," Ivar said calmly.

_He doesn't believe he has anything to justify to anyone._ "How? We were never a threat to you! We've never attacked your islands or even planned to do that!" Hiccup said.

"If you think physical violence is the only kind of violence, you are naïve," Ivar said and shook his head. "You Berkians…you became arrogant. You want to force everyone else to adopt your way of life. To treat the beasts as equals and forget all the hardship they've brought us and our ancestors through the years. To let go of the wealth the sale of dragon parts has brought to our people. To stop bringing the gods the ultimate sacrifice. When you made peace with them, you expected everyone else to do the same and refused to accept otherwise. You have threatened us and now we have responded."

"Look how that turned out for you," Hiccup said through gritted teeth. _He will never see the dragons as anything other than a threat. There's no way to convince him. He'll die before he'll accept them._

Ivar's eyes hardened. "Yes…you and your father did well in leading the attacks. You were cleverer than us. Now, we're wounded and Berk and its allies are most likely out looking for us."

"I think that would be a fair assumption."

"They won't find you."

"I wouldn't be so certain." Hiccup said, thinking of Toothless. His best friend wouldn't stop looking until he found him. Neither would Jack, his friends, his dad and Gobber. The question was whether he would still be alive when that happened. _I have to find a way out of here. I don't want any of them to charge in here by themselves and get killed._

Ivar's lips twitched. It was the sort of smile someone had, when they heard a child say something amusing. Without a word, Ivar walked away from him and motioned to the guards. One of them grabbed his shoulder tight and forced him to walk further into the dark tunnel.

"You know you can't avoid a final confrontation," Hiccup said. They both knew there was no way Berk and its allies would let this attack go and make peace without making sure the hostile tribes paid somehow.

"I only need to avoid it until we can regain our strength," Ivar said. "After that, we will be ready to fight your tribe and your allies once again."

"End this," Hiccup said. "End it now, so no more lives have to be lost. You can kill me but let that be the end."

Ivar tilted his head. His eyes burned with something Hiccup interpreted as curiosity. But the spark faded as quickly as it had come. "This ends when Berk and its allies fall…or we fall."

With Ivar gone, no more words were exchanged. His tired body ached from every impact of cruel hands pushing him further ahead. Torches hung on the walls and shadows decorated the ancient stone, moving with each sway of the flames. When they reached the end of the tunnel, one of the guards shoved him into a homemade cell. Cave walls in the back, thick metal bars in the front. He groaned when his arm scraped against the stone wall. His untreated wound left a blood smear, like a violent cave painting. The guard went to shut the cell door.

Hiccup braced himself, as an idea occurred to him. This was a gamble and it could end badly for him. It would also sting, having to say that. A word he had promised himself he would never say. "_Rassragr," _he spat and glared at the guard.

In the blink of an eye, the guard was in his face. "You watch it, boy," the man whispered. The pungent smell of mead and smoke on his breath almost made Hiccup cough. The depths of his eyes were alight with fury, yet his face was calm.

"Hákon! Let him go!" Hiccup heard the other guard yell from outside the cell.

_So this is Hákon. _Hiccup knew him only by name. He was one of Ivar's most trusted warriors. "But it's the truth, isn't it?" he pressed on and smirked. "I've heard people say you like that sort of thing. Being another man's little bitch."

Two hands closed around his throat. Hiccup wheezed, trying desperately to breathe but nothing came through his windpipe. Hákon's eyes were ablaze. Black dots began to swirl in Hiccup's vision. "If those words ever leave your mouth again, I swear to Odin, I will drag you with me right now and you'll be the main attraction at our meeting! I will drown you in mead and set fire to you in front of Ivar and everyone else! And then I'll send your burnt, pathetic corpse to your father!" he screamed in Hiccup's face.

"Hákon!" the other guard shouted, his voice carrying a warning. "Ivar's orders are not to harm him. For now. You'll get your chance some other time."

The hands around Hiccup's throat loosened. He sucked in as much air as he could, savoring how his lungs could finally fill. His chest rose and fell quickly. The black dots slowly evaporated.

The screeching noise of the door being slamming shut was a deafening roar among the quiet stone. The guards disappeared from view and he was alone in the dimness. His eyes darted across his surroundings. There was nothing in his cell except a wooden cup with water and a dirty blanket crumbled on the floor.

He spotted movement in the corner of his eye and snapped his head to the side. He had thought he was alone but there were two shapes in the cell beside him. Hiccup moved closer and sat down on the hard ground, close to the bars that separated them. The shapes belonged to two girls. Sitting with blankets wrapped around them, they watched him with wary eyes. They were about his own age, give or take a few years. One of them had light brown skin and dark curls to her shoulders. Her eyes seemed almost black in the dimness. Like they absorbed the light nearby. The other's skin was pale like Jack's. She had long, brown hair that hadn't been brushed in a long time and green eyes that reminded him of his own. They both had dark circles under their eyes and dirt on their skin. They probably hadn't slept or had a bath in a while. Their clothes were full of stains and rips. _How long have they been here?_

"Hey," Hiccup said softly and touched the bars. "Who are you?"

The girls remained silent. With guarded eyes, they analyzed his possible intentions. It was the look of people who didn't know who to trust and did not want to take any chances. They studied him until the girl with the dark curls relaxed. She had come to some reassuring conclusion. Her friend noticed the change and looked expectantly at her.

"You're Hiccup Haddock, son of Stoick the Vast," she said, her eyes turning mild. Understanding flickered across the other girl's face and the tension faded from her limbs.

"Yes," he said, not recalling ever seeing her before. "Do I know you?"

"No," she said and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

"How do you know me?"

"I saw you once…you were visiting my island. You had your Night Fury with you," she said and brushed some hair behind one ear. The light of the torches danced across her hand and Hiccup noticed it was full of scars.

"What are your names? Which tribes are you from?" he asked.

"Kolfinna. I'm from the Bashem-Oik tribe," the girl with the curls said.

"I'm Herdís," the pale girl said. "I'm a Bog-Burglar."

Hiccup nodded. The knowledge that these girls were allies and not enemies was comforting. But he wished they had never been put in this situation. "How long have you been here?"

"I've been here for five months…" Kolfinna said. She glanced towards one of the cave walls, where many rows of white lines marked the stone. "Herdís came here about two months ago."

"I'm sorry," he said. _I have to get them out of here. I wish I still had my wand._ "Have you tried to escape?"

"Yeah," Herdís said. "We only just made it outside the cave before they beat us and dragged us back in."

"I tried once before that," Kolfinna said, her eyes lowering to the ground. "There was a girl in here with me before Herdís came along. We tried to pick up as much information as we could, every time they brought us out for questioning. We thought we could make it out of here."

"What happened?" he asked with a sudden sinking feeling.

"They hurt us. They beat her so much, she didn't make it…" Kolfinna said. She bit on one of her cuticles.

"Oh…" Hiccup said and sighed. "I'm so sorry."

Kolfinna merely stared at one of the walls. Herdís put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are there any other prisoners around?" he asked.

"No," Herdís said. "It's just us. There used to an old man and two women but they didn't make it past Ivar's…interrogations."

Nausea rippled through Hiccup's gut. A voice in his head asked him if he wanted to play a game. "Has he…interrogated you?"

"No," Kolfinna said. "Not yet. He's been away a lot. I don't know why. His men have been questioning us."

Hiccup bit his lip. He fiddled with the straps on his armguard. One of the compartments opened, revealing the paper and the charcoal pencil he kept there. He closed it again.

"What's wrong?" Herdís asked him.

"Berk is burnt to the ground and a lot of Berkians have died…" he said. "Ivar's been away a lot because he's been planning and leading an attack on us."

Shock spilled into the girls' eyes. Their shared sadness and worry weaved into the silence between them.

"I'm sorry," Herdís said.

"What happened?" Kolfinna said. "Berk must have won since you're still alive."

"Yeah," he nodded. "We managed to drive them away but…a lot of people and dragons died. They had one of my friends captured. I had to give myself up, so they would let her go."

"Shit…" Herdís said and stared at her hands.

"What about Berk's allies?" Kolfinna asked, without looking at him. From the way she rubbed the skin on her wrist, Hiccup could tell she was afraid of the answer.

"The hostile tribes somehow hindered them. They couldn't help us until the very end. When they were on their way, that's when Ivar decided to retreat." he explained.

Kolfinna's hands went still and she took a deep breath. Herdís' lips formed the smallest smile and she whispered "Thank Hel that they're all right."

Hiccup couldn't smile back but their relief was a purifying drop in his murky mind. They had been afraid their loved ones had been hurt but now they could breathe easier.

"We need to get you out of here," Kolfinna stated, determination settling on her face.

"Yeah," Herdís agreed. "We weren't planning on trying to escape again for a while because…we have to make the guards relaxed again so they won't be so wary around us but…you need to get out of here."

"No," Hiccup said. "I don't want you to risk your lives for me. If you could just tell me everything you know about this place, I'll try to escape on my own. And I'll come back for you. I promise."

"No," Herdís said. Her eyes hardened. Hiccup got the feeling she was the stubborn type, much like himself. "We're coming with you."

"I would come back for you," he reassured them.

"We know," Kolfinna said. "But we all have a better chance of escaping if we stick together."

Herdís nodded. "We can't let you leave on your own. You won't make it."

Hiccup sighed and considered it. These two girls had been here for months and had tried to escape before. They had more knowledge and experience with this place and Ivar's men than he did. He didn't like to risk their safety but he had to listen to them.

"Okay," he agreed. "Tell me everything you know. First of all, do you know when that meeting Hákon mentioned is and where the food reserves are?"

"You are adorable," Herdís said with a small smile. "Of course we know that."

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

"Saddle up!" Stoick roared and mounted his large green and red dragon. Streaks of crimson rested in his unruly beard. Dust and dirt dulled the shine of his armor.

The rest of the dragon riders followed suit and grabbed the reins tights. There weren't many warriors left but they had a furious fire in their eyes. The kind that left no doubt they would go to the ends of the earth to get justice. They had lost loved ones. They had watched their homes being burnt to the ground. Hiccup had been taken. _They are ready to die to set things right. And so am I, Hiccup…Just stay alive. Please, stay alive._

"Come on." Astrid said from Stormfly's back. Her braid had almost unraveled and the worries on her dirt stained face made her look older. She reached a hand down to him. He nodded and took it, swinging himself into the saddle of the tall dragon with difficulty. Astrid strapped a harness around him, so he wouldn't fall off. He held on to her waist, ready to leave any second.

Next to them, Fishlegs and Rapunzel climbed onto Meatlug's back, while Flynn got a ride with Snotlout on Hookfang. Fishlegs' round, kind face had transformed into the face of a weary warrior; countless small cuts left trails of blood down his cheeks and chin. Rapunzel rested her head on Fishlegs' back and put her arms around his midsection. Her newly cut hair stuck out in different directions and the bruise around her eye seemed to grow darker every moment. She didn't look at anyone but Jack could see the guilt in her eyes.

Despite only having a few scrapes, Flynn worried him the most. The blood of their dying friends had turned his school robes crimson and sticky. His eyes held no light anymore.

Jack wanted to stick a finger down his throat and vomit. It wouldn't help but the nausea was a parasite. It curled tightly in his gut, threatening to slither its way into his esophagus. Where was Hiccup? What were they doing to him? Images of when he found him after the torture flickered in his mind. Jack's eyes watered but he blinked it away. _Now is not the time for that. I'm no use to anyone if I can't pull myself together._

Skullcrusher's paws slammed down on the dusty ground, as Stoick directed him to the front. "The enemy has my son!" Beneath the rage, a desperation and fear dwelled. Jack's chest tightened. _He's just as afraid as I am._ "But we will find them and get him back! And we will make them pay for what they have done to us!"

The enraged screams from the Vikings confirmed what Jack had seen in their eyes. Dragons roared with fury, their nostrils flaring. The riders sheathed their weapons, hiding them until they would taste blood again.

"I will divide you into groups and you will each search a part of the archipelago! Every cave, every tunnel, every forest, every house will be searched! You will leave nothing to chance! If you see the slightest sign of life anywhere, you examine it!" Stoick commanded. On top of Skullcrusher, he towered over every one of them. The murderous glint in his eyes spoke of the pain he would inflict on anyone who harmed his son.

Jack scratched his arm hard, eager to go as soon as possible. But he knew nothing about war. The Vikings held all the knowledge. If he wanted to find Hiccup alive, he should listen to them, no matter how hard it was to wait.

"If you locate the enemy or my son, you send a Terrible Terror to me as fast as you can! I will round up the rest of the riders and come to you! You do not engage the enemy before you have backup!" Stoick bellowed. "We all want Hiccup home safely and we all want revenge! For that to happen, we need to strike together!"

Jack heard nothing but "Yes, my chief!" in response. Stoick began to direct the dragon riders in different directions to cover all of the archipelago. Every single island would be searched, no matter how long it took. Jack found a small comfort in that.

After sending off a group including Fishlegs' parents, Stoick turned to them. "Astrid! Fishlegs! Snotlout! You will search the tenth perimeter!"

"Yes, my chief!" Astrid yelled. Fishlegs and Snotlout gave Stoick a determined nod.

A sudden jolt made Jack's stomach flip. Before he knew it, the dust and burnt houses disappeared below them. The smell of death and smoke faded as Stormfly's spotted wings carried them higher into the skies.

The urgency flowed into everything around him. The dragons' wings flapping violently. The way the riders held onto the reins so tight it must hurt. He could do nothing but roll his hands into fists. He looked down on every island they passed, even if it was not theirs to search. At the first glimpse of Hiccup, he would be ready for a fight.

No one spoke, as islands and ocean flew past his eyes in bursts of green and blue. The wind sunk its chill into his cheeks but it did nothing to cool the anger brewing inside him. He could feel the tension in Astrid's body as he held onto her. Rapunzel's passiveness had faded away. She scanned their surroundings with a speed that matched his own. Fishlegs' eyes shone with determination and never strayed from the horizon. A roar in the distance drew their attention. Behind them, a dragon came closer and closer.

"It's…Barf and Belch." Fishlegs said, his mouth hanging open in surprise.

"What are they doing here?" Snotlout asked.

The Hideous Zippleback reached them and flew by their side, sticking close to him and Astrid. Someone had taken their saddles off. Jack met their eyes and saw sorrow swirling in the golden hues.

"They're…they want to help us." Astrid said and Jack could hear she was close to tears. "They want to stay with us, like they've always done…Even if the twins aren't here anymore."

Jack gave Barf and Belch a sad smile and a nod. He was grateful they wanted to help them find Hiccup but his heart ached for their loss. Astrid's words left everyone silent. Fishlegs kept his eyes shut for a moment. Snotlout stroked Hookfang on the neck.

Every moment rushing past them was a blade slashing into the fabric of his sanity. He needed to _do _something instead of sitting here, powerless to help the one he loved. He was about to ask Astrid if they were close to their destination, when Snotlout's voice split through the noise of the chilly winds.

"I saw something down there! We should go see what it is!"

Astrid glanced at the island Snotlout pointed at. "We can't waste any time, Snotlout! Hiccup is in danger, we have to find him!"

"What do you think I'm trying to do!?" Snotlout yelled, his eyes burning with the anger of being accused otherwise. "What if he's down there?!"

"There's nothing down there!" Astrid shouted. "They would never take him to a place this close to Berk!"

"Astrid, how do you know?" Jack said and tightened his grip on her waist. "If there's even the smallest chance he's there, we should go see!"

"We keep going!" Astrid commanded and glanced at the others to see if anyone would object.

"No!" Jack said. "Astrid! We can't leave anything to chance! I won't gamble with Hiccup's life!"

"Do you think_ I_ want to do that!?" Astrid lost her composure and glared at him over her shoulder. "Do you think I don't want to find Hiccup and get him home safe!? Do you think I would, even for a moment, do something that could put him in more danger!? Is that what you think?!"

"No!" Jack said. "But what if he's down there?!"

"He's not, okay!? Trust me!" Astrid said. "They would never bring him there! And someone else will come and search that island! We have another place to go that's far more likely for them to be!"

Jack turned silent, his throat tightening from a sudden lump. His eyes followed the island as it stretched out underneath them. He searched for any sign of life but spotted nothing but trees and cliffs. His heart sank. How could he protect Hiccup when he couldn't even find him? What if he was already too late? The lump in his throat burned. He should be exhausted but the adrenaline kept him alert. He barely noticed the wound on his leg throbbing. Images of Hiccup taking his last breath or writhing in pain swam in his brain. Jack's teeth clamped down on his lip, so he wouldn't scream.

Rivers of orange and pink spilled across the skies. Golden clouds dotted the horizon. The ocean waves turned into a sea of flames, feeding on the dying sun. Jack would usually find peace in the wonders of nature. Now, it only brought him pain, reminding him that time was running out. Locked in his own thoughts, he flinched when Rapunzel screamed.

"IT'S TOOTHLESS! LOOK! IT'S TOOTHLESS!" she rose in the saddle, putting her hands on Fishlegs' shoulders.

"What!? Where!?" Jack yelled, snapping his head around frantically. Toothless was here? Maybe he could lead them to Hiccup!

"THERE!" she pointed to something ahead of them. "THERE!"

In the distance, black wings shot towards them among the burning sky. The other dragons roared their greetings. The sound of the Night Fury roaring back was unmistakable.

"It _is_ him!" Astrid said.

"Thank Thor he's alive!" Fishlegs said, his eyes filled with relief.

When Toothless reached them, Jack noticed just how damaged the dragon had become. Countless scratches littered his scales and a stick out of a wound on his neck. Dirt and patches of dried mud dulled the shine of his sleek body. Ruby drops slithered from a deep cut on his shoulder, smearing crimson along the black. He looked like he had searched every single island in the archipelago, charging straight through anything in his way. Toothless warbled and growled wildly to tell them something, shaking his head in different directions. Even before Jack heard Astrid's words, he knew what Toothless was trying to say. The parasite in Jack's gut loosened its grip. The air rushed out of his lungs and he smiled.

"He's found him." Astrid sighed, releasing the tension in her limbs.

"He's alive!" Snotlout yelled from Hookfang's back. Rapunzel covered her mouth with her hands.

Jack savored the brief comfort. _You're alive. Now, we just have to get you back..._ "Toothless! Take us to him!"

In the moment it took for the stress in Toothless' eyes to fade into relief, Jack noticed how tired he looked. He was injured and exhausted, yet he kept going without slowing down, only fueled by his intense love for Hiccup. Jack had never appreciated Toothless more than in that moment.

Toothless set off and they hurried to follow him underneath the golden skies. Keeping up with a Night Fury was difficult but Toothless glanced back at them sometimes to be certain they were still close behind him.

Astrid nodded with her back to him. The wind played with her messy braid. "We're going to get him home, Jack."

"Yes we are." he agreed. He sent a silent prayer to every Norse god he could remember the name of. _You don't deserve to be worshipped if you won't protect someone like Hiccup. Keep him safe._ The uncertainty bit into him, spilling its nauseating bile. He had no idea what they would be facing, when they got there. What state Hiccup would be in. _I'm coming for you, Hiccup. Please, make it through. I'm coming._

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

Footsteps echoed among the strong, stone walls. The guard's keys clinked as they swung back and forth on his belt. Hiccup didn't move a muscle. He lay on the ground with his back to the cell door. A small rock dug into his side. He slowed his breathing and closed his eyes.

"Hey!" the guard said, slamming a fist against the bars. "Haddock! Get up!"

Hiccup stayed still.

"He's hurt," Herdís said from the next cell. She sounded concerned. "We saw him throw up blood." Hiccup was certain she pointed to the blood on the floor.

"Shit," the guard groaned, sounding irritated above all else. Hiccup imagined he wasn't in the mood to deal with Ivar's punishment for letting an important prisoner die. "Just my fucking luck."

Hiccup focused on keeping his body unmoving, as the guard stepped around him. A large hand closed around his uninjured arm and pulled him upwards. He relaxed his face and held his breath. The guard shook him. His limbs dangled to the sides. "Haddock," the guard said and shook him again. "Haddock!"

In a breath, Hiccup slammed his sharp charcoal pencil into the guard's throat. The man's eyes filled with shock. Hot blood sprayed onto Hiccup's face. He pulled the pencil out and slammed it back in, over and over. The guard gargled as blood poured into his windpipe. He sunk to his knees and clutched his throat, red seeping through his fingers. Hiccup watched as the man took his last breaths. He knew he would never forget the faces of everyone, whose lives he had ended.

He took the sword and dagger from the guard's belt and grabbed the keys to the cells. Kolfinna and Herdís both squeezed his shoulder, when he let them out. He handed Herdís the dagger and offered the sword to Kolfinna. "Keep it," she said.

"You said there are more guards by the entrance?" he said.

"Yes, three," Kolfinna said. "But there won't be anyone on the way to the food reserves."

He nodded. "Good. We need to go there now."

They snuck along the cave walls, keeping an eye out for more guards. Small rocks cracked softly underneath his prosthetic. The torches on the walls spilled their golden light through the cave, as the girls led him down a new tunnel. They were well informed; not a single guard came their way.

Rows upon rows of mead bottles. Sacks of grain and flour. Piles of vegetables and fruit. Large chunks of salted meat hanging from hooks. Their enemies had supplies to last a long time. On one of the dented wooden tables, bottles gleamed with golden vegetable oil. Kolfinna took the long knife lying next to some bread.

"Okay," he said, looking over the reserves. "We need the mead and the vegetable oils."

The girls nodded and grabbed the items, putting them into some burlap sacks. The bottles clinked but it wasn't loud enough for any guards to hear. Herdís handed him one of the sacks. He also grabbed one of the sacks of flour. "Take some of those too," he told them.

"Flour?" Herdís said with wrinkles of confusion on her forehead. "What do we need flour for?"

"Flour is flammable," he explained. "Very flammable." Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted rocks lying around in a corner. A pickaxe leaned against the cave wall. He picked up one of the flint rocks and put it in his pocket. _It'll be much quicker this way._

"Are you serious?" Kolfinna asked and grabbed a sack.

"Yeah," he said. "It's going to help a lot."

"But how? Are we just going to dump the sacks and set fire to them?" Herdís asked.

"No. It has to come into contact with air," he said. "We'll have to empty the bags. Then I'll set a spark to it."

"Are you sure that will be enough?" Kolfinna asked.

"Trust me," he said. "You said the weather has been dry for the last month or so."

"Yeah."

He nodded. "It'll be enough. Okay. We'll take this stuff and put it as close as we can to the entrance without the guards hearing us. Then we go on to the next step of the plan."

When they were close enough to the cave entrance to see the three guards, they hid behind a corner, where the tunnel turned into three separate ones. "Try to cut their throats," he whispered.

"We know," Herdís said. "That way they won't scream."

"Exactly."

If the guards managed to alert someone, they were done for. Surrounded by enemies, their only way out was stealth and then a diversion.

"Okay. Ready?" he asked and the girls nodded. In the sparse, orange light of the torches, their faces glowed with that familiar contradiction of determination and fear. He felt the same way. Either they would make it out now or they would most likely die.

He threw a small rock. It clacked as it hit the ground. The sound echoed among the cave walls.

"What was that?" one of the guards said.

"I don't know," another said. "Fróði is back there with the prisoners."

"Fróði!" the third guard yelled.

When no answer came, the first guard spoke again. "We should go check it out. Maybe he needs help with the prisoners. Keep your weapons out."

Hiccup tightened his grip around the sword, as the sound of footsteps increased. He shared a brief look with the girls and took a slow breath.

As soon as he spotted the guards, he shot out from behind the corner and lunged at the guard furthest away. He thrust his sword straight through the man's throat before he could react. The other guards raised their weapons to fight him. The fury in their eyes froze, when a dagger and a knife slammed through each of their throats from behind.

Fountains of blood splattered from the three men. They collapsed on the ground, eyes wide with fear and pain. They desperately tried to breathe but no air came through the rivers of blood running into their lungs. Herdís and Kolfinna watched them, crimson drops resting on their faces. When the men were still, Herdís wiped the blood across her cheek like war paint.

Dressed in the chainmail and helmets of the guards, they snuck out of the cave, along the edge of the camp and onto a nearby hill. They were ready to fight if necessary but the hostile forces were in even worse shape than Hiccup had expected. Every man and woman nearby were occupied with tending to their wounded, cooking for the starving warriors or mending weapons and armor for a potential upcoming battle. They weren't paying attention to the three of them in the distance, snaking their way out of the camp.

The sun was leaving, its last strength coating every tree and rock in a sudden autumn. The warm light kissed the girls' faces on the hill and made them resemble beings of fire. "Are you sure they'll see it?" Herdís asked.

"Yes. There's no way they won't see it," he told them. "Everyone's out looking for me, so as soon as they get here, I can get you two on a dragon and get you out of here."

"No," Kolfinna said. One of her scarred hands rested on her hip.

"What?"

"We need to fight," Herdís said. "You don't know what they've done to us. They have to pay."

"I know but you two are not in any state to go into battle."

"It doesn't matter!" Kolfinna said and bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything else too loudly. Hiccup quickly looked around them and listened for any sign that someone had heard them.

"As Hel is my witness, I will make sure they get what's coming to them," Herdís said. The dried blood streaks on her cheeks and the steely look in her eyes would make anyone think twice about arguing with her.

"There isn't any way I can talk you out of it, is there?" he asked.

Both of them shook their heads. He sighed. "I wish you would just listen to me and get out of here."

"No deal," Kolfinna said and took her helmet off, tossing it on the ground.

"You're stuck with us," Herdís smiled and removed her helmet too.

"Well…since I have to be in this horrible place, I'm glad I'm here with you two."

"We'll get out of here," Kolfinna told him with reassurance in her eyes.

"Yeah…" he agreed and discarded his helmet for better visibility. He pulled off the chain mail. It was weighing him down. The girls did the same.

"Let's get on with it," Herdís said.

"Yes. Take the mead and pour it all over the leaves and the grass. I'll take the oils," he said.

While Kolfinna and Herdís splashed the alcohol on the ground, he took the oils and made a trail in the other direction and up some of the tree trunks and nearby bushes. They only had one shot at this and they had to make it count.

He took the flint stone from his pocket and put it close to the alcohol-soaked moss and grass. He reached his hand towards Herdís and she gave him the dagger. He struck the steel hard against the rock. Sparks flew but didn't latch onto anything. They didn't have much time. Someone would probably find the dead guards soon. He tried again. The sparks caught hold. Flames crackled and swayed, feeding on the alcohol and oil. They spread across the ground steadily, the breeze giving them strength.

"Okay, give me some flour," Hiccup told them. Kolfinna handed him one of the sacks. She and Herdís grabbed the other two. "Back away and be ready for my signal," he said. They needed the wind to be right.

A moment later, when the wind blew away from them and towards the fire, he said the word. The three of them emptied the flour sacks into the air and backed away quickly. The powder rushed towards the fire like a current. White particles burst into flame and shot upwards in a bright fireball. The roar of the flames and the smoke rising from the burning trees left no room for stealth anymore.

"They'll be here soon, come on!" he said and took off down the hill in the opposite direction of the campsite. The three of them ran across the mossy terrain to the sound of wood burning behind them. In the distance, people yelled in alarm.

"What about there?!" Herdís said and pointed to a small cave.

"No, it's too close, keep going!" he said.

"We need to find somewhere to hide soon!" Kolfinna said.

"I know," he said. "But we have to get as far away from that fire as possible. We have to get to the shore."

Swerving around trees, jumping over rocks and logs, they headed towards the water. The adrenaline made him forget about his wounds and his exhaustion. His heart knocked back and forth in a rapid rhythm. The water's edge stopped their running. Hiccup looked up and down the beach. "Come on." he told them and they walked along the sand to find a suitable hiding place. It had been a struggle to convince the girls to hide instead of trying to swim to another island. But they were all wounded and tired and the girls were malnourished too. Even the closest island was too far away. Scouting for a place to conceal themselves, their gazes darted in all directions.

The rustling of leaves was all the warning they got. "Watch out!" Kolfinna shouted and shoved Herdís to the side. The axe cut into her face, splitting her flesh open. Blood poured down her clothes in ruby streams.

"NO!" Herdís screamed, scrambling to her feet.

The man pulled the axe out. Kolfinna dropped to her knees. She had no mouth to scream with. Hiccup unsheathed the sword and lunged at him. Their weapons clashed, metal on metal ringing in the air.

"NO! NO! NO!" Herdís screamed and jumped onto the Viking's back. The fury blazed in her eyes. Her dagger plunged deep into the man's back, over and over. The Viking cried out. His movements slowed. Hiccup drove his sword straight through his stomach. Herdís jumped off and the man collapsed onto crimson sand. Blood and guts stained Hiccup's sword when he pulled it out. The enemy took his last breath.

Kolfinna's body had stained everything around it with red. Her face was unrecognizable, barely resembling a human being anymore. She had died quickly but that was only a small comfort to him. Herdís sat down next to the corpse, her gaze fixed on it. Her eyes glistened with tears. Hiccup put his hand on her shoulder and felt her shake with anger and sorrow.

"We need to go," he said softly. He tried to ignore the ache in his chest. _You didn't deserve this, Kolfinna. You deserved to come home. To hug your family again._

"I know," Herdís whispered.

He helped her to her feet. "We'll come back for her and give her a proper burial."

Herdís nodded, her eyes downcast. She tightened her grip on the dagger in her hand.

"We'll get you back to your family," Hiccup told her, trying to bring her some comfort. He had just met Kolfinna today but the grief wrapped itself around his heart. He could only imagine how broken Herdís felt.

Herdís met his eyes and tried to blink away the tears. "For the last couple of months…she was my family."

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

The island rested peacefully in the distance, a mossy pillow among the fresh spray of the ocean. Lush forest covered the island, the trees dark underneath the lava sky. It was no wonder the hostile tribes had chosen this as their hiding spot. The thick treetops obscured any sign of life except a narrow column of smoke rising through the leaves.

"Why would they have a camp fire?" Astrid said, leaning forward in the saddle. Stormfly's leathery wings kept them steadily in the air. "They must have known that would draw our attention at some point!"

"I know, it's weird…" Fishlegs said from Meatlug's back. He narrowed his eyes, as if that would make him understand the situation better.

"Maybe they needed a fire for something important? Something that was worth taking that risk for?" Jack thought aloud.

"Yeah, but what could possibly be worth that?" Snotlout said.

"How long before the others get here?" Jack asked and clutched his wand tight.

"They should be here soon." Astrid said. She sounded calm but Jack noticed how she couldn't keep her hands still. The sun had almost disappeared below the horizon. Soon it would be completely dark. It was an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time. The darkness would allow them to approach unseen but they would have trouble assessing the situation once they got there.

Toothless let out low grumbles and whines that only Jack seemed to hear. _I know, Toothless…we both want to run in there, grab Hiccup and get out. But we can't. _He dug his fingernails into the thick fabric of his trousers. Hiccup was on that island and he was stuck out here, waiting for the Vikings. _Please be all right, Hiccup. Please…If you're not, I don't know what I'll do…_

He and Toothless only restrained themselves because Astrid had convinced them that the _only _way to save Hiccup was to get back up from the other dragon riders. The enemy might be wounded but they still outnumbered them and they had no idea what was hiding underneath those treetops. He didn't know how long they had waited but every second added to his misery.

When a swarm of dark shapes appeared in the distance, he breathed a sigh of relief. _Finally we can do something!_

"I've sent a message to our allies but there's no telling when they will get here," Stoick said from his seat on Skullcrusher. Jack cursed to himself. _Why can't their fucking allies have dragons too? _"Have you seen Hiccup or any of the hostiles?" Stoick asked. Behind him, dragons of all kinds flapped their wings. Armor-clad Vikings in leather saddles sat on top of them. The darkness had chased the red from the sky. Weapons and armor gleamed in the pale moonlight.

"No. But Toothless is sure he's down there. The only sign of life we've seen is the smoke over there." Astrid said. "Wait…something's wrong! It's spreading!"

Jack took in the island. The narrow pillar of smoke had grown. Red and orange glowed underneath the holes in the treetops, like a giant ember resting under a cover of weeds.

"It's a wild fire!" Stoick said. "Berkians! There's no time for strategy! We land, we fight, we kill our enemies and get my son back! Follow me!"

Stormfly swooped through the darkness, surrounded by dragons on every side. An invisible fist squeezed Jack's lungs. The island would burn to the ground and Hiccup was on it. He curled his hand around his wand and unstrapped the harness around his waist. Toothless shot past everyone in a blur. As the island grew bigger, the smell of burnt wood filled Jack's nostrils.

The second Stormfly's paws hit the shore, Jack jumped off and ran towards the flames. Toothless had already disappeared into the wild fire with an angry screech. The precious seconds it had taken to get to the island had already strengthened the flames. His vision filled with fire eating into the surrounding forest. Loud cracks rumbled in the air, as massive trees splintered and fell to the ground like twigs. Screams and yelling came from somewhere ahead of him. "HICCUP!" he shouted as he ran, his eyes darting across the surroundings. The sound of Toothless roaring echoed in the distance.

"The Berkians are here!" he heard someone shout further inside the blazing forest. "Get your weapons! There's no time for fleeing this fire! You fight or you die!"

Swarms of hostiles appeared, running through the burning trees. Black ghouls in a fiery underworld. At that moment, roars sounded behind him. The rumble of the Berkians' and dragons' footsteps reached his ears. "Attack!" Stoick's voice overpowered even the crackling of the hungry flames consuming everything in sight. "Find Hiccup!"

The Berkians ran past him, their battle cries shrill with rage. They collided with the enemies in a blur of fire and metal. The burning forest rang with weapons and screams. Everywhere, people were fighting to the death. Jack stayed by the sidelines, keeping a lookout for anyone who needed help. He sent as many enemies as he could into the flames or the strong tree trunks. Flynn and Rapunzel appeared by his side, sparks flying from their wands. They never hesitated. The Vikings' armor shone among the blazing treetops. The world had turned red and gold, like the sun itself was melting from the sky.

Snotlout and Hookfang sprinted past them. "You!" Snotlout roared and pointed his sword at a man with a bloated belly and blue tattoos across his face. The enemy wrenched his sword up to protect himself. Hookfang tackled him, pinning him to the ground. A pale woman with a loose, red braid came up behind them. Jack paralyzed her with a quick spell and her back connected with the ground. "This is for the twins!" Snotlout screamed and drilled his sword through the man's eyeball. The Viking writhed and cried under Hookfang's paws but had no way to escape. Snotlout turned the blade hard inside the man and rammed it further in. When it slid back out, the man had gone still.

Jack's eyes scanned the battlefield, trying to make sense of the turmoil. Fishlegs dragged two wounded men onto Meatlug's back, keeping attackers away with his wand. Stoick and Gobber whirled around their enemies, ending one life after another. They were a tsunami of force, their weapons bearing down on the hostiles like a crashing wave. An enemy threw a dagger at Gobber but Stoick blocked it with his shield and cracked the man's face open with his sharp axe.

"Protego!" Flynn yelled next to him. An axe heading for Rapunzel bounced off the magical shield.

"Stupefy!" The spark from Rapunzel's wand flew into two men. Their armor clinked loudly when they slammed into a boulder.

Jack had seen no sign of Hiccup. His anxiety began to spread its twisted roots through his veins. What if he was already dead? His eyes darted over the darkened people fighting to the sound of flames eating the island alive. Despite his heart being ready to burst with dread and bile, he kept his hands calm and did the best he could to protect the people of Berk with his magic. Every time he had a clear shot of a hostile, he took it, immobilizing or killing dozens of enemies.

"Jack, watch out!" Flynn yelled. A bright spark shot past Jack's eyes. He spun around. A Viking's frozen face stared back at him. The man dropped his spear with a clank and fell onto the ground, his body stiff as an icicle.

Two men came crashing through some shrubbery, rolling on the ground to gain the upper hand. Jack tried to help but he couldn't, when they kept moving. He might hit the Berkian. When the enemy pushed his dagger through the Berkian's throat, Jack and Rapunzel aimed their wands at him. The man sat, holding the dead Berkian as a shield. "Hello Goldielocks," he said, a cocky smile on his lips. "Those bruises look good on you."

Jack noticed Flynn stepping closer to Rapunzel, his wand ready to fire.

"I'm not afraid of you," Rapunzel sneered. It was a strange sight; sweet, bubbly Rapunzel with bruises and blood on her, the will to kill her enemies gleaming in her eyes. She swung her wand and the man rammed into a rock. His skull split open, blood running through the cracks of the bone.

"Archers! Fire!" Jack heard someone yell. Atop a rock wall, enemy archers drew their bows. He recognized Ivar the Bonesmasher among them. Jack swallowed and gripped his wand tighter. _I will come for you, Ivar. Just you wait._

"Protego!" Rapunzel shouted and covered the three of them. "Protego!" Jack echoed, forming a barrier on some of the Berkians his magic could reach. Flynn quickly did the same.

The arrows came down on them, sizzling like they were burning through the air. Skullcrusher stomped across the ground and shielded Stoick, Gobber and others with his armored body. Dragons unfolded their wings, keeping their humans behind the thick hide. But despite all of their efforts, they couldn't protect everyone. Berkians dropped to the ground and dragons screeched in pain, arrows biting into their flesh. "Fire again!" Ivar the Bonesmasher roared.

Jack took a step forward. "Bombarda!" he shouted, flicking his wand. The rock wall dissolved in a deafening boom. The force flung men into the air like a spring. Jack's ears were ringing. Rocks rained down on hostiles, bashing their heads open, snapping their bones in two. Some died instantly, others wriggled and cried out on the ground, holding their ears. Everyone nearby had been knocked off their feet and scrambled to get back up. Flynn and Rapunzel hit enemies with spells while they were still trying to get to their feet to fight the Berkians.

Jack spotted Astrid and Stormfly working together to defeat the enemies around them. A short, heavy man raised his sword to a Berkian with a bucket on his head. "Wingardium Leviosa," Jack said. The sword floated out of his hands and Jack fired it into the back of one of the men attacking Astrid. The man with the bucket gutted his now weaponless enemy.

"I have to find Hiccup!" he shouted at Flynn and Rapunzel.

"Go!" Rapunzel said and nodded, firing more sparks into the crowds.

"We'll be fine, Jack! Find him!" Flynn reassured him.

Jack moved closer and closer to where the enemies had come from, taking out anyone in his way. He didn't have time to stay. He was going to find Hiccup, no matter what. A bald Viking with tattoos on his head came towards him with a raised axe. Jack's spell shoved him through the air. He screamed and landed on the ground in front of Gobber, who smashed his face in with his peg leg. Drops of sweat spilled down Jack's skin. The heat of the flames was unbearable. Dried pine needles and leaves crunched under his feet as he ran through the battle.

"HICCUP!?" he screamed when he reached the remnants of the enemy's campsite. Flames snapped and popped as they ate into homemade wooden shelters. Pots and bottles lay scattered on the ground, their contents sinking into the earth. "HICCUP!?" The smoke itched in his throat. It was thicker here than on the battlefield. He noticed the big cave openings close by and headed into the dimness. When he reached the cells and saw the blood on the ground, he smashed his fist into the cave wall. His knuckles bled and stung as he left the campsite behind. It didn't matter. He was going to find Hiccup and if Hiccup was already dead…no Norse gods or weapons or flames could stand in the way of him destroying everyone who had cost him the love of his life.

~~~~ Ivar the Bonesmasher ~~~~

With only the flames lighting the world, his enemies' skin glowed red. The hatred and sorrow crackled in their golden eyes as they fought for their vengeance. Dragons helped their masters, clawing and ripping skin to shreds, scaly tails and wings flailing wildly in the chaos. Steel smashed together. Cries and howls blended into singing flames. The melody of battle.

A Scuttleclaw shot in front of him, a demonic screech slipping past its sharp teeth. He held up his shield, as its paw came towards him. The dragon's claws scraped against the wood. His arm shot down and his sword pierced the Scuttleclaw's leg. It howled as blood poured from the wound. Anger flashed in its eyes and it snapped its jaws at him. He sidestepped and punched the sword into its chest. It let out a shrill scream. Blood gushed out of its ripped flesh. _Good riddance, beast. _He sliced its head off and watched it land on the ground.

"Echo!" a woman shouted and charged towards him. The Scuttleclaw's legs gave in and it collapsed. The Berkian lunged at him, her round face wrinkled in rage. He threw up his shield. Her axe bit into the wood. She went for him again. His arm swung out, his sword blocking her axe. They backed away and circled each other. Her blonde braids had streaks of crimson. He rushed forwards, his shield protecting his side. When his sword slammed into her shield, while her axe ate into the side of his leg, he knew she had tricked him. He grunted. Pain flooded his flesh. He jerked away and held his sword up. Warm liquid streamed down his leg. The wound burned with every movement. She closed in but he knocked her arm away with his sword, the metal shrieking. He smashed his shield into the side of her head. She stumbled backwards, groaning. Her arms flew up, trying to protect herself. His sword cut through her leather armor and tunic, into muscles and organs. Her legs gave in underneath her. He stabbed her in the heart and hummed with satisfaction, when her eyes no longer held life.

He looked around him, trying to get an impression of how he should direct his warriors. The untamable flames rumbled and hissed. They devoured soft flesh and lush trees, leaving only charred remains. They breathed smoke, hiding the starry skies over a black veil. It was like Surtr himself had slammed his fiery sword into the ground and set the world ablaze. His tribesmen were scattered among the flames and debris, locked in brutal fighting with the enemy and their beasts. It was difficult to tell friends from enemies. In the distance, black shapes fought against a fiery background matching the most powerful sunset. He could make out the broken line of his archers. Few were left and soon they would all be gone, unless they got organized.

"Archers!" he bellowed, overpowering the growls of the flames and steel smashing against steel. "Go for higher ground! Form a line!"

The archers retreated, making their way up nearby hills. His son Finnr was among them. He would recognize him anywhere, even in such chaos. One of the archers fell and tumbled down the hard ground, pierced by an arrow in the back. Someone howled and he saw Gobber the Belch ram his axe through one of his tribesmen's throat. _May Odin greet you in Valhalla. You fought well._ Ivar held his shield up and his sword tight in hand, as he stalked towards him. Where Gobber the Belch was, surely, Stoick could not be far awa-

"Snotlout! Fishlegs! Give Astrid and Stormfly backup!" Stoick shouted, coming into view from a line of thick tree trunks.

Speaking of the Viking.

"Stoick!" he shouted, holding up his sword in a challenge. Stoick's eyes fixed on him and, even among the red flames, he could see the rage burning in them. Stoick stomped towards him, his axe and shield ready for battle. Behind Stoick, a Monstrous Nightmare ran past, heading straight for a cluster of dragons tearing some of his tribesmen apart in a shower of blood and flesh. _Cursed beasts. _He caught of a glimpse of Egill slicing a woman's throat and was relieved that both of his sons were still alive.

"Surrender, Ivar," Stoick said, keeping some distance between them. He was an impressive sight, Ivar had to give him that. All muscles and rage, with the blood streaks and scrapes to prove he was a true chief who fought alongside his warriors. "You can't win this."

"Always so diplomatic, Stoick," he said and smiled. "You know I won't surrender."

"Why do you insist on this blood-shed?" Stoick asked him. Ivar noticed how his fingers curled tighter around the handle of his axe. "There was a time when you and I could have been allies."

"Yes," he agreed. "But that time is over. Your son made sure of that."

"Where is Hiccup?" Stoick said, raising his axe. The reflection of the flames rippled along the metal.

_Gone. Which is why we're fighting instead of negotiating the terms of my tribe's escape._ "Who knows?" Ivar shrugged. "The last time I saw him, he was severely injured. He's probably dead by now." _If he isn't, I'll make sure to end his life myself._

Stoick's bushy eyebrows lowered. "You better hope not," he growled. "Or I'll make sure the last thing you see on this earth is my face when I rip you apart."

Ivar smiled_. _"Well…at least I took your son down with me."

In a breath, Stoick's axe collided with his sword. Their arms trembled from their evenly matched strength, trying to push the other away. They jumped apart and stepped around each other in blur of adrenaline and fury. Stoick's axe slammed into his shield, ripping off splinters. Ivar's arm shook from the force weighing down on him. The shredded flesh in his leg pulsed. Stoick tore his axe out of the wood. Ivar aimed for his chest but Stoick's arms flew up. His sword scraped against Stoick's axe with a shrill cry. Stoick's shield smashed into his own. He could smell his enemy's breath. He shoved Stoick back with his shield.

"Finally, a worthy opponent!" Ivar laughed and pointed with his sword. Nearby, a Berkian screamed his way into the afterlife, when Alfdís stabbed him through the bowels.

Stoick's impressive beard shone even redder than usual in the light of the swaying flames. Smears of blood glinted on his chainmail. "I don't give a shit what you think," Stoick said. "Surrender your men now or prepare for the afterlife."

"It'll have to be the afterlife then," Ivar said.

Their weapons swung hard and crashed together. The force made them both groan with effort. Stoick thrust his axe at him. Ivar pushed his shield into the axe and went low, his sword slicing into Stoick's knee. Stoick jerked backwards and grunted. Red came pouring out in narrow channels from the open skin. Ivar lunged again. Stoick blocked him with his shield. Ivar drew his sword back. The shield came flying up into his chin. He wrenched himself back but Stoick followed. He could only see shapes now and he aimed as best he could for his enemy. He went for Stoick's neck but Stoick danced around him. Stoick's axe glided into his arm and tore a long gash through the flesh. Ivar shouted curses at him and backed away quicker. He had to get himself under control before he could continue this.

"Protect the chief!" someone yelled. "Protect the chief!" the message spread among the men.

"Don't you dare protect me!" he roared and waved them off. "Protect yourselves! Protect each other!"

A loud wail above interrupted his fight with Stoick. A massive, burning oak tree cracked and swayed, succumbing to the flames. It fell to the ground between him and Stoick with thunderous boom. A swarm of glowing sparks flew from its branches like startled birds.

Screeches from dragons caught his attention. A Deadly Nadder and a Hideous Zippleback charged through the trees behind him, their disgusting eyes fixing on his men. He couldn't see Stoick anymore, the fallen oak tree a burning, smoking barrier that divided the battlefield. His chance of finishing off Stoick had been ruined. For now.

He knew Stoick was right; they couldn't win this. But they could sure as Hel take down as many of their enemies as possible, making their last stand something to remember. They would enter the golden gates of Valhalla drenched in the blood of the Berkians and their beasts.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

Their plan of hiding was abandoned when his tribe arrived. The sounds of dragons roaring and weapons clashing alerted them and they took down every enemy they encountered on their way to finding his father and his friends. Herdís did not have as much experience as himself but she proved to be a competent fighter. Whereas he relied on his speed and agility, she preferred stealth. They worked well as a team. The enemies they met were focused on him and while he fought with his sword, she was an assassin in the making; sneaking up behind them, slitting their throats or ramming the dagger into their kidneys.

The fire had grown uncontrollable, just as planned. It was a dangerous move, putting even his own tribesmen at risk, but there was no other way for him to give them a sign and to drive the hostiles out of hiding. The further he and Herdís came to the sounds of battle, the wilder the flames snapped and cracked and the harder the heat pressed in on them from all sides. Clammy drops stuck to his hairline and his grip on his sword had become sticky. The flames devoured the oxygen in the air like a hungry beast, not leaving enough for others.

At the first sight of dragons among the flames, he turned to Herdís. "I know you're not very used to dragons yet but as long as you don't attack them or anyone from my tribe, they won't hurt you, okay?"

Herdís nodded. "Let's put those _bacrauts_ [assholes] down so we can both go home."

"Yes," he agreed. "We stick together no matter what, okay?"

"Yes," she agreed and he saw no doubt in her eyes.

Hiccup swallowed when he saw the faces of people he knew among the dead bodies. He submerged himself in the fight at the edge of the battle but fighting enemies had become harder than before. The red light of the flames and the grey smoke making it hard to see. The deafening noise of burning wood and swords shrieking in his ears. The falling trees and greedy flames, deadly obstacles to avoid. Hiccup drove his sword straight through an enemy's gut and took the man's bow and quiver. He began firing arrows at anyone in the crowd that he identified as a hostile. His wounded arm seemed heavier every minute, a parasitic drain on his remaining strength. He saw Flóki, Lafí and Ragna fighting off a group of enemies that surrounded them. He recognized them by their armor and began picking off the hostiles with well-placed arrows. In the distance, a Deadly Nadder screeched and fired its spikes at someone. _Gods, I hope that's Stormfly and Astrid. Please, let them be alive._

Herdís came up behind a muscular woman and stuck her dagger into her skull. The woman sunk to her knees in a gleaming pool of her own blood. Hiccup kept Herdís protected from two young warriors who had their eyes on her. They tried to get to her but they dropped onto the bloody earth with arrows in their chests.

Out of the bushes, a man drenched in blood and mud came rushing out. Hiccup held his breath and readied his bow. The man grabbed Herdís before she could react. She kicked and screamed curses but the man didn't budge. Herdís tried to stab him with her dagger but he wrestled it from her without much difficulty. He pushed the dagger straight into Herdís eye. Hiccup's throat tightened. Blood poured from the opening, spilling down her tunic. Her screams filled his heart with dread. She flailed her arms, trying to get away.

Hiccups' legs carried him as quickly as they could towards her. The man threw Herdís onto the ground and lifted his axe. She rolled to her side to get up. He swung his weapon. Her kneecap cracked open in a burst of blood and bone. Red splattered onto the man's face. Her screams were inhuman.

"No!" Hiccup yelled. The enemy prepared to strike again. When the axe came down, it cut clean through Herdís' neck. The head tumbled a few feet, the eyes wide open. Her lifeless body was left on the earth like a ragdoll, blood pouring onto the ground from her ripped veins.

Hiccup froze in his tracks and stared, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. He drew his bow and fired an arrow into the hostile's chest. Then another one. Then another one. He didn't stop until the man lay dead on the ground, rows of arrows sticking out of him like spikes on a porcupine. He closed Herdís' eyes and brushed some of her long, brown hair away from her cheek. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep you guys safe…"

A black shape shoved him to the side. He crashed onto the earth and rolled to the side. He stared in shock at Toothless. The Night Fury's eyes had become slits. Toothless stood protectively in front of him, roaring and shaking with anger. His black maw opened and he unleashed a plasma blast that filled Hiccup's vision with purple. Three hostiles fell to the ground, their melting skin hanging off their faces.

"Toothless! I'm so relieved you're okay!" he said, getting to his feet. "Oh, Thank Thor…Thank Thor." He stroked Toothless' head. Toothless warbled happily and licked his cheek. "Where are the others?"

Toothless looked to the right and motioned with his head. "Let's go," Hiccup said, grabbing some bloody arrows from the ground and stuffing them into the quiver.

Behind lines of burning trees and a thick veil of smoke, they reached the others. In the chaos, Hiccup spotted Gobber and his dad fighting off hostiles in an impressive display of strength and endurance. Snotlout and Hookfang covered their backs, keeping enemies from sneaking up behind them.

Hiccup unsheathed his sword and threw himself into the battle. His wounds weakened his strikes but he was still faster than the hostiles he fought, better at dodging attacks and quickly finding weak spots. He rammed his sword into a woman's belly when she left it exposed. She collapsed with a chilling scream. He thrust his sword through her head to end her suffering.

Toothless jumped in front of him and opened fire. Hostiles screamed and flailed their weapons blindly. Toothless hissed as one of them grazed his scales with his sword. His massive paw turned the guy's face into a bloody mess. "Bud, are you okay?" Hiccup asked. Toothless smiled at him.

Colorful sparks caught his attention from across the battle field. Flynn and Rapunzel had climbed onto a cliff, using the higher vantage point to hit as many enemies as possible with their spells. Astrid, Fishlegs and Jack were nowhere to be seen and Hiccup couldn't shake off the dread. What if they were dead?

As more enemies came at them, he and Toothless worked together to protect each other. The sounds of men screaming and bones breaking came from behind him, where Toothless protected his back. A grey-haired man with a scar across his face swung his axe at Hiccup. He ducked, sliced the man's leg and spun around him, wrenching himself back up. The man cursed and turned. Their weapons met and Hiccup pushed all his strength into holding him off. The hostile's axe slid off his sword and they backed away from each other. Hiccup jerked to the side when the axe flew at him again. _He's favoring his right side_. The man lunged at him but Hiccup sidestepped and pierced his left side with his sword. Toothless screeched and hissed, fighting off more enemies with his claws and teeth. Hiccup reacted to any movement in his vision, slashing and striking, blocking and dodging any incoming attack. They struggled to hold them off. Toothless swung his tail and flailed his wings, knocking hostiles off their feet.

"Hiccup!" his dad's voice called out. Hiccup's heart stuttered. Powerful hands shoved him to the ground. He groaned as he connected with a large rock. Pain stung in his side, rippling through his flesh. He pulled himself back to his feet. His dad's body lay unmoving on the ground, a gleaming axe lodged in his skull. Crimson poured down the sides of his head. "Dad! No!" he screamed. Toothless roared, knocked a man to the ground and ripped his throat open. Next to his dad, the corpses of two hostiles bathed the ground in blood. His dad's axe was lodged in one of their chests.

"Egill!" someone screeched and Hiccup realized he had killed one of Ivar's sons. A man charged with his sword raised, anger flashing in his wide eyes. His face had blood streaks from a head wound.

Their weapons clashed. Hiccup thrust his sword with anger, warm tears burning on his cheeks. The hostile went for his gut but Hiccup dodged the attack. Their swords collided, blades clinking among the rumbling flames. Hiccup swung the steel towards the man's face. The hostile held up his weapon to block but Hiccup changed course. His sword sliced through flesh and blood, tunneling into the man's bowels. Howling, the Viking crashed to the ground. Hiccup pulled the sword out and rammed it into the man's heart. He closed his eyes within seconds.

Hiccup turned to Toothless, sword raised to help his friend. Toothless had ripped a man's chest open in a mess of white ribs and torn flesh. Two other dragons, Ghost and Snowfoot, had come to their aid. Snowfoot put a bleeding woman out of her misery, crushing her skull with a paw. Ghost swung a man side to side in his massive jaws, ripping him to pieces. When no more enemies were nearby, Hiccup threw himself at his father's dead body. "Dad…" he whispered and tried to shake him. "No!"

Toothless whined next to him and nudged his snout against his dad's arm. "He's g-gone, bud…" Hiccup choked out. "He's gone…" The sputtering flames turned blurry. His body shook as he clung to his father's side. _This is all my fault. I'm so sorry, dad. I'm sorry._

The howls and clashes of battle wailed in his ears. He knew he had to leave. He had to fight. Taking one last look at his dad, he wiped the tears from his cheeks. "It's time to end this, Toothless."

Even among the growling flames, he could hear his heartbeat. The dragons turned men to piles of melted flesh. Gobber swung his club, denting armor and bashing skin open. He struck an enemy's ribs and they snapped into pieces with a sickening crack. Hiccup spotted Rapunzel and Flynn working together, colorful spells shooting straight into enemies. Meatlug hovered over the hostiles with Fishlegs on her back, holding his bow. A man charged towards Rapunzel but Fishlegs shot an arrow through his neck.

Astrid came shooting out from a cluster of burning trees, her braid dripping with blood. A group of Vikings surrounded her. Stormfly swung her tail, leaving men and women dying on the ground, sharp spikes drilled through their skulls and throats. Hiccup ran to her with Toothless by his side, his bow ready. A branch broke free from a tree and fell to the ground with a roar. He drew his bow and launched arrows to help Astrid and Stormfly with the last hostiles around them. Astrid never saw him. She swung onto Stormfly's back and they charged in the other direction.

"Hiccup!" Jack's voice slashed through the wall of noise. Hiccup stopped in his tracks. A relieved sigh slipped through his teeth. He saw Jack in the distance, running towards him with wide eyes, sending anyone in his way crashing into trees and rocks with sparks from his wand. His white hair and pale skin glowed pink in the light of flames and the blood of enemies.

Jack crashed into him and their arms slung around each other. "Thank the gods, you're okay," Hiccup said and held Jack tighter against him. _I would have never forgiven myself if something had happened to you._

"You too...Are you hurt?" Jack said, pulling out of the hug. In Jack's eyes, Hiccup saw the same tainted relief that tingled in his own chest. _We have both seen too much._

"I'll be fine," he said. "Just some scrapes. What about you? Are you okay?" he said and looked Jack over. He didn't like the look of the wound on his leg. It hadn't been treated at all.

A careful smile settled on Jack's lips. "It's nothing."

Toothless' growls alerted them to approaching enemies. Hiccup pushed Jack behind him and drew his bow. Bursts of light rushed from Jack's wand and shot into two men. Their chainmail rustled as they fell paralyzed to the ground. Hiccup's heartbeat echoed in his head. He kept his hands steady and his arrows found the gaps in his enemies' armor.

Gobber and Chief Sigurðr came into his line of vision, weapons slamming into each other's shields. A woman came up behind Gobber. Hiccup shot an arrow through her throat. Chief Sigurðr grazed Gobber's arm with his sword. They crashed together, shields held up. Gobber stomped on the chief's foot with his peg leg. Chief Sigurðr stepped back. In the second he lost concentration, Gobber slammed his club into his skull. The chief's legs caved in and his lifeless body collided with the earth.

"Fuck!" Jack yelled, sending a woman crashing into a boulder.

Hiccup followed his gaze. Flynn, Fishlegs and Meatlug were struggling to keep enemies away. Meatlug stomped her feet and swung her massive, thick tail. Flynn and Fishlegs fired spells in a chaos of color.

"Go!" he told Jack. "We'll be fine!" He didn't like separating from Jack but their friends needed help.

Jack hesitated. He took one last look at them and rushed through fighting men and women to get to their friends. The numbers of the hostiles were dwindling but there were still many left. The dragons and his friends' magic were their biggest advantages. They could take out more enemies at once than anyone else. Hiccup wished he had his wand. _I would be much more useful with my magic._ He drew his bow over and over, doing his best to keep his tribesmen and friends safe from enemies surprising them. Snotlout punched his sword into a bald man with a missing eye. Hookfang tore people's throats open with his sharp claws. A woman came up behind Snotlout, jumping towards him with her axe. Hiccup sent her tumbling down with two arrows in her back.

Among the fiery inferno, Ivar the Bonesmasher appeared. His eyes glowed with a fury that matched the suffocating heat. He stalked closer, his sword coated in shining ruby red. His trousers had been slashed open by the knee and dried blood rested around a deep cut. The strikes of weapons had dented his armor. Hiccup put the bow away and took his sword out. Toothless growled and stepped closer to him.

"You killed my sons," Ivar said and cracked his neck. "You killed Egill and Finnr."

"Yes." Hiccup said, only now knowing he had also killed Finnr. He curled his fingers tighter around the sword. "One of them killed my father."

Surprise sparked in Ivar's eyes but it was replaced with a glare. "Curse you, Stoick's son," he said. "You will never be a Viking. You will never be like my sons."

"We can agree on that," Hiccup said, adrenaline fueling his galloping heartbeat.

Ivar glanced to the side, where Berkians and dragons fought against the dwindling number of enemies. Sparks drizzled from blazing trees like a burning rain.

"There's no way for you to run." Hiccup said, wondering what Ivar's plan was now.

"Do you think I care about running?" Ivar said. "My sons are dead. My tribesmen are soon to be wiped out. The war is lost. I could escape and live the rest of my days in exile but we both know I won't do that."

"Only a coward does that."

"Yet another thing we can agree on." Ivar said with a smile, his teeth white against his dark beard. Uncertainty buzzed in Hiccup's veins. He knew Ivar was a man who was prepared to die for his cause. Now that his cause was lost, he was on a suicide mission.

"There!" someone yelled. Toothless put himself between Hiccup and whoever was approaching from behind.

"I will take my time with you, Dragon Conqueror," Ivar said. "I will savor the sound of every bone in your body breaking. I will peel off your skin and watch you scream for mercy. I will watch with a smile on my face, as the light leaves your eyes. I may have lost the war but this will be my final victory before I sit at Odin's table. You took my sons from me. You took my tribe from me. Now, I will take everything from you."

Toothless growled behind him. Hiccup's pulse raced under his skin. Images of torture flickered in his mind. Blood. Screams. Writhing. Someone asking him if he wanted to play a game. His breaths were shaky but he tried to keep his face neutral. _I can't show him fear. _He held his sword in front of him. The wound on his right arm tainted him with painful echoes. He swallowed. "What makes you think the Valkyries would ever choose you?" he said. "You're not worthy to sit with Odin."

Ivar leapt at him as soon as the words left his mouth. Their swords met in a high-pitched scream. Hiccup's arm shook, as he struggled to keep Ivar at bay. They moved around each other, pouncing and sidestepping, to the sound of Toothless snarling, flesh ripping and men screaming behind them. Ivar's sword shot towards him in a blur of metal. Hiccup wrenched himself to the side and sliced Ivar's right arm. A grunt escaped Ivar. Red beads crawled down his skin. Hiccup rushed in for another attack but Ivar's sword flew up to knock his arm away. Ivar's sword broke through Hiccup's leather, pushing into his other arm. Hiccup cried out and jerked backwards. A warm stream flowed from the wound. His heartbeat pulsed on the inside of his skull. _I can't hold him off much longer. _Ivar's sword came flashing towards him. Hiccup's arm reared up, muscles shuddering when the blades struck each other. His arm buckled under Ivar's force and the swords glided off each other. Hiccup tried to raise his sword. Ivar kicked him in the stomach. Air pushed out of Hiccup's lungs. The ground caught him. He tried to catch his breath. His arm pulsated with burning pain, searing further and further into his flesh. He groaned and rolled over to get up. Ivar's foot came down on his face. His mind went blank. His nose cracked and a jolt of pain pushed into his head. The burning trees around him blurred. The taste of blood filled his mouth. He lost his grip on his sword.

He heard Toothless roar in fury. Ivar came closer. He smiled and buried his sword in Hiccup's leg. Hiccup cried out and slammed his fists on the ground. The pain rippled through his flesh but he knew the adrenaline was choking the worst of it.

Toothless pounced on Ivar, knocking him to the ground. He clawed furiously at him, his strong paws swinging up and down. The enemies Toothless had left came up behind him with their swords lifted. Hiccup watched, as his best friend fought to keep the men at bay. Toothless clawed and bit into flesh and armor. He fired weak plasma blasts that could no longer do serious damage. Hiccup crawled across the dirt, sharp rocks cutting his palms. Blood seeped from his wounds, leaving a red trail behind him. He focused on nothing but Toothless. His best friend roared and snarled, swirling his body around wildly to block the enemies' attacks. Long, crimson gashes ran across Toothless' black scales. Blood poured down his sides.

Hiccup tried to block out the pain, burning stronger in his leg and arm. He heaved himself faster towards Toothless with every ounce of strength he had left. Ivar launched an attack but Toothless reared up and forced the weapon away with his powerful front legs. The other men pounced, aiming for Toothless' side. Toothless swung his strong tail around, knocking them into the dirt and ashes. Ivar roared and threw himself forwards. His sword sunk into black scales. Toothless screeched and flailed his wings. Crimson gushed onto the earth. Hiccups' arms trembled from pulling himself forward. His palms bled, rocks and sticks cutting through the skin. He grabbed a rock the size of two fists and forced himself up on shaking legs. Toothless' screams had turned fearful and his green eyes were wide.

Hiccup limped closer, the rock resting in his bleeding hand. The three men had gotten back on their feet, fanning out to attack from different sides. Toothless' movements had slowed but he bared his sharp teeth and snarled with the same fury. Hiccup's legs threatened to collapse under him any minute but the rage made him able to walk. He was almost there. Ivar's arm swung back to power his attack on Toothless but Toothless roared and showed off his sharp teeth. The Vikings behind Toothless lifted their weapons, getting ready to kill him. Hiccup leaned on his prosthetic. Searing pain bit into his leg. He threw himself at Ivar, bashing the rock into his head. They collided in a mess of metal and skin. Ivar grunted, landing on his side with Hiccup on top of him. Hiccup slammed the rock into his face again. "You don't touch Toothless!" he raged, his eyes moist. "Not Toothless! Not Toothless!" he said over and over, punching the rock into the flesh and skin with all his anger and grief behind it, until his face dripped with Ivar's blood.

Toothless had left the other warriors on the ground, taking their last breath. Only one remained. He aimed for Toothless' neck but Toothless backed away, lowering his head, his pupils in narrow slits. The blood kept pouring from Toothless' wounds and he was growing weaker by the minute.

In a blur, another dragon charged through the burning trees. _Barf and Belch_. Barf opened his maw, unleashing green gas. The man tried to back away but Toothless blocked his exit. Belch's mouth crackled and the gas lit up. The man rolled on the ground, screaming. Barf and Belch ended his pain, cracking his skull open with their heavy feet.

Hiccup exhaled in relief, when Toothless came to his side. He was hurt badly but it didn't look fatal unless it was left untreated. Underneath Hiccup, Ivar wheezed, his face torn apart, blood oozing from every cut. His skull had cracked on one side. Ivar tried to speak but no words came out. Hiccup didn't smile when the light slowly faded from Ivar's eyes. He threw the bloody rock to the side in disgust. Toothless nudged his snout against his shoulder.

"The allies are coming!" someone yelled. "The allies are coming!"

Hiccup crawled off Ivar's dead body. He tried to get to his feet but his knees hit the ground. He groaned as sharp jolts shot through the skin. The pain was becoming stronger and stronger as the adrenaline slowly lessened. Toothless lowered his head and Hiccup put his arm around Toothless' neck. Invisible threads wrapped around him, heaving his limbs down but he forced himself to keep going. Toothless supported him as he limped towards the fighting. The enemies' numbers were decreasing rapidly but people were still dying around him. He took the bow off his back, wondering if he could even shoot it now. His blood dripped onto the ground with every step. His clothes clung to his wounds. Black spots flickered in his vision.

"Jack! No!" he heard Rapunzel scream above the sounds of battle and flames.

Hiccup's eyes searched frantically for Jack. Panic sucked the air out of his lungs. When he saw him, cold claws ripped at his insides_. No…no no no._ Jack's eyes were wide and his pale hands clutched his chest. Two arrows stuck out of his skin. Blood sprayed from the wound, splashing onto the earth. Jack's legs collapsed under him. Their friends rushed to his side.

"Jack!" he screamed. He tried to run but slammed his knees into the dirt again. The world spun around. Colors and shapes blended. Toothless pulled him onto his back. Hiccup clung to his best friend as Toothless ran, his paws slamming down on the ground. The moment he stopped, Hiccup tumbled off and crawled to Jack's side in a frenzy. Rapunzel waved her wand around, trying to do what she could for him. Flynn held Jack's head in his hands and Fishlegs stood with his wand out, ready to defend them. They had removed the arrows from Jack's chest and now nothing was stopping the blood from flowing out. Red stained Hiccup's trousers and warmth enveloped his knees as Jack's blood soaked the leather.

"Jack! Jack!" he said, grabbing Jack's hand. It was cold and clammy. Jack's eyes were unfocused. Shaky, wheezing breaths spilled from his mouth. Hiccup's ribcage felt crushed; bones sharply bending inwards, poking into his heart. "Jack! Stay awake! Stay awake!" Jack's body shook. Cold sweat glistened on his forehead. "Jack, Jack…no no no, Jack, please…Rapunzel!"

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" she said, her eyes filling with tears.

"Jackie…Jackie…" Flynn said over and over, cradling Jack in his arms. "Jackie, please get through this. Please...I can't lose you too."

"What happened!?" Hiccup said.

"He was trying to protect us!" Flynn said.

Jack's eyes slowly began to close. "No!" Hiccup yelled at him. "Jack! Don't you dare do this to me!" He shook him. "Jack! Wake up!" His eyes stung with tears.

Rapunzel mumbled spells frantically. White light flowed from her wand and into Jack's wound. In the background, the noises of fighting faded. Hiccup's throat tightened as he watched Jack lie there in Flynn's arms, slowly fading away.

"There's nothing more we can now," Rapunzel said, tears trailing down her cheeks. "I've…I've stopped the bleeding as much as I could…I don't know what else we can do."

"We have to get him back to Berk," Gobber said from behind them. Cuts and bruises littered his face. His eyes gleamed with unshed tears. "Hiccup, you're the chief now. Give the order."

Rapunzel and Flynn stared at him in shock.

"We can't move him. He might die," Hiccup said, panicking at the thought of risking Jack's life.

"If he stays here, he definitely dies," Gobber said and put a hand on his shoulder. It pushed down on him, like it carried the weight of his pain. "We have no choice, Hiccup."

Hiccup nodded and blinked away the tears. He swallowed and looked around them. Only a few enemies were still standing. In the distance, their allies' ships were approaching. _Why couldn't you have come sooner?_ The battlefield had transformed into piles of dead bodies. Around them, the fire was not done with its mission of reducing everything on the island to ashes. "We leave right away. Get the wounded on dragons. Gobber, you stay behind with our allies to handle the last hostiles. If anyone want to surrender, let them. Keep someone here to tend to the wounded dragons and get all the dead on our allies' ships."

"Understood," Gobber said with a sad smile and left them. Hiccup heard his voice in the distance, letting their tribesmen know what their orders were.

Every second crawled by on the journey back to Berk. Toothless' tempo was slower than usual, his body injured and exhausted. He and the others had stopped the bleeding for now, so he was able to fly. Hiccup had offered to fly back on another dragon but Toothless refused. He struggled with the same problems as his best friend, but he wouldn't be able to rest until he knew if Jack would be okay. His damaged arm hung by his side. His legs were barely able to work Toothless' tailfin. His lips prickled, begging him to scream into the open skies. To rage his wrath on the gods themselves. _But you don't exist. I'm sure of that now._

Jack lay on a homemade stretcher carried by Stormfly and Toothless. Hiccup kept glancing at him, looking for any sign that he was getting worse. All around him, other dragons carried wounded tribesmen home safely. _Some of them will die. Even after getting through the battle…even after all the torment they've gone through, they won't get the time they deserve. Their injuries will kill them._

Brúnn, a 14 year old boy, sat behind Björn on Snowfoot. His eyes were red and swollen, his face moist with tears and blood. He was strapped to Björn, since he couldn't hold on by himself anymore. He trembled and moaned, his arm wrapped in torn tunics, red beginning to soak through. Hiccup knew what was under there. He had seen it before they bandaged it; a shredded mess of skin flaps, bone and flesh. He knew they had to amputate it when they came back home. Brúnn might die but he would definitely die if they didn't do it. Next to Stormfly, Meatlug carried Fishlegs and Rapunzel home to Berk. Fishlegs cried softly, his eyes staring ahead. Rapunzel stroked his back. His parents were among the dead. Hiccup's chest felt hollow, like someone had scraped out his insides with a rusty knife. _There's nothing I can do to fix all of this._

In the healer's hut on Berk, only remnants were left of Gothi's supplies. Hiccup told Astrid and Fishlegs to fly to Hogsmeade to buy potions and salves for everyone who had been wounded. The portkey was lost so flying was the only option. But it would take time. Time that Jack didn't have. That Mavis and Merida and all the other injured people didn't have. While Gothi cleaned Jack's wounds and sew them shut, he and Rapunzel tended to Toothless' injuries. Hiccup rinsed the cuts and scrapes carefully, speaking soothing words to his best friend, even though his own mind was dark. Rapunzel wrapped clean strips of fabric around the wounds, when he was done. Toothless was still during the process but Hiccup could tell from the eye twitches and the occasional flick of the tail, that it was painful. When Astrid and Fishlegs returned, he would be able to give Toothless some pain relief.

When Gothi had finished closing Jack's wounds, she smeared herbal mix on the stitches. It itched in Hiccup's nose. He helped her wrap bandages around Jack, needing to feel like he was actually doing something useful for his love. After that, they could only wait for Astrid and Fishlegs to return. Everyone with knowledge of healing were working on the wounded in the Great Hall. Hiccup had made sure to delegate the work as quickly as he could, so the injured ones got the best chance of survival. His thoughts were frantic; his mind slowly consuming itself with fear that Jack would die. That Mavis and Merida and other people he cared for would die. But he had to take care of everyone. They were all his responsibility. He had appointed a group to bring clean water, bandages, sewing equipment and other supplies to the healers. Another group would cook broth and other nourishing foods that were easy to drink or eat and others would lay out soft beds for the wounded in the hall, using anything they could find in the ruins of the village. His first priority was getting as many people as he could through this. They had already lost too many and it would leave a permanent shadow in their hearts.

When everything was in motion, Hiccup disappeared back home. He stayed by the edge of his bed, having insisted that Jack rested in his house instead of in the Great Hall. He closed the windows and the shutters, keeping the room dark and peaceful. On his nightstand and his desk, he lit some candles, their warm glow softening the shapes around him. On the bed, Jack slept on a soft layer of furs with a thick blanket over him. Toothless stayed by Hiccup's side, comforting him with his presence. Hiccup knew he understood the severity of the situation. Flynn and Rapunzel also came to sit with him sometimes, when they weren't by Mavis and Merida. Fishlegs had isolated himself in his parents' house without saying a word to anyone.

Gothi had informed them that Mavis would be okay eventually. But Merida had gotten a fever; a clear sign of infection. If the others didn't get back quickly, it could kill her. They all dreaded the outcome of Jack's and Merida's injuries. The rest of them were damaged but at least they would live.

"Jack," he whispered, brushing some wet locks away from Jack's sweaty forehead. The strained breaths passing through Jack's lips were loud against the dark silence. "Jack…I need you. Please…please, stay with me." Hiccup's arms and legs stung but he wouldn't rest until he was certain Jack was going to make it. Rapunzel had been too exhausted to do more healing magic, so she had cleansed, sewn and bandaged Hiccup's wounds the muggle way. The freshly closed skin itched under the white bandages. "You can't leave. I need you..."

Memories of their friendship and their love blinked in Hiccup's mind. The first time Jack had put his arm around him as they walked together through the corridors. The moment he told Jack about Toothless and his troubled past and Jack shared his own demons regarding his parents' deaths. Their first flight together on Toothless in the starry skies. All the pranks they had pulled on each other and the laughter they had shared. The first time they kissed and how amazing it felt to let his feelings come to light. How Jack consoled him after Professor Cooke's betrayal. How he repaid the favor when Jack needed reassurance after Chloe's kiss. The wonderful memories he had of meeting Jack's family. The first time they made love.

"I can't do this." His voice broke and he clutched Jack's hand tighter. "I can't lose you. Gods, I love you so much. I was prepared for this happening to me but not you. I was ready to die but not you. Not you…I tried to keep you safe!" He slammed his fist on the bed frame. "That's why I left you behind! So something like this would never happen! But you had to follow me, didn't you?! You had to be so fucking…brave and selfless, like you always are." The tears prickled on his cheeks. He wiped them away with a sleeve. Jack looked so fragile. He didn't stir but his forehead was wrinkled; like he was enduring something painful even in the darkness of unconsciousness. Hiccup pulled the blanket further up, so it covered Jack to the neck.

"This is why I kept my feelings to myself for so long..." he said and leaned back in the chair. He sighed shakily. "I should have been better, Jack. I should have never agreed to us being together…this is my fault. I was too selfish. Before I fell in love with you, I never knew I could feel that way about someone. But I should have let you down. Maybe then I could have protected you."

Jack's eyelashes fluttered but he stayed lost in the darkness. Hiccup laced their fingers together. Jack's hand was cold against his warm skin. "I love you," he said. "I love you so much…and there's so much we still have to do together. Please, Jack…please, get through this. Come back to me."

Hiccup picked at the bandage on his arm. His fingertips buzzed with the need to rip it off and claw the wound wide open. Tear his skin to shreds and let the pain wash over him like a purifying flood. Watch the red drops splash onto the wooden floorboards; small lakes of crimson that gleamed in the light of the candles.

No matter what he said, no matter how the pain pushed further and further into his mind, Jack didn't move. _I was happy yesterday. How can everything change so quickly? Now there's nothing left but ashes. _

* * *

**Author's note:**

*Surtr: A giant in Norse mythology who is the ruler of the giants with fire powers. He has a flaming sword that shines brighter than the sun. During Ragnarok, he will lead the giants with fire powers across the Bifrost (the rainbow bridge connecting Asgard and Midgard) and break it. Then he will kill the god Freyr and slam his sword into the ground, setting the world ablaze.

So…that was a delicious truckload of angst, wouldn't you say? There are now two (maybe three but most likely two) chapters left of this story…it's going to be strange and a bit sad when it's over.


	25. Wounds

**Author's note:**

So...after about 4 months, I'm back. I've been busy with my thesis, but I can happily say that I've passed :) Anyway, here is the next chapter. I hope you will enjoy it.

* * *

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

The world sharpened around him, as he opened his eyes. Wooden planks stretched out above his head. _Where am I?_ Softness under his body. Warmth enveloping him. Candles glowing; tiny torches in a deep cave. He blinked. His chest throbbed like a sickening pulse. His gaze drifted along the room. Hiccup's face, streaked with blood and dirt. He was hunched over on a chair, head leaning against the wall. Red eyes staring into nothing. _He's been crying. Why has he been crying? _A massive black shape rested next to him, its back slowly rising and falling.

"Hic…" he whispered, the words scraping his throat. He tried to sit up but the pulse sent sharp jolts through his body. He groaned and held a hand over his chest. _What happened?_

Hiccup's head snapped to the side. Relief banished the fatigue on his face. In a blink, he jumped out of the chair and sat at the side of the bed. A black blur followed and Toothless' green eyes stared at him.

"Jack." His name had never sounded softer on Hiccup's lips. Before he could respond, Hiccup wrapped his arms around his neck. Warm lips pressed onto Jack's forehead and down his cheeks, a soothing drizzle that blurred the pain. "I love you," Hiccup said over and over. "I love you, I love you."

"Hic," he said again, his own voice sounding unfamiliar. "I love you too."

Hiccup breathed out and rested his chin on Jack's shoulder. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"Lose me?" he asked. Memories blinked in his mind like fragments of a dream. Arrows drilling into his chest. Warm blood on his hands. The screams of his friends. "How…bad was it?"

"It…" Hiccup began, leaning back to sit on his knees beside the bed. His eyes were different; their usual spark had been put out. _He's seen too much_, Jack realized with a sudden lump in his throat. Toothless leaned his head against Hiccup's shoulder. "It was close," Hiccup said, "If those arrows had hit you even a little differently, they would have gone into your heart. And…if Astrid and Fishlegs hadn't made it back in time with the potions and everything…you would have been gone." Hiccup looked to the floor. One of his hands fiddled with his braids. They were stained with blood and had almost come undone. Much like the two of them. Toothless nudged his shoulder and Hiccup rewarded him with a pat.

Jack swallowed at Hiccup's anxious display. "What…what aren't you saying?"

"I felt it," Hiccup said. His hands dropped to his sides. He glowed red in the light of the candles, like mental wounds bled under his skin. "I felt you slipping away. Your heartbeat was so weak. You were cold and I could barely hear you breathe in the end. I felt you dying."

Jack reached for Hiccup's hand and braced himself for the pain of the movement. He hissed and entwined their fingers. "I'm sorry…but I'll be okay now. Right?"

Hiccup gave him a weak smile. He looked like he hadn't slept since before the battle.

Jack sighed and gathered the courage to ask the question, to which he was afraid of the answer. His mouth had dried up, the potential words like sandpaper to his throat. "How…how are the others? Are they safe?"

The way Hiccup paused before answering might as well have been a blow to Jack's gut. The nausea crawled inside his belly; slimy and wriggling. _Someone is dead or about to die._

"Mavis is going to be okay," Hiccup said and held his hand tighter. "Astrid, Fishlegs, Rapunzel and Flynn have minor injuries..."

His breaths came out shallow. "And…Merida?"

"We don't know yet," Hiccup said, "It could go either way."

Jack nodded. "She has to make it. I can't lose her," he said and tried to squash the dread forming inside him_. At least most of them are safe…please make it, Merida. _

Hiccup didn't look at him anymore. His eyes gleamed in the candlelight with unshed tears.

The nausea spread its slimy fingers inside him. "Who?" he whispered.

"My dad…" Hiccup said and bit his lip. "He…he sacrificed himself to save me."

Jack brushed his thumb over Hiccup's knuckles. "Shit," he whispered. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry."

"Yeah." Hiccup cleared his throat. "Me too."

_Now, you'll have to live with the same pain as me. The pain that never leaves._ He folded his hands around Hiccup's fingers. "I should have been there for you."

"Don't do that. I just…" Hiccup sighed. "Everything that's happened…I need time."

"Me too," he said, "But…just know that I'm here for you. Always."

Hiccup leaned over him again. "I know," he whispered into his shoulder. Strong arms tightened around his neck. "I'm so glad you're going to be okay. I don't know what I would do without you. I can't lose you."

"I know what that feels like," Jack said and stroked Hiccup's hair. "I didn't know what they were doing to you. If they were torturing you or if you were already dead. I was so scared."

"I was scared too," Hiccup said, muffled by Jack's shirt. "That I'd never see you or the others again."

The moment of silence that passed between them was a comforting one. One that spoke of relief and joy, despite the aftermath of war.

When Hiccup leaned back, his eyes no longer held tears. "How do you feel?"

"Like a Firecrab ripped me open," he said.

"Yeah…hurts like Hel, doesn't it?"

"It really does. I haven't felt pain like this since…" He trailed off.

"Yeah," Hiccup said. "So I, uhm…there's going to be a funeral tomorrow for everyone. But right now…I just want to be relieved that you're still with me."

"We can do that," Jack agreed with a smile. "But could you…go tell the others? I don't want them to worry more than they have to."

"Yeah, of course," Hiccup agreed. "Are you well enough to have them visit?"

"Yeah, I'm all right. It hurts and I'm tired but…it's fine."

Hiccup nodded. "I'll go get them. Toothless, stay here and keep an eye on Jack."

Toothless warbled in agreement and lay down next to the bed. His tail curled around one of the bedposts.

"Hey Hic?" he said, when Hiccup stepped over the threshold.

"Yeah?"

"Maybe you should wash your face first."

Hiccup rubbed his forehead where dried blood and dirt rested in uneven patches. "Yeah…haven't really thought about it until now."

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

The village had changed since they first got home after the battle. The sound of hammers and other tools clanged in the air. The scent of freshly cut wood brought back memories of the times their houses had been rebuilt after dragon attacks. Scattered here and there, rough base structures of what would eventually become houses stood among the ashes. The dragons helped transport heavy things and lift planks and tools to the Vikings working on the roofs.

Everyone on Berk had lost someone they cared for and the grief in their hearts ruled their bodies; slow movements born of necessity rather than motivation; eyes that held less fierceness and passion; tightly closed lips that didn't eagerly chatter or laugh or roar. Everyone worked in silence, except for the necessary exchanges in order to cooperate on the rebuilding. Hiccup studied their faces and actions, as he walked along the paths, but no one met his eyes. He let a deep breath fill his body before he pushed it out. _We all need time. _

As he passed a group of kids playing with what remained of their toys, their faces less enthused than what he was used to, Gobber's voice called out behind him. "Hiccup!"

From a distance, Gobber appeared his normal self, but when he got closer, Hiccup noticed the sadness in his eyes. The wounds on his arms and head had been cleaned and neatly bandaged. It looked like Rapunzel's handiwork.

"I just wanted to tell you that more of the prisoners are willing to cooperate," he said.

They had placed the surviving hostile warriors in cells so far. With the funerals coming up, houses being rebuild and injured people being tended to, there wasn't time to do much else with them right now.

He nodded. "That's good. Hopefully we can find a peaceful solution to all of this."

"I haven't seen you out here in a while," Gobber said, "I assume your…friend is awake?"

He couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, he is."

Gobber nodded and stayed silent for a moment. His analyzing eyes left Hiccup's skin itching. Gobber was one of the people who knew him best. It was difficult to hide personal issues from him.

Gobber glanced around them, before he looked him straight in the eye. "Look…" he whispered. "You can't hide this forever."

"What?"

"You know what," Gobber said, his eyes turning intense. Hiccup had the impulse to retreat, like all those times Gobber had caught him doing things he wasn't supposed to do.

"Uhh," was the only word leaving his mouth. _He can't possibly mean…_

Gobber sighed. "You didn't leave his side, not even to sit with your other injured friends. You were beginning to break. You didn't eat or drink or sleep. You didn't try to throw yourself into the rebuilding projects to take your mind off everything. I had to send Astrid or the others when I needed your decision on something. I know what that means."

He swallowed. His heart threw itself against his ribs over and over. _Shit! Fuck!_ _What the Hel can I say to that?_ "Gobber, I," the words tumbled from his lips, "It's a little complica-"

Gobber held up his prosthetic hand. "Don't worry, Hiccup. I'm not going to tell anyone."

The lack of judgment in Gobber's eyes flooded his system with relief. He filled his lungs with air and savored the way his heartbeat began to slow down again. "Thank you."

"But you _should_. And soon. You're the chief now. You need to be honest with the tribe. Otherwise, it's going to eat away at you. You won't be able to be happy, and you won't be capable of leading the tribe either."

"I know. I'm just not sure how to do it." He glanced around, watching the Berkians work on restoring their village. Many of them he had known his whole life. _I wonder how many of them are going to support me…and how many want me to leave and never come back._

"You'll figure it out," Gobber said and placed a hand on his shoulder. Looking into Gobber's eyes soothed the growing sickness broiling in his gut. "You always do."

He kept a watchful eye on everyone around him, as he continued his walk through the village in search of his friends. A small group of kids and Terrible Terrors came past him, all carrying small planks of wood or light tools. _Everyone's doing what they can. _In the distance, he saw Hookfang and Barf and Belch fly supplies to the Great Hall, where all the wounded were either recovering or dying. The sight of Barf and Belch without their saddles still brought tears to his eyes. He blinked them away and focused on watching the path.

"Hiccup!" Astrid's voice reached his ears. She and Stormfly landed nearby, filled burlap sacks strapped to Stormfly's back and sides. Astrid jumped off and gave her dragon a pat on the head.

When he reached them, he found himself in Astrid's comforting embrace.

"Is Jack okay?" she asked as they pulled away from each other.

"Yeah." He smiled and the sadness began to drip away. "He just woke up."

"Thank Eir*, we made it in time." Astrid laughed and ran a hand through her hair. "I was really worried."

"Me too. He'll need some recovery time but…if it wasn't for you and Fishlegs, he would be dead now," Hiccup said.

Astrid's smile turned soft.

He pointed to the bandages around her arm. "How are _you_ feeling?"

"It's nothing," she said with a dismissive wave of a hand. "It just stings a little. But it should be better soon. And I got the salve in time, so there should be no risk of infection."

"Good," he nodded and patted Stormfly on the shoulder. Luckily, both Astrid and Stormfly got through the battles with minor injuries. "I'm glad to hear that. That's at least one less thing to worry about."

"Yeah, I know," she agreed. "So…I haven't seen you in the village since we came back. Where are you going?"

"I have to tell the others that Jack's all right…do you know where they are?"

"Fishlegs is still at home," she said, her smile melting off her lips. "I think I saw Rapunzel and Flynn heading towards the forest."

"The forest?" he asked, avoiding a conversation about how much they all worried about Fishlegs after his parents died, and he locked himself away in their house. The war was over but the problems weren't. Merida could still die and Mavis and Fishlegs refused to see anyone.

Astrid shrugged. "Yeah. I have no idea why."

When he stepped foot in the forest and heard the snap of twigs under his weight, he realized just how lucky it was that the fire hadn't spread to the trees and consumed precious resources. They needed the wood for rebuilding their homes and ships, and if they had to be reliant on their allies to get it, it would have slowed down the process significantly.

After being holed up in his room, waiting for Jack to wake up, his mind drank in everything; the luscious green filling his eyes, the fresh scent of pine swirling in his nostrils, the sounds of birds and rustling leaves. _At least this place hasn't changed. _

As he went down a hill, indistinct voices spoke in the distance. He moved quietly through the trees and soon found himself by the cove, where he and Toothless had shared so many precious moments. By the glimmering pond, Rapunzel and Flynn were standing together. Their smiles were tender and their voices soft.

He began to make his way down to them, when his feet became glued to the ground. His mouth opened but no sound came out. Rapunzel's hands clutched the collar of Flynn's shirt. Their mouths locked together in a slow kiss. Flynn rested his arm around Rapunzel's back. With eyes closed, their lips glided over each other again and again. It was lazy and loving, like they needed to savor each other. Definitely not their first kiss.

Hiccup's lips split into a grin. _Finally! _His bones felt lighter and he fought the urge to jump into the air. Jack had woken up and Rapunzel and Flynn had admitted their feelings to each other. Even among the horror, even among the pain and the trauma, there were still coves of joy to be found. _It's a shame I have to interrupt them._ He cleared his throat.

Rapunzel and Flynn jerked away from each other. Rapunzel's gaze darted everywhere until her eyes landed on him. Hiccup grinned at her. She hid her face in her hands and groaned.

"Is this a bad time?" Hiccup said. He didn't let his grin fade.

"No, no," Flynn said and laughed at Rapunzel's embarrassment.

"Uhm…" Rapunzel said, her voice muffled by her hands. She slowly lifted her head and met his eyes again.

Hiccup chuckled. "Well, sorry to interrupt but…I have good news."

"Jack's all right?!" The amusement on Flynn's face melted into elation.

Hiccup nodded.

Rapunzel squealed and jumped into Flynn's arms. "Thank goodness, I was so scared! We have to go see him right away!"

"Yeah, I'm sure he'd love to see you too," Hiccup said, "and you can tell him about this…new development."

Rapunzel pulled away from Flynn. "You're loving this, aren't you?" She pretended to scowl at him.

"Of course I am. You guys finally came clean to each other."

"Wait…you knew?" Flynn said.

"Of course I knew. Jack knew too."

"And Fishlegs," Rapunzel said, a silent apology in her eyes.

"Wauw…" Flynn said, suddenly finding the ground fascinating. There was that look of embarrassment. The one that, until now, Hiccup had never seen on Flynn's face. "Next you're going to tell me the girls knew about it too," Flynn said and dared to meet his eyes again.

"No, of course not," Hiccup said.

Flynn nodded in contentment, and Hiccup almost felt bad for bursting his bubble. "They only knew about your crush on Rapunzel."

Bringing Rapunzel and Flynn to Jack was a breath of fresh air in the sorrow that tainted all of their lungs. The glimmering joy in their eyes. The tight urgency of their hugs. The exploding smiles from confirming each other's wellbeing. Their hearts were tied together with strings. If you yanked on one, you pulled the rest along. Rapunzel and Flynn told Jack about their relationship in a mess of blushes and smiles. For a moment, the world around them blurred and they lived for the warmth in their chests. But in the back of their minds, tucked away temporarily, the unsolved issues never left.

When the setting sun wrapped Berk in a golden cloak and the working Vikings returned to the Great Hall for a meal and some sleep, Hiccup walked the route to Helga and Flóki's house. They had volunteered to let Mavis stay there and to care for her, while she was healing and coming out of shock. He knew they had informed her about Jack waking up, so Hiccup would go straight to the point.

A room reflects a person's state of mind. That's what they say_. I really hope they're wrong._ Only a few candles cast light between the walls. Once, Hiccup might have found the dimness comforting. Mavis lay on the bed with her back to him, curled up in a messy nest of blankets. Her soft crying filled the silence. An untouched plate of food rested on the table. The shutters blocked the sun out like an unwelcome intruder. A barrier between her and curious eyes that melted her defenses. People and their well-meaning words that only made the loneliness stronger. Questions she didn't know the answers to herself yet.

The threshold creaked, as he stepped over it. _This room says "Get the Hel out."_ "Mavis?"

Mavis' body shook. "Go away," she said, her voice small but sharp with bitterness. Hiccup stopped in his tracks. _I should have expected it._ Memories sailed through his mind. "I just want to talk," he said.

"I don't want to see anyone, Hiccup," she insisted, but he could hear the vulnerability shaking underneath the thin layer of resolve.

"Look…" he said. The floorboards complained as he moved closer to the bed. "I'm the only one you know, who understands what you're going through. The others…they want to be there for you, but they'll never be able to understand, what it means to lose a part of yourself like that. The anger. The shame. The vulnerability. But I know…I've been exactly where you are now."

The silence was a wall between them. He waited for Mavis to tear the bricks apart. He could hear her taking a deep breath.

"Close the door," she whispered.

A smile crept onto Hiccup's lips. The door wailed as he pushed it shut. He pulled up a chair by the bed. Mavis still had her back to him. He wouldn't force her to look at him

"I can still feel it…" Mavis said. "It's like it's still there."

"I'm sorry, Mav…Does it hurt?"

"No."

He breathed a sigh of relief and rested a hand on his leg.

"I…I don't want to feel like it's still there. I don't want…" her voice broke. Her body trembled from the force of her sobs.

Hiccup clenched his hands and fought the impulse to stroke her back. "I know, I know," he said. The dim room turned blurry around him, darkness and golden colors melting together. "It's…it's a reminder. Of what's been taken from you."

Mavis gripped her pillow in a tight embrace. "I feel like I'm not whole anymore," she choked out. "I don't know what I am anymore."

Hiccup blinked a few times and the blurriness vanished. "You're not the same anymore. This has changed you. But that's okay. You can't go through something like this and not change, Mavis. But it doesn't make you weak. Or worthless." His fingers found his leg again. "You're_ not_ weak, okay?"

Silence seeped into the air. He watched the flames eat further into the candles. The bed creaked, as Mavis shifted and rolled onto her other side to face him. The glistening streams on her cheeks had his fingers itching to wipe them away.

"Do you…" Mavis said, her eyes hesitant. "Do you wish you had your leg back?"

He filled his lungs and exhaled. It would be so easy to lie. To tell her that someday the pain would vanish like morning dew under a burning sun, leaving only a faint trace behind on the leaf of her memory.

"Every day," he admitted. "But…I wouldn't change what happened, even if I could. I lost it because I protected the ones I care about. And you did the same thing."

Mavis chuckled but there was no joy behind it. "I was ambushed."

"Yes. But you were only here in the first place, because you wanted to help me and everyone else. You were willing to sacrifice your life for your friends. You lost something precious…but you lost it because you were brave and selfless enough to follow us into war."

Mavis sniffled. Her blue eyes gleamed in the light of the candles, but even the golden glow couldn't hide the doubt.

Hiccup sighed. _I wish I could convince you. But I know you need time. _He got up from the chair and rummaged through the drawer of the nightstand. He pulled out some tissues and gave them to her.

"I don't know what I'm going to tell my dad," Mavis said between sharp breaths. She blew her nose and crumbled up the paper.

"Yeah, I know," he said. _Not to mention everyone at Hogwarts_. "But we'll figure something out, okay? I promise, I'll help you. We'll all help you."

She nodded against the pillow with the faintest trace of a smile. Her hand clutched the top of the blanket that concealed her missing arm. Hiccup nodded and did his best to give her an encouraging smile. She slowly pulled down the blanket and revealed her stump. Hiccup looked at it with no judgment. It was wrapped in bandages but nonetheless it was a strange sight.

"I can't look at it," Mavis told him. She closed her eyes tight.

"You don't have to," he said. "Not until you're ready. It will take time. But eventually…you won't feel pain when you look at it."

She opened her eyes. "What am I going to do about Jonathan?"

"You're worried he won't love you anymore. Or find you attractive."

"Yes," she whispered and shook her head. "I'm so fucking pathetic…"

"No, you're not. You're one of the strongest people I know. But you're also human. I've had similar thoughts," he admitted and gathered the courage to continue. "Like the first time I let Jack see my stump…I was worried what he would think. I knew he would still love me but…I wasn't sure if it was going to be an obstacle for us to overcome. Something he would love me in spite of. If Jonathan loves you…all that will matter to him is that you're alive and safe."

"I hope you're right," she whispered so softly, he barely heard it.

"I am."

Mavis nodded. A yawn slipped past her lips.

"Have you gotten any sleep today?" he asked.

"I can't sleep…whenever I close my eyes I see it."

"Your…stump?"

"Their faces. The blood. My arm…lying on the ground. I hear their screams."

Hiccup swallowed. A sea of flames flashed in his memory. "I'm so sorry."

"How long before it disappears?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I still dream about it. But…it happens less and less."

"Will this…void inside me ever get better?" she asked.

He could feel his sadness flow into his smile. "It will. Even if it doesn't feel like it at first. The loss, it…it burrowed into me. It made a home for itself. There was this…giant, empty cave inside me that only made my screams so much louder. Made me feel so much smaller."

Tears trickled from Mavis' eyes. Liquid fire in the candlelight. Hiccup imagined that would be how dragons' tears would look like, if they were capable of crying.

"But…" he said. "I realized I had to fill that cave again. I had to push the loss out of me. It takes time and some days you feel like giving up. But in the end, it's worth it. I'm not going to lie to you. There will always be a small hole left. You'll always be reminded of what happened. But you can still be happy. Don't let this ruin your life. Don't let it draw you away from your friends. We're all here for you. It's better to let people help you through this…and you know I'm not just saying that."

"Thank you." Mavis said, "I'm…glad you're here with me. I don't feel so alone now."

Hiccup smiled at her. This time there was only warmth in it. "You're never alone. I'll always be here. And so will the others. But I know they can't help you with this right now. So I'll be here whenever you need me."

Mavis nodded. She reached out her hand and Hiccup took it. He ran his thumb over her knuckles.

"Sometimes I don't know if I'm strong enough for this. I'm not you, Hiccup."

"You think I'm stronger than you?" he said and squeezed her hand. "I'm not. But I chose to fight back…and I know you'll do the same."

Her smile was a sparkler at the end of a tunnel; crackling and glowing, giving them both hope that they would make their way out of the darkness.

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

Even with the memories of war blinking in his mind, the Berkian houses held a special warmth. The rustic planks of wood from floor to ceiling, the soft furs and coarse fabrics covering beds and chairs, the stone fire pits inside every home that wrapped you in a safe cocoon of light. It was true what Hiccup had told him, when they first started spending time together: Berk was a time warp. But the place awoke something inside him. A safety. A comfort. Like the warmth of Hiccup's lips; the scent of freshly made pancakes; the beauty of snowflakes floating from the grey skies.

"That's how your hair got cut off? That was a close call," Hiccup said, watching Rapunzel. He had that look in his eyes; the look of a protective big brother. Knowing Hiccup, he would have blamed himself if anything had happened to her.

"Yeah, it was really close," Rapunzel agreed and leaned back on a pillow against the wall, "It was a good thing Flynn cut it off."

"It was the only thing I could think of, where I wouldn't risk hurting you," Flynn said.

"I'm really glad you're all okay." Mavis' voice was fragile and soft, a delicate layer of snow where none of them could truly know what was beneath. Their eyes drifted to her and no one spoke for a moment. It was the first thing she had said, since they came to see her. She had kept quiet and just listened to their conversations. Sometimes she had nodded or smiled a little, but none of them pushed her to participate. She had spoken to Hiccup and agreed to see them. That was enough for now.

Jack smiled at her. He never looked at her stump or mentioned it. Hiccup had told them it was better to let her decide the pace. "We're really glad you're okay too, Mav. You scared us for a moment there." In the back of his mind were images of Merida and Fishlegs, shoved into the mental drawer of things he didn't want to think about.

"Try hours and hours," Flynn said. "We should've put some garlic in your mouth, Dracula. That would have woken you up."

And there was that smile. The one that made her eyes shine. The one that reminded him of the first time he made her laugh, when they had met on the Hogwarts Express as excited first year students. Shit, how he had missed that smile.

"Yeah, I'm sure that would have worked," Jack said and grinned. "Or just put her in direct sunlight and wait two seconds until she starts to sizzle."

They all chuckled at that, even Mavis. Jack felt like he had created a small refuge in a raging storm.

When they fell silent, Mavis was the first to speak again. She cleared her throat and kept her eyes locked on the fire pit, where the glowing flames twirled. "Look, uhm…I know I need to talk to you guys about…my arm."

"You don't have to do that until you're ready," Rapunzel said.

"I know," she said and opened her mouth to speak again but decided against it.

"Maybe," Hiccup said, "you're ready for everyone to acknowledge that it happened, but you want to wait with the talking."

"Yeah." Mavis nodded. "I think that's a good idea."

"We can do that," Jack said.

"Yeah, anything you need," Flynn agreed, "Just let us know whenever you're ready."

"I will," Mavis said and smiled. She turned to Jack. "You know…there's something else we haven't talked about yet."

"What's that?" he said.

She shook her head. "Jack…that spell you did…the one that created that frost storm?"

"Oh yeah…" he said and shifted on the pillow he sat on.

"You shouldn't have been able to pull that off," she said.

"What spell was that?" Hiccup looked back and forth between them.

"Hiemsfuror," he said.

"You did…that? Successfully?"

"Oh yeah." Flynn's smile was that of a proud big brother. "He wiped out a whole group of enemies with that one spell."

"That's…" Hiccup said, gesturing eagerly with his hands, "Do you know what that means?"

"That I'm more powerful than I thought," Jack said.

"You're more powerful than any of us," Hiccup said, his excited eyes showing just how impressed he was, "But apparently you needed to be under extreme stress to let it out."

Jack nodded. "I wonder if I would be able to do it again. Or if I can put more power into all of my spells now. I guess we'll find out when we go back to school."

The way Hiccup suddenly broke their eye contact made him speak again. "If we go back to school."

Hiccup opened his mouth to speak but closed it when there was a knock on the door. "Chief?" a voice said.

Jack noticed that brief moment of conflict on Hiccup's face. The moment he quickly banished and acted like it never existed. That title wasn't just a word. It was one string in an endless web of responsibilities and now it was all attached to Hiccup.

"Come in," Hiccup said with an edge of authority that Jack hadn't had time to get used to yet.

The creaking door revealed an elderly woman. She reminded Jack of an ancient tree; crooked and bent with endless folds in her skin; grooves carved by knowledge and time. She radiated experience on a level that could make anyone feel inferior, but as she looked to Hiccup, her dark eyes were kind.

"You have news, Sigrún?" Hiccup said, tugging on one of his braids.

Sigrún's bark-like cheeks creased further, as she smiled. "Merida is going to make it."

"What?!", "Really?!", "Oh my god!". Their group erupted. Nothing existed but his friends' laughter and the sparkle in their eyes. Jack wanted to stay in that moment, to let himself float away in that river of joy and relief that washed the blood and screams from their minds. That temporary forgetfulness, the lack of ability to recall bloated corpses and burning flesh for just one sweet, fleeting moment. But of course he couldn't stay. Nothing ever stands still. No relief is permanent.

"How is she?" Hiccup asked, pulling them all to the shore, where their worries tethered them again. Being alive didn't mean being okay and there were a thousand possibilities of how Merida's injuries could chain her for many years to come. Jack once saw a bird with fiery feathers in a small, rusty cage on Diagon Alley. It looked like the kind of bird, who belonged in the open skies, proud and fierce, with the need to see new lands and never be held back. But someone had caged it. Merida could be caged too.

"Exhausted," Sigrún explained with sympathy in her voice, "She only woke up for a brief moment, before she fell asleep again. She's in a lot of pain, so we gave her more pain relief."

Jack nodded. Now was the time to find out what kind of cage Merida would have. "Will she have any permanent damage?"

"Yes."

Jack never knew one word could carry such devastation.

"Oh no," Rapunzel whispered. Flynn rubbed his forehead and struggled to look at anyone.

"The damage was extensive," Sigrún said, folding her hands in front of her stomach like branches shielding her, "If Astrid and Fishlegs hadn't made it back in time with the potions, she would have died. So she will need to be checked out on a regular basis by a muggle doctor, when she goes back home. She might also need surgery in the future, if there are complications in her bowels caused by the scar tissue. We can't really do anything for her here with the tools we have. Flynn told me she plays Quidditch. Depending on how she fully heals, she might not be able to do that or other kinds of sports anymore without risking pain and further complications."

"I understand," Hiccup said, "Thank you. Let us know when she wakes up again, so we can visit her."

"I will, my chief." Sigrún bowed her head and disappeared out the door.

A sniffle brought Jack's attention to Rapunzel. "What's wrong?" he said.

"I just…" She held a hand over her heart. "I'm so grateful we're all alive. I know that we're all damaged in one way or another but…we're all alive. We still have each other."

Flynn put his arm around her and scooted closer. He planted a kiss on the top of her head. "We're all with you on that one, Blondie."

"Yeah," Hiccup agreed. "I never meant for any of you to get involved in this. I don't know how I would have handled it, if any of you had died."

Hiccup didn't have to finish the thought, for Jack to know what he was thinking. _Of course he would have held himself responsible._

The night air was a cold finger gliding over his bones, as he stepped into the darkness. He had excused himself to go to the bathroom, and despite Hiccup's offer, he was not going to want help with this. His steps were slow and careful, but every movement had the pain echoing in his chest. _Man, I wish there was a potion that could just heal me in an instant. _

After he had done his business, admittedly with some difficulty, he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. Two familiar shapes wandered slowly through the village bathed in pale moonlight. _Is that…?_ Before he could finish the thought, he had zipped his trousers and he hurried towards them. The soreness exploded in his chest like icicles shattering in his veins. He sucked in a breath and held his hands over his ribs. If he didn't know better, he would think they were threatening to poke out of his skin. If Hiccup was here, he would drag him back to bed and call him an idiot for chasing after someone, when he was injured. Jack hated to admit it, but imaginary Hiccup was right. The pain was a harness holding him back and his steps grew slower. The thought that Fishlegs might not even want to see him entered his mind. _Hiccup said we should give him time and let him come to us but…leaving the house for the first time in days counts as taking the first step, right?_ Frozen fists gripped his lungs and he struggled to breathe but Fishlegs was getting further away. He summoned the breath he had left and called out.

Jack recognized his old companion Grief. Fishlegs' red, glassy eyes. His drooping head. His cheeks that seemed less plump than usual. She had done this. Jack remembered being dragged into her murky waters, where withering waterlilies wrapped around his throat, until the taste of rotten algae and bile never left. Where his purifying tears were tainted with mud and burned behind his eyelids. He didn't know how Grief toyed with dragons, but he was used to seeing Hiccup's sketches and drawings of Meatlug as a grinning, drooling lump of scales and teeth. Now her head hung low and the joy had been drained from her yellow eyes.

"Uhm, Fish…I-," he began, "I'd really like to talk to you, if that's okay."

The nod Fishlegs gave was so weak, it was barely noticeable. His agreement to having a talk seemed to come from exhaustion rather than openness, but Jack was going to take what he could get.

"Come on," he said and led the way to a patch of grass behind one of the half-finished houses. It was on the edge of one the cliffs, overlooking the ocean where the glimmering starlight reflected in the water. He slowly sat down, groaning as the throbbing gathered strength.

"Are you okay?" Fishlegs asked and for a moment the lifelessness in his eyes was chased away by concern.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he said, "It just isn't fully healed yet, so it still hurts."

"Don't strain yourself," Fishlegs said and sat down next to him.

"You sound like Hiccup now," he said and smiled. He held both his hands over his chest like a warm shield.

"I just want you to be okay."

"I know. Thanks," Jack said, "And I want the same for you. But for that to happen…you need to talk to someone."

Fishlegs swallowed and looked out over the darkened sea. The moonlight shone a beam over the ocean like a luminous path into infinity. The water sloshed against the cliffs underneath them like a calming song, encouraging them to start healing after everything that had happened. The sea certainly seemed to have moved on from the death tainting it. _Maybe we can do that too someday_.

"I just…I can't believe they're really gone," Fishlegs said, keeping his eyes on the endless waters.

"I know how that feels," Jack said, "It's going to take a while to really sink in."

"I already miss them so much," Fishlegs said and wrapped his arms around himself. Meatlug scooted closer to his side.

"And you'll keep missing them. I'll be honest with you: You'll never stop missing them. But…it gets easier."

Fishlegs shook his head and bit his quivering lip, like he was denying that truth.

"It will get easier," Jack insisted and put a hand on Fishlegs' shoulder. His chest felt unprotected now. "I promise you that."

Fishlegs coughed. His eyes shone under the stars from the tears he was trying to hold back. "I know I should listen to you," he said, his voice close to cracking, "But…right now, I don't see how this will get better."

Meatlug put her head in Fishlegs' lap and whined. Fishlegs began to stroke her.

"Yeah, I remember that feeling…" Jack said and squeezed Fishlegs' shoulder. For a moment they simply sat there in silence, watching the moonlight glimmer on the ocean's calm surface. Jack counted the weak waves he could hear splashing against the cliffs. When Fishlegs' spoke again, his voice was stable.

"I wish I could have done something to help them," he said, "Or at least got the chance to say goodbye to them. I knew we might all die in this war but…I guess you never expect it to happen to your parents."

"Yeah…parents always seem so invincible. Like nothing can ever touch them. You feel like no matter what happens, they'll know how to handle it and they'll keep everyone safe," Jack said, as his mind conjured memories he had buried for a long time. The warmth of his mother's arms and the scent of her perfume, when she held him close; fresh and flowery, a soothing garden protecting him from his fears. His father's eyes, where he found reassurance and knowledge, when the world put doubt in his heart. In Jack's young mind, his father seemed to hold the answers to all life's vital questions.

Fishlegs nodded. "I've always felt safe with them. And they always encouraged me to learn as much as I could in life, because they knew that's what I wanted to do. I never wanted to be a warrior. They were so proud when I got into Hogwarts."

"I'm sure they were proud of you before that too."

"Yeah, they were. And I'm proud to be their son."

"I know." Jack smiled and placed his palms on the cool grass, grasping at the soft blades.

"You know…" Fishlegs said, "My mom…she was the one who injured Ivar, before he and Hiccup confronted each other. Gobber told me."

"Wauw…she must have been a great warrior."

"She was. She didn't like to fight. No Ingerman does. But she could hold her own against most enemies."

"That's impressive," he said, before his smile faded, "If it wasn't for her…maybe Hiccup and Toothless wouldn't have been able to defeat Ivar. Maybe…they wouldn't have made it."

"I hadn't thought about it like that," Fishlegs said and picked at some stray hairs on his furry armguards.

"She didn't give her life in vain, Fish."

Fishlegs nodded. "That helps a little…knowing she might have saved Hiccup and Toothless. And maybe others too. Who knows what would have happened, if Ivar hadn't been beaten?"

"I don't even want to think about that. I'm just thankful we won this war."

"Me too," Fishlegs said, "It could easily have gone the other way. We could have lost everything. I just wish my parents could have made it through. And the twins. I don't know what to do now. I don't know how I'm even going to…"

"I understand," Jack said, "It felt that way after my parents died too. It felt like something vital, something I needed to live had been ripped right out of my hands."

"What kept you going through the pain?"

"My sister."

For the first time in the conversation, Fishlegs looked at him. Jack wondered if that look in his eyes, that lost look, like he had no place in the world anymore, was how he had looked after his parents died. "I don't have a sister…or a brother for that matter."

"Yeah, you do," Jack said with a small smile, "And you need to talk to them about this. They're worried sick."

The briefest smile touched Fishlegs' lips. "Yeah…I just couldn't face them yet. Not sure when I'll be able to."

"You need time," Jack said. "I know that's some cliché bullshit that everyone says, but it's true. And there's nothing wrong with needing time. Hiccup and Rapunzel will wait until you're ready to talk about it. We all need to process everything's that's happened. Just don't shut everyone out."

Meatlug grumbled and narrowed her eyes.

"Sorry, Meatlug," Jack said, "I didn't mean 'everyone'. I know you've been there for Fishlegs this whole time. Thank you for that."

Meatlugs' powerful mouth parted in a toothy grin and she flopped down on her belly to relax.

"Yeah, she's been amazing," Fishlegs said with fondness in his eyes. He stroked Meatlug's back. Her yellow eyes glowed under the moon.

"I'm really glad you two have each other. Like Hiccup and Toothless."

"Yeah…the relationship between a dragon and a rider is truly special." For the first time since before the battle, Fishlegs' smile didn't carry sadness.

"I hope I'm lucky enough to experience that someday."

"I'm sure you will," Fishlegs said and his smile disappeared. "I'm thankful nothing happened to Meatlug. I could have easily lost her too."

Jack nodded. He rubbed his arm. "A lot of Berkians seemed to have lost their dragons."

"Yeah," Fishlegs said, "We've all lost someone we loved…dragons or people. Tomorrow is going to be hard for all of us. I just hope I can make it through, so my parents can be sent off to the afterlife properly. That's the least I can do for them."

"Just remember that we're here for you, Fish. You don't have to lock yourself away or pretend to be okay. Use us. We're here to talk or hug or just to sit beside you, whenever you need it. And we'll make sure you get through tomorrow, so your parents can have a proper burial. I promise you that."

The way Fishlegs face softened expressed a gratitude no words ever could.

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

The funeral pyres shone golden among the dark trees. The crackling flames; a coarse melody among the Vikings singing an Old Norse funeral song. Swirling clouds of smoke rose into the skies, like their friends and family were turning to dust. Becoming one with the world. Branches and planks splintered in shrieks; sharp and pained like the grief howling in his chest. He had watched his tribesmen place their loved ones and the offerings on the pyres and light them. Family members as well as riders and their dragons shared pyres; a way to symbolize the love they had for each other. A love that would last into the afterlife. His dad was saved for last, being the chief. A funeral ship had been built and now his body rested there, among furs and his favorite possessions in life, along with food and drink offerings. Viking custom dictated that the dead would be given useful and sometimes nostalgic possessions for their journey to the afterlife.

The surviving dragons did their best to comfort their friends and riders, cuddling close to their sides. In their eyes, Hiccup saw the same grief, the same lost feeling. Dragons knew death. They could miss someone. They could mourn and feel empty the same way humans could. For his tribe, dragons were also provided with items for the afterlife. The dragons who had sacrificed their lives were given their saddles, favorite foods and sometimes even toys with them on the funeral pyres. Their scales and teeth glowed among the eager flames. Their inner fire was gone now. It only seemed appropriate that fire carried them out of this world.

Toothless' presence beside him, the roughness underneath his fingers as he stroked his best friend's head, made his heart stronger. They had both cared for these dragons. Hiccup didn't know if it was more merciful to die with your dragon or to survive._ I don't know if I could ever survive without Toothless._ The riders who had lost their dragons were inconsolable, shaking as they watched the fire eat away at their best friend. Some couldn't throw the torches on the pyres in the first place. Maybe it was because once they set fire to it, it became real.

He glanced next to him, where Jack, Mavis and Merida sat on fur-clad chairs, still too injured to stand up for long periods of time. The tears glimmered on their cheeks like flakes of gold. Mavis rested her head on Merida's shoulder and their hands were locked in a tight grip. Merida had woken up only a few hours before the funeral, but she had insisted on being there to support everyone.

Jack's gaze met his. His blue eyes were blazing lakes beside the pyres. The way his eyebrows lowered and his lips curled in a pained smile told him how much Jack shared his pain. Jack may not have known any of the dead, but he knew him. They were linked; two trees with their roots grown together in endless spirals. They could never let go without ripping.

Rapunzel held Fishlegs' hand as he threw a torch onto his parents' pyre. Hiccup remembered how proud his parents had looked, when he and Fishlegs had started the Berk archive. He remembered the smell of freshly baked flatbread in the Ingerman house and the smiles on their faces, whenever they saw their son.

Hiccup let his gaze drift to Ruffnut and Tuffnut's pyre. Their helmets glistened among the snapping flames. Their weapons had been placed neatly in their hands. It would fill him with blinding happiness if this was just one of their stupid pranks. If they would just jump right off the pyre with those toothy grins on their faces and bask in the satisfaction of pulling off yet another trick. Their parents were sobbing in each other's arms, refusing to look at the pyre. Snotlout and Astrid cried silent tears, their tough exterior crushing under the weight of grief. Barf and Belch lowered their heads to the ground. Stormfly and Hookfang curled their tails around them like comforting arms.

The flames flowed like watercolors in Hiccup's vision, as he let tears fall. He wiped his eyes with a sleeve and felt Jack's hand on his back. What he would give to have the twins back. To hear their coarse laughter and their fearless battle cries. But they were silenced forever.

Rapunzel cried softly as she led Fishlegs back to them. Meatlug stayed by Fishlegs' side like a protective barrier. Hiccup shared a look with Fishlegs that didn't need to be tainted with words; they were both orphans now but they would be there for each other. Flynn put an arm around both Rapunzel and Fishlegs and squeezed, a minor comfort that could mean so much in times where someone's world seemed to crack above them like eggshells.

The flames sank their teeth into the wood with more urgency. Each pyre was a forest of golden autumn foliage that swayed and cracked in the evening wind. He could no longer see the bodies among the fire, except the bigger dragons. Soon there would be burial mounds here; small hills raised above the ashes, with gravestones and flowers in the soil.

Gobber put a hand on Bucket's shoulder, as they watched the fire consume Mulch. The mourning song amongst his tribesmen grew louder, their voices scraped raw by the nails of grief. Hiccup wanted to join them, but there was nothing but lumpy silence in his throat. He could hear Fishlegs' quivering voice trying to sing along on some parts of the song.

Hiccup didn't know how much time passed. Jack's hand rubbing his back and the feasting flames was all he could take in, as he stared at the pyres.

When Gobber came up next to him and Jack let go, he knew what was going to happen now.

"Hiccup…it's time," Gobber said. Hiccup couldn't remember having ever heard his voice this gentle.

He nodded and took a deep breath. He followed Gobber to the ship sitting tall and proud on the ground next to the roaring pyres. He had chosen this spot for the funerals because it was one of his dad's favorite spots; in the forest but high above the level of the village, so he could look out over it.

Ships were valuable and took a long time to build. Therefore, they were reserved for chiefs and other high ranking people's funerals. Thick furs covered his dad's body from view, but the sight of his helmet and his favorite axe had Hiccup turn his gaze away. Toothless nudged his side for comfort. He let a hand glide over the railing. "I'm sorry, dad. I'm not the chief that you wanted me to be and I'm not the peacekeeper I thought I was. I…don't know…" he said, low enough for only him, Toothless and Gobber to hear it.

Gobber turned to the crowd. "A great man has fallen!" Only Hiccup was close enough to see the tears in his eyes. "A warrior. A chieftain. A father. A friend. We will give him the burial he deserves and we will remember him in our hearts."

Gobber gave him a nod. Hiccup stepped forward and Toothless sat down next to him. The sea of pained eyes prickled on his skin.

"I, uh…for a long time, I was so afraid of becoming my dad. Mostly because I thought I never could. How-how do you become someone that great, that brave, that selfless? I guess you can only try." He swallowed and his throat burned. "It's time to say goodbye to my dad…He was a great chief. The best Berk could have hoped for. He never hesitated to put the people of Berk before himself. He never wanted bloodshed, if it could be avoided. He was a wise leader. And he was a great dad. We haven't always seen eye to eye, but no matter what happened, he always loved me and wanted to keep me safe." He tried to keep up his mental defenses, to keep the memories locked out until he was finished speaking. But images of his dad crashed through the gates and for a moment, words had thorns and buried themselves in the skin of his throat, refusing to come out. Tears made their way down his cheeks; warm and slithering like the underbelly of a snake. His dad was gone. Swallowed by the afterlife, if there was such a thing. He would never feel his strong arms wrap around him in a tight hug. He would never hear his booming voice, loud in both anger and joy. He would never be able to ask him for advice, or see the proud gleam in his eyes, when they had one of their rare heart to heart talks. He was gone. Soon, there would be nothing left but bones.

"Hiccup," Gobber said. The pained smile on his face showed he understood.

Hiccup cleared his throat. "I, uh…I'm not a great speaker like my dad was. There's nothing I can say that will make the pain go away. Every one of us has lost someone we loved. Good people. Good dragons. They died to protect us. To protect our home. And we won't forget that. We will never forget what they did for us. And neither will future generations. We will put up burial mounds and rune stones here, so every persons' and dragons' sacrifice will be remembered, even long after we're all gone."

Agreeing murmurs, nods and eyes flashing with sudden pride gave Hiccup strength to continue. Gobber handed him a shovel. Hiccup dug it into the earth and threw the first soil onto the burial ship. Gobber grabbed a shovel as well, and they quickly covered his dad's body in the fresh dirt. It took a long time to bury most of a ship, so the rest of the work would come later.

Gobber nodded to Bucket and Silent Sven, who began passing around cups and pouring golden mead into them. When everyone had been poured a cup of mead, it was time to move on to the next part. Hiccup raised his cup and everyone else followed his example.

_"Deyr fé [Cattle die]_

_deyja frændr [Kinsmen die]_

_deyr sjálfr et sama [The self also dies]_

_ek veit einn [I know of one thing]_

_at aldri deyr [That never dies]_

_dómr um dauðan hvern [The judgment of a dead man's life]" _he said, quoting a verse from the Hávámal that was always used at their funerals. "To the dead!" he said.

"To the dead!" the crowd echoed his words. Everyone drank from their cups; alcohol flowing across their tongues to the sound of snapping flames. The dragons lifted their heads and spewed fire into the glimmering skies as a tribute.

Gobber gestured to the rows of burning pyres. "May every one of these brave Vikings be chosen by the Valkyries and brought to Odin's or Freyja's halls. The places where enemies have been defeated. Where they will see their kin again. Where they will reside among gods and the bravest warriors in history, until Odin needs their help to defeat the Jötnar, when Ragnarok comes upon this world. Let us drink again to our lost ones. Their sacrifice can never be honored enough. To the dead!"

"To the dead!" everyone agreed and emptied their cups. The dragons unleashed their flames into the air once more. Talk about the gods and Valhalla and Folkvangr gave Hiccup little comfort. He had never truly been a believer. But he knew that for some of his fellow Berkians, the thought of their loved ones being well and celebrated in the afterlife was all that kept them going through their grief.

The guilt poked at his ribs, as he stepped forward to speak. He met Jack's eyes and found that unwavering support. "I know that we've all suffered enough. That we just want time and peace to rest now. But there's one more thing we need to overcome, before Berk can rise again after everything that's happened."

Confused murmurs rushed through the crowd. Gobber gave him a nod. Toothless let out a soft, supportive warble next to him.

"I…there's something I need to tell you," Hiccup said. "Something that could determine whether you want me as your chief or not. Tomorrow night we will have a meeting in the Great Hall and I will explain the situation to you. The quicker we deal with it, the quicker Berk can get back on its feet. But tonight we remember our loved ones. The ones who gave their life so we could continue ours. So when the pyres are finished burning, we will go to the Great Hall and celebrate them the Viking way. We'll eat and drink in their honor, we'll ask the gods to watch over them and we'll share our memories of them and be grateful that we at least got to have them in our lives."

The rest of the evening was sadness and joy swirling together. Some Berkians made toasts and speeches about the lost ones, some recited poems that captured their feelings or told funny or touching stories about those they had lost. At times there were tears shed for those people, they would never get back. At other times, they shared laughter and smiles from remembering the precious times they had been given. But people handle grief differently and Berkians were no exception. In the span of the evening, different situations arose; some descended into depression and needed comfort, some tried to drink their way through the pain and had to be forced to go to bed, others had decided to overpower the emotional pain with the physical kind and had to be pried apart before they knocked each other unconscious. But for most of the Berkians they merely tried to get through the evening by talking about their loved ones and sharing some food and drink with their friends and family.

Hiccup wanted to be anywhere but in the Great Hall. Being around everyone after the funeral was like picking apart his emotional shield. But he was the chief now and he had responsibilities that came before his own needs. Luckily, Jack, Toothless and the others were there for emotional support. He spent most of the evening with his friends as well as Snotlout. He, Astrid and Snotlout entertained the others with stories about the twins' wild pranks and crazy experiments. About their humor and their recklessness. Their love for their dragon. Their loyalty to the ones they cared for. Fishlegs wasn't ready to talk about his parents or the twins yet, but they managed to get a few smiles out of him during the entertaining stories. Hiccup struggled to tell Jack, Mavis, Merida and Flynn about his dad. About the way their relationship had grown from tense to accepting. About the stories he could finally laugh about, where he had exasperated his dad to no end. About the times where his dad had shown a softer side. But the urge to get the emotions out, to form them into words and share them with those experiencing the same was stronger than the impulsive to isolate himself. Jack held his hand under the table and brushed fingers over his knuckles, when something became difficult to talk about.

Mavis and Merida had been sent off to bed, as the night dragged on. They still needed plenty of rest to recover. The healers preferred that Jack rest too, but Jack refused to leave his side.

When he closed the doors to the Great Hall and stepped into the night air, the noise vanished from his brain like fading fireworks. The silence wrapped him in sweet nothingness, as he sat down on the chilly stone steps. Despite the half-finished houses, the village beneath looked so peaceful in the soft moonlight. Grey clouds swam among the stars, like swirling paint in a bowl of water.

He had meant for this break to be calming but the thoughts wouldn't stop floating in his mind. What would his dad think of all of this? Would he be proud of him or think he was handling this all wrong? What about the future? What would happen after tomorrow? Maybe he would be forced to leave his home forever. Banished, like he had committed a crime by falling in love. How would his dad feel about that?_ I wish you were here, dad. _

The doors to the Great Hall whined as they were opened and then closed. Footsteps approached. Or more accurately, a footstep and a prosthetic-step approached. Hiccup didn't have to look to know who it was. "I miss him," he said and rested his elbows on his knees.

"I miss him too," Gobber said and sat down next to him on the stone steps, "He was my best friend. We've been together for so many years. Of course I always knew there was a risk of losing him…it's not exactly a risk-free lifestyle we're leading here but I guess no matter how much I expected it, I wasn't ready."

Hiccup stared at a group of dark clouds moving in front of the moon like a smoky veil.

"So…" Gobber said, "Want to talk about whatever's going on in that busy mind of yours?"

"What?"

"Come on, Hiccup…I know you miss your dad. But there's something specific bothering you. I can tell."

Hiccup's sigh came out like a shaky ghost in the chilly air. "Well…I'm having a lot of thoughts about how my dad would feel about all of this. If he would approve of the way I'm handling it. But…I guess what it really comes down to is whether he would be proud of me and accept me."

"Hiccup," Gobber said, "I remember when you were born. Your mother was so worried you wouldn't survive. But Stoick…he never doubted. He always said you'd become the strongest of them all. And he was right." Gobber's hand rested on his shoulder. There was a fatherly twinkle in his eyes that Hiccup had never seen before. "He saved you. And he was very proud of you. It was a good death."

Hiccup fiddled with his hands. "I just can't help but wonder…if he had known about me and Jack…would he still be proud of me? Or would he have cast me out?"

"He would have been proud of you, nonetheless."

"How do you know? How can you be so sure he would have accepted this side of me?"

Gobber sighed and turned his eyes to the glowing moon. "Because he accepted _me_."

"What?"

"There's a reason I never got married or had children."

"Oh…" he said, as the words sunk in. _Gobber is…?_ He couldn't help but stare. _"_Gobber, I-I never knew."

"No one did. Except your father," Gobber said and chuckled, "You should have seen him when he found out. Ever the boar-headed stubborn Viking…"

"He didn't take it well at first?"

"Oh, gods no," Gobber smiled, "But I don't blame him. We were young. Stoick had just been made chief. He was eager to prove to everyone that he could keep hold of the traditions and secure the future of the tribe. You know how your dad was...he's always been a man of tradition. He found it difficult to handle that his best friend was breaking one of the strongest norms in Viking culture."

"So what changed?"

"I gave him some space and some time," Gobber said, meeting his eyes again, "Eventually, he came around. He apologized to me, told me he had realized that it didn't matter. That I was still the same person."

The relief turned his breaths shaky. He looked at the houses below them, where candles flickered in some of the windows. He had hoped that Jack could move here and be accepted by his dad. That they could be a family. "I wish I could have told him. He died, not knowing this part of me. Not knowing I've found the person I want to share my life with. He never even got to meet Jack."

"He met him," Gobber said, "It was in the middle of the battle but…he saw Jack. He saw him defend our home and our people. Spill his blood the same way we spilled ours. Stoick knew Jack is a good person. Someone who is worthy of you. Even if he didn't know exactly what your relationship is."

"Thank you," he said and put his face in his hands. He breathed out heavily. When he looked up again, he smiled at Gobber. "It…it helps. Knowing my dad wouldn't have disowned me. That I wouldn't have destroyed our relationship."

"Of course you wouldn't have. Don't get me wrong, he would have threatened to pull that boy's testicles out through his throat, if he ever hurt you. He would have kept a suspicious eye on him. He would have kept his walls up. But eventually, he would come around. And he would have accepted it and been happy for you. I know that."

Hiccup nodded, as he let the words comfort him. "I wish he was here."

"Me too," Gobber said, "Me too."

~~~~ Jack ~~~~

"I'm going to be there," he said, shifting to get out of Hiccup's bed. Outside the shutters, night had descended on Berk, and it was time for the tribe meeting in the Great Hall. The meeting where Hiccup would tell everyone the truth about their relationship. Where he would risk his future so they could be together. Jack had fought to come along but each time he brought it up, Hiccup refused.

"No. You're not," Hiccup said, standing in the doorway. He folded his arms and looked more like a stern parent than his boyfriend.

Toothless came closer to the bed. Jack groaned as he used his tail to force him to lie down again. "Hiccup!" he protested, "I need to protect you. This is fucking humiliating."

Hiccup took two steps closer. "I'm not in life-threatening danger, okay? The worst that could happen is people calling me horrible things."

"Then I definitely need to be there!" He tried to sit up, but Toothless' tail came back and held him down. "Come on, you can't restrict me to this fucking room! This is about both of us, not just you! I need to be there!"

"No," Hiccup said. There was no room for bargaining in his voice. "I'll be having enough trouble controlling my own temper, if someone says something about you. I can't have you there too, potentially getting into a fight and injuring yourself. You still need to rest."

"I've had enough rest for a life-time!" He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Let me come along!"

"It's only been a few days, Jack," Hiccup said and shook his head, "If you don't rest properly, you're only going to make your recovery longer."

Jack rolled his hands into fists. "Why do you always have to make sense?"

"It's a curse." Hiccup smiled at hm.

"I just want to be there to support you."

"I know. But I can handle myself."

"Yeah, you can. I just don't want you to go through it alone."

"I won't be alone," Hiccup said and patted Toothless' head. "I have Toothless. And Astrid and Fishlegs."

"Yeah, that's true…" Jack agreed, though the words were reluctant to leave his mouth.

"Look," Hiccup said and sat down on the bedframe. Jack smiled when Hiccup brushed his fingers through his white hair. "I know you want to be there to help me. But that would only make it more difficult for me, because I'd be worrying about you. And whatever is going to be said at that meeting…you don't need to hear that. Yes, this is about both of us. But I'm the leader of this tribe, so this is something the tribe needs to deal with on its own."

"Yeah, I understand," he said, his smile vanishing. "But I'm not happy about it. Just know that whatever happens…we'll handle it."

"Thank you," Hiccup said and planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Toothless," he said and Toothless snapped his head towards him. "I'm counting on you to protect Hiccup, okay? Keep him safe for me and support him."

Toothless warbled in agreement. There was a protectiveness in his eyes that Jack recognized from himself. Hiccup was always in good paws around Toothless. That didn't change the fact that Jack wanted to be there himself too. But since he couldn't walk very far or use magic yet, he had no choice but to stay in this room and hope for the best.

When the door shut and he was left alone, the strange combination of nervousness and anger clenched his insides. He tried to keep himself occupied with reading and drawing, so the time would pass faster, but it was impossible to stay focused, when Hiccup might come back with more sharp teeth marks in his self-esteem. His boyfriend was about to make himself vulnerable in front of his entire tribe. They had hurt him before. They could do it again. _Please be all right, Hiccup. I swear, they're going to need those gods of theirs, if they damage you._

~~~~ Hiccup ~~~~

Nervous murmurs. Curious eyes. Tense shoulders and jaws. The energy in the Great Hall was like the shadows from the fire pits; wriggling and unpredictable. A dance of uncertainty. His fellow Berkians were seated around the tables closest to the little stone podium, waiting for the meeting to begin. Most had mugs of beer in their hands, but few drank from them. The massive fire pit in the center of the hall glowed and warmed like their own little sun in a miniature universe. Toothless stood next to him, his eyes already wary. Astrid and Fishlegs had decided to join him on the stone podium, sitting on chairs behind him. His friends' company was a comfort to him. At least they could be counted on, now that the uncertainty chewed on his nerves with its rotten teeth. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other and tried to memorize the carvings on the wooden pillars. Maybe it would be the last time he saw them.

When the last Berkians entered the Hall and took their place among the others, it was time to begin. Gobber gave him an encouraging nod.

Hiccup stepped forward. The murmurs and whispers vanished like frightened birds. "My fellow Berkians," he said, "My dad is gone and…there's nothing I can say to make it easier. He taught me a lot of things about what it means to lead a tribe, and it was his dream that I would take over after him." He fiddled with one of his armguards. "But I can't do that without getting everything out in the open first. What I have to tell you will make some of you look at me in a different light. Maybe you'll even…despise me."

Looking into all the familiar faces ached in his chest. All of those eyes that had once been hateful and judgmental, then kind and even proud. Now they were threatening to return to hate. "I can't be your chief without being honest about who I am. I've hidden it for a long time but…with everything's that's happened recently, it's time to let it out. Tomorrow, there will be a vote on whether you want me to be chief or elect a new chief. So take some time to think about what you want for this tribe."

Mumbling broke out among the crowd. Hiccup saw Björn and Snotlout talking and Snotlout shrugged. Gobber tried to hush the Vikings around him. Hiccup felt the tension of the room buzz underneath his skin. Astrid's and Fishlegs' presence behind him and Toothless by his side helped him gather his courage to continue.

"I know," he said, raising his voice. The mumbling died down. "That many of you were expecting and maybe even hoping, that Astrid and I would eventually become a couple. That we would start a family together." He glanced behind him and received a supportive nod from Astrid. "But we're just friends…and I've already found the love of my life."

Hiccup took a deep breath, but the stress kept humming in his blood. His heart pumped like he was lost in the snow and needed vital warmth. "You all know my friends from Hogwarts by now. They helped us win this war. Without them, we might have lost. Actually…we probably would have lost."

Nods and low agreements went through the crowd. The sparks of gratitude in his tribesmen's eyes was a brief comfort. _At least they remember what Jack and the others did for us._

"They all mean the world to me." His palms were moist enough to put out the fire pit. His eyes drifted across the crowd and settled on Gobber's accepting face. _At least I have those I love most. Toothless and Jack. My friends. Gobber._ _No matter what happens, I still have them._ He slowly exhaled to try and calm his frantic heartbeat that went faster and faster. Louder and louder. _This is it._ "And during the last nine months, I fell in love with one of them." His throat tightened. He clenched his hands in sweaty fists. Was that his pulse he could hear on the inside of his skull? "And now I can't imagine my life without…Jack."

Jack's name sent Berkians jumping out of their seats. A shrieking chaos of noise erupted, as his tribesmen yelled and screamed. It was impossible for him to understand any words at first, but the sudden wave of aggression had him clenching the strap of Toothless' saddle. Toothless leaned against his leg to remind him of his presence. Hiccup tried to ignore the dread pumping in his blood and watched the crowd carefully. A few Berkians were still too shocked for a reaction and simply stared at him with open mouths, while others had stopped yelling at him and had turned on each other.

"What?!" Björn yelled to the ones around him and gestured to Hiccup. "What the fuck?! We can't have someone like him as our chief!"

Toothless got to his feet and snarled. Hiccup placed a hand on his head.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Astrid came charging from behind him and went straight towards Björn with furious steps.

"Oh really?!" Björn said and leaned closer. Their faces were only inches apart. "A few years ago, you couldn't give a shit about Hiccup, and now you're actually defending him, knowing something like this!?"

The rage in Astrid's eyes could be enough to set the Hall ablaze. "Of course I am! It doesn't matter who he wants to be with! He'll be an amazing chief!"

"Astrid!" Flóki interrupted and put a hand on Astrid's shoulder to push her away from Björn. "You can't be serious! He has no honor!" He pointed to him. "He's…he's weak!"

There was that word again. _Weak_. No matter how much he tried to imagine Jack's voice in his head saying "You're _not _weak", there was a stinging behind his ribs that wouldn't disappear.

Growls vibrated in Toothless' throat and Hiccup focused on stroking his best friend's rough scales. "Calm down, bud," he whispered. "I know it's hard but we need to just let them get all their feelings out in the open for now."

"What are you even talking about!?" Astrid yelled and kicked a wooden pillar. "Weak!? No honor!? Have you forgotten everything he's done for us!?"

Helga came storming past Astrid and Flóki in a blur of grey hair and brown dress. Her round face was distorted with rage. Harald was at her heels, yelling after her. "Helga! He's…he's…_rassragr*_!"

Helga spun around without taking another step. She shoved him backwards with the power of her anger. "What the fuck did you just call him?!"

"You heard me!" he said, his nose wrinkling in a sneer. Hiccup remembered the time Harald had helped him test some of the inventions he had made for Toothless' saddle. Now his face was scrunched in disgust, like the mere thought of Hiccup was enough to be repulsed.

"I'm not talking to you anymore, you fucking idiot!" she screamed in his face and stomped into the crowd.

All around him Berkians were at each other's throats. The ones in shock had processed the news and joined the heated debate. Dozens of different conversations overlapped each other in a screeching inferno of noise. Hiccup watched them; their murderous eyes, their threatening gestures, their rapidly moving mouths. He tried to figure out who supported him, who didn't and who was in doubt, while that familiar, nauseating void of being the tribe failure grew inside him. _Once again, I'm the source of conflict._ _And maybe tomorrow will be the last time I even see any of them again. _He caught fragments of the yelling matches around him, some of the words already gathering sticks to make nests in his mind, probably intent on staying there permanently.

"- isn't what Stoick would have wanted!"

"How do you know what Stoick would have wanted!?"

"-can't be chief!"

"Someone like him is-"

"If we have someone like him as our chief, no one will respect us anymore!"

"How can you know that? We took a chance with the dragons because Hiccup showed us another way! This can be like that too!"

"He would want his son to be chief!"

"Not like this, this is-"

"-the gods won't approve!"

"How do you know what the gods want!?"

"SHUT UP!" Fishlegs' scream cut through the noise like a fresh blade. He shot up from his seat with a surprising speed. "JUST! SHUT! UP! SHUT UP! NOW!"

The roar of the arguing Vikings came to a sudden halt. A sea of tense faces stared at Fishlegs. Some were murmuring to each other, seemingly surprised that nervous and gentle Fishlegs of all people would react this way. Hiccup couldn't disagree.

Fishlegs clutched a part of his tunic between his fingers like a lifeline. Hiccup wanted to pull him into a hug but now wasn't the time. Fresh tears rested on his round cheeks, but his eyes held an unfamiliar anger.

"Hiccup…" he said, gazing out over the crowd, "is one of the greatest people I know. He's clever, he's brave and he knows more about dragons than anyone. He's saved this village and all our lives several times. You owe your lives to him and Toothless. You owe your friendship with your dragons to him and Toothless. Hiccup has sacrificed himself for the rest of us more than once! And just_ one_ of the things he's lost in the process is his leg. He thinks about us before himself. He's giving you this chance to reject him and elect a new chief without having to overthrow him. That alone should tell you that he'll be a great chief for all of us. And now…now you're willing to just throw all that away? To just forget everything that he's done for you? To just cast aside an amazing leader? And for what? Because he's in love with a guy instead of a girl. That's it! That's what you're willing to cast him out for. For loving someone!" Fishlegs chuckled without humor and threw his arms in the air. "But you know what?" his eyes darted around the room like he had no idea where to look, "if you're going to punish him for love, you are all morons." Fishlegs' met his eyes and Hiccup could see the resolve underneath the sadness; loyal and unwavering. "And I swear to _Thor_…that if Hiccup is banished from here…Meatlug and I will leave Berk with him."

Astrid took a step closer to them. "So will Stormfly and I," she said without hesitation. She glanced at the other Berkians, daring anyone to challenge that decision.

Hiccup had lost the ability to speak. The words bubbled in his mind but refused to enter the world. The mumbling increased among the crowd. Different emotions flickered across his tribesmen's faces; curiosity, anger, pride, doubt. His tribe was conflicted and he was the reason. _Voting is the right thing to do. That's the only way to solve this._

Out of the uneasy crowd, Snotlout came to him with tension in his jaw. Hiccup held his breath, as his cousin placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. When their eyes met, he could breathe again.

"Me and Hookfang will go with you too," Snotlout said and nodded like he needed to confirm the decision to himself.

The warmth in Hiccup's veins left a smile on his lips. Snotlout stood up for him, but he struggled and Hiccup knew the reason why.

"Snotlout!" Spitelout made his way through the other Vikings. _Cue the reason why._

"Dad," Snotlout said in a firm tone, Hiccup was sure he had never used with his dad before. "This is the right thing to do."

Spitelout reminded him of a squeezed berry; his skin red and about to burst. He hadn't expected understanding from his uncle, but it stung nonetheless.

Björn stepped closer to Spitelout. "That's all well and good!" he said, gesturing wildly to Snotlout, Astrid and Fishlegs. "But how can we defend ourselves from our enemies if we have…someone like him as our leader!" He glared at Hiccup. "He really is a fucking hiccup! Everyone is going to think we're a joke! No one can take someone like him seriously!"

"No one can take me seriously either then?" Gobber's voice rang out.

Hiccup's heart paused behind his ribs. His eyes found Gobber, as he came closer. Björn's lips parted in a silent gasp. The other Berkians spoke in hushed voices, the disbelief flowing through the crowd.

Flóki's eyes stared back and forth from Gobber to him. "W-what are you talking about, Gobber?"

Gobber stopped next to Hiccup and his presence was a calming hand on his anxiety. "I'm like Hiccup. Would you still say people like us can't be taken seriously? Or have no honor? I've fought with you Flóki…with most of you here!" He swung his hand out and gestured to the crowd. "We've bled together and buried our friends and family together. We've rebuilt our homes together time and time again. I've helped raise your kids and train them. Now I help train your dragons too. Do you really see me differently now, after all we've been through together?"

"I…didn't know," Flóki said, his eyes turning to the floor.

"No, you didn't," Gobber said, his harsh voice a contrast to his mild being. "Because the time was never right. I would never have been accepted by you all in the past."

Hiccup saw glimpses of shame and regret in some of his tribesmen's faces. Others had focused their glares on Gobber instead of him.

"But now," Gobber continued, "now Hiccup is changing Berk in so many ways. Think about how reluctant you all were to make peace with the dragons. Now they are family. This is one of those changes we have to make. It's time."

Hiccup stepped in front of Gobber. He banished his anxiety to the foggy corners of his mind. "Everyone…tomorrow you'll vote on whether you still want me to be your leader or not. You have a tough choice to make, and squabbling with each other won't make it easier. Go home and think about what you want for Berk. We'll meet up again here tomorrow by sunset and you'll decide what the future of the tribe will be."

It didn't take long for the Hall to clear out. Hiccup supposed everyone wanted to discuss this in more private settings. Those whose homes had been burnt down, stayed with those who still had houses standing. Some gave him disgusted looks as they left, others had a more sympathetic shine in their eyes.

Seeing an end to the meeting left a weary relief inside him. After talking to Gobber, Fishlegs, Astrid and Snotlout and thanking them for their support, he headed home to tell Jack about what had happened. Astrid and Fishlegs promised to update the others. Every one of them had begged to be there, but Hiccup had told them the same thing he told Jack.

He was grateful to find the village empty, when he and Toothless walked along the paths. The gravel crunched under his weight. The fire pits left a warming glow in the windows; a welcoming atmosphere in a place that seemed so cold to him right now. He could hear people speaking inside some of the homes but tuned them out. Knowing he would be the subject of discussion everywhere tonight left a familiar uneasiness in his core. _Weak. Useless. Dishonorable. Sounds familiar. I don't need to hear it again._

"Did they call you…?" was the first question that left Jack's mouth, when he and Toothless returned home.

Hiccup's bones were heavy under his skin, like the words and the rage of his tribesmen had settled there. But Jack was still under the covers, resting, and the combination of his boyfriend and a soft bed to lie down in seemed magical for his weary mind and body.

"Oh yes," he said and sat down on the bed. He removed his boot and sock. "And a whole lot more."

"Shit…" Jack said and reached out to rub his lower back.

"Yeah," he said, as he slipped his shirt off over his head. "I really just need to get some rest now. I feel completely drained."

"Come here." Jack held his arms out. Hiccup moved under the blankets, before Jack pulled him into a spooning position.

His skin. His scent. His voice. Hiccup let himself take it all in, as he sank into his boyfriend's arms.

"No matter what happens, we'll figure it out," Jack said, "We have each other. And Toothless. And all of our friends. I really hope your tribe will see reason but…if they don't, we'll figure something out."

"I know. But thanks. It's nice to hear you say it."

Jack's lips were soft and warm on his neck. "Anytime, Dragon Boy."

"I'm just worried. In one meeting I've managed to tear the tribe apart. And I'm not sure what it will take to fix it. If the solution is me leaving Berk forever. Or if I can be a good chief and repair the bonds between all of us."

Jack tightened the embrace. "You'd make an amazing chief, Hic. And if they still want you as their leader, I know you can make it work again."

He squeezed Jack's hand. "Thanks for believing in me."

"I always will," Jack said and nuzzled against his neck.

Hiccup smiled. Jack could always make the pain blur for a while. Give him a safe haven so he could gather his strength. "I guess it's just a waste of energy to worry so much."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, mumbling into his skin.

"There's nothing any of us can do about it anyway," he said. "It's in their hands now."

* * *

**Author's note:**

So…thoughts? We're getting close to the end now. The next chapter will be the last one.

Eir: Norse goddess of healing.

Rassragr: A Viking insult. It basically means that a person is the bottom in homosexual sex, which was very shameful in Viking culture, because being submissive in sex, according to the Vikings, also meant that you couldn't defend yourself and stand up for what you thought was right. If someone called you rassragr, you were allowed to kill them without getting punished for it. That says something about how serious an insult this was, yes?

**Guest reviews:**

Guest who had questions about Toothless flying by himself and Hiccup finding the bow: Toothless can fly by himself in this story, as long as Hiccup adjusts the settings on the tail fin. And Hiccup got the bow when he killed an enemy and took it from him. And thank you for the compliments, I'm glad you love the story :)

Guest who called me an asshole for putting them in feelsland: Thank you, it makes me happy that you love the story so much! And you're definitely not the only one who both hates and loves me. I think most of my readers feel that way XD


	26. Cracks in the stone

**Author's note:**

I'm well aware that it's been a long time. I've had a lot of shit in my life to deal with. Anyway, I'm proud to say that I pulled through and actually got this chapter done :) Ready for the last part? Here we go:

* * *

In another situation, he might have found the silence peaceful. He let his fingers glide over Toothless' head. The Hall was packed with his tribesmen, sitting around the tables, leaning against the walls. He glanced over the crowd. The flickering eyes, the tense jaws, the fidgeting hands. The quiet wasn't peaceful. It was a warning. They were drifting towards storm clouds. Dark and threatening, brewing above the stillness. Jack squeezed his shoulder. Fishlegs gave him a small smile. It was meant to be reassuring, but there was uncertainty buzzing beneath.

The fire pit and the torches glowed bright and hot, yet his hands were cold and stiff. His tribesmen had taken the reigns. More accurately, he had given them the reigns. They were in control of his future. Maybe they deemed him worthy to stay. To build a life with Jack and his tribe and the dragons. Maybe they'd decided it was time for him to go. To let his home and his past dissolve behind him, as he closed the door to Berk forever. The nausea simmered in his stomach. He tried to swallow, but his throat was like cracked bark.

The doors wailed when Gobber pushed them open, followed by Flóki and Bucket. A sea of eyes fixed on them, as they approached the stone podium to tell everyone the result of the vote. Every step they took had Hiccup's heart knocking faster against his chest. Gobber's eyes didn't reveal the truth he now knew but had yet to share. The words were safe inside his throat. Smoking. Bubbling. Waiting to be made reality.

Gobber turned to the crowd. Hiccup filled his lungs and slowly breathed out. Jack found his hand and held it tight. Astrid nodded at him with a smile, but her eyes weren't as confident, as he was used to.

"Fellow Berkians!" Gobber called out.

Hiccup's chest was sore, like his heartbeat left bruises on his skin. He squeezed Jack's hand and kept his eyes on Toothless.

"We have now voted on the future of Berk, and the majority have decided… that Hiccup is still the chief!" Gobber said and threw his arms to the side, like he was inviting everyone in for the biggest group hug in Viking history.

"Hiccup!" Jack said and pulled him into a fierce hug. Toothless warbled and nudged his head against his side. He patted Jack on the back and stroked Toothless' head. "I knew they'd see how great you are," Jack whispered in his ear and kissed the side of his head. His friends came to him one by one. They hugged him, ruffled his hair and patted him on the back. Rapunzel shed a single tear and kissed him on the cheek. Astrid laughed in relief. The nausea in his stomach turned into weak ripples.

Hiccup took in the crowd. Some Berkians got to their feet and clapped at him, others cheered or embraced each other. All the kids he could see had bright smiles on their faces. Some of them did victory dances or hugged their dragons. Hiccup couldn't help but laugh, and it was purifying. But amidst the sea of joy and relief, there were islands of disappointment. Anger. His uncle Spitelout scowled at his tribesmen. Björn and a few other teenagers talked to each other in hushed voices, their foreheads wrinkled and their eyes dark. Harald and Flóki watched the excited people with their lips in a thin line, and their arms crossed, like they had been betrayed.

"Hiccup!" Gobber said and threw his arms around him. Hiccup returned the hug and smiled at Gobber's joy. "Thank you for all the support, Gobber."

"Don't mention it!" Gobber said, "That's what family's for!"

Hiccup wanted to say something, but other Berkians came over to congratulate him and share their joy. Hiccup found himself in a whirl of hugs and handshakes. All around him, there were laughing mouths and proud eyes. The noise was sharp in his ears, but left softness in his chest. Jack and the others let him have his moment, but they kept watching him with relief on their faces.

Gobber jumped onto the stone podium again. "Everyone! Let's bring out the mead and celebrate our chief!"

Roars of agreement went through the crowd. A few men went in search of the alcohol. His tribesmen settled down at the tables, the laughter and chatter spilling into the air, drowning the remnants of tension. Hiccup had barely sat down, before the happy outbursts streamed from his friends' mouths. Their faces, wide-eyed and overjoyed, made his ribcage feel small and tight, like it couldn't contain his swollen heart anymore. Jack told him he was proud of him. The kiss on Hiccup's lips was gentle, almost innocent.

"Uhm, Hiccup?" Flynn said, interrupting Merida's rant about whether him being chief meant that she could get access to Viking weapons.

"Yeah?"

"Look," Flynn said and nodded towards something.

Hiccup watched Björn coming towards them with stiff steps, his Deadly Nadder Snowfoot following behind.

Toothless stepped in front of him. "It's okay, bud," he said and petted his scaly neck. There was doubt in Toothless' eyes, but he abandoned his protective stance. Hiccup went to meet Björn halfway. Vikings cheered all around them, when small carts with mead barrels on them arrived. Gobber and Bucket began opening them, while others hurried to get all the wooden cups out of the cupboards.

In Björn's eyes, he found disappointment. Concern. Anger. They were in an intense bubble in the middle of the celebrating Vikings. He was surprised to suddenly see an extended hand in front of him. Björn's palm was warm and sweaty, when they shook.

"Hiccup. I may not agree with this but… maybe we can find a solution," Björn said.

It was a relief to let go of his hand. Hiccup couldn't help but smile. There was hope yet. "Thank you, Björn. I'm sure we can, if we just work together."

Björn nodded, a tight smile on his lips. Hiccup could tell it was difficult for him to say those things.

The smile faded from Björns mouth. He leaned in, seemingly to tell him something. Hiccup clenched his jaw. Björn's warm breath tickled the skin on his ear. "Hail the chief."

Pressure shot into his chest, crushing his lungs under it. The air shot out of him. He gasped. _What- how...?_

Toothless' roar rang in his head. Screams and the clangs of metal echoed from another world; blurry and faint. His shirt clung to his skin with a wet, sticky seeped through the fabric and spilled down his leather armor. _Not like this._ His knees slammed into the stone floor.

* * *

Something shiny catching the light was all the warning he got. Jack's breath froze in his throat. He shot up from his seat. Toothless roared and readied himself to fire, but Björn's dragon Snowfoot came charging and blocked Björn from harm. Vikings attacked each other, weapons and fists flying back and forth in a blur. Dragons fired and screeched. Hiccup fell to his knees and onto his back. Blood sprayed from the upper parts of his legs, red splashing onto the stone floors in terrifying amounts.

Jack screamed, his voice foreign to himself. He ran towards Hiccup, swerving around fighting dragons. Flames and claws shot out from all directions. It felt like an eternity between him and Hiccup.

He crouched down next to him. Toothless clawed at Hiccup's arm, his eyes large with desperation. "No!" Jack said and slammed his fist against the floor. He felt no rush of pain. "You told me, you were going to be okay!"

"What do we do!?" Merida said, looking around them, like the solution would suddenly appear.

"The chief is down! Help the chief!" he heard people shout, as Vikings fought their way to get closer to Hiccup. Jack couldn't tell, who were enemies and who weren't. "Toothless! Keep everyone who's fighting away from us, so we can help him!"

Toothless jumped into action, circling them. He unfolded his wings to shield them from view.

Hiccup fought to keep his eyes open, but they slid further and further shut. "Hiccup!" Jack said, digging his nails into Hiccup's arm, "Don't you fucking dare lose consciousness!"

Rapunzel pushed Jack and Merida aside. She stuck her thumbs right into Hiccup's wounds. Squelching. Ripped flesh. Blood smeared skin. Hiccup passed out. He looked sick, no color left on his skin. Memories of the last time blinked in Jack's head. His throat burned with the threat of vomiting.

"What are you doing?!" Mavis said, looking back and forth from Hiccup to Rapunzel. Toothless roared and fired at someone hidden behind his massive, black wings.

Rapunzel's hands were covered with gleaming blood. "I'm trying to stop the bleeding! Give him more time!"

More time. A slippery string of hope. "Can't you do what you did with Mavis!?" Jack said. The collar of his shirt was tight against his skin. Coiling. Choking.

"No!" she said, keeping her bloody fingers pressed into Hiccup's wounds, "That was a much smaller artery! This is too much, I can't do anything except keep my fingers in here to stop it from bleeding more! But he's already lost a lot of blood!"

"Fuck!" Flynn said and looked around them, "What do we do?!"

"He doesn't have much time!" Rapunzel said.

Jack's lungs stuttered. His breaths were sharp. "What is the most powerful healing spell you know!?" he said and took out his wand.

"Spolium Floris, but none of us can-"

"There's no other way!" Flynn said, "He's going to bleed out any minute, if we don't do something!"

"Get the healers! They'll know what to do!" Mavis said.

"They're with the wounded, there's no time for that!" Jack said. He didn't hear the fighting Vikings anymore, only the blood rushing through his head. "This is our only hope!" He stared into Rapunzel's eyes. "Show me how".

"But I have to let go, Jack! None of us can touch him, if we do this! He's going to bleed out in two or three minutes, maybe less!"

"Show me how!" he screamed at her.

Rapunzel took a deep breath. Tears slid down her cheeks. She removed her fingers from the wounds, and the blood sprayed out again like a fountain. "Like this," she said and made the required motion with her wand, "and then the words." Her eyes were glassy. She stuck her fingers back into the wounds, pressing down hard.

"Okay," Jack said and prepared himself.

Merida, Fishlegs, we'll help Toothless keep the enemies away," Flynn said, "Mavis, help Jack with whatever he needs."

Mavis stayed by his side. The others formed a ring around them. Jack swallowed. Rapunzel let go again. The blood splashed out of Hiccup's legs at an alarming speed. He pointed his wand towards Hiccup's wounds. His hand shook. "Spolium Floris", he said and flicked his wand.

Nothing. Fear whipped his heartbeat. His skin was cold, but beads of sweat stuck to his hairline.

"No…" Rapunzel whispered, "No no no..."

"Do it again," Mavis said, "Just keep trying, there's nothing else we can do. Do it again!"

He tried to focus on the magic humming in his blood. "Spolium Floris!"

Nothing. His fingers were numb. A drop of sweat slid down his face. His breaths ached in his throat, short and stinging.

"Shit!" he heard Merida say from somewhere. A crash and a scream followed.

"Keep going!" Rapunzel said, "Jack! Do it!"

"Come on, Jack," Mavis said, her fingers digging into his arm, "You can do it, I know you can do it."

"Like when you protected the kids," Rapunzel said, "You can do this!"

Jack forced himself to look at Hiccup's face. Closed eyes and no expression. Pale lips and cheeks. Like death had already come for him. Sucked all color and life from his body. He felt a weak buzzing in his hand. Images of life without Hiccup tumbled through his mind. Never seeing the happiness twinkle in his eyes. Never hearing his nasal laugh. Never feeling his skin under his fingertips. Never sharing the same air. Hiccup. Cut out of his life in a second. His love and his light gone from the world. Jack couldn't breathe. His mouth dried up. Cracked and suffocating. His pulse ran wildly under his skin. The buzzing in his hand grew stronger. He swung his wand. "SPOLIUM FLORIS!" Green sparks shot out of his wand and into Hiccup.

Hiccup's eyes flew open. His body thrashed in violent spasms, an invisible fire under his skin. Screams tore through his throat. It was like nothing Jack had ever heard, not even in the war. They were not screams from someone, who had been cut or hit. Not screams of fear. They were inhuman. Torture turned into sound.

Jack's breath had been ripped from his lungs. His heart vibrated inside his chest, like a hummingbird in a frantic escape. His mind; a white space. Wiped clean by Hiccup's pain.

"What's happening to him?!" Mavis said. Her voice was far away, barely an echo in his ears.

Toothless hurried to Hiccup's side and watched with panic in his eyes. All his strength and agility was rendered useless. He couldn't protect him from this.

Hiccup tossed back and forth on the stone floors. His screams echoed through the huge Hall like a nightmare that never ended. The sprays from his wounds spattered crimson onto the wall and wooden pillars. There were murmurs in the back of Jack's mind. _You're the one hurting him. You're doing this._ His fingers twitched_. _He lowered his wand.

"Don't stop!" Rapunzel shouted. Her voice sounded close to breaking. "No matter what happens, don't stop! If you stop, he'll die!"

Jack raised his wand. His hand trembled. Hiccup's screams drained the strength from his fingers. He struggled to keep them folded.

The streams stopped shooting out of Hiccup's wounds. Hiccup writhed in the crimson pool. Shaking. Jerking. Contracting. Like a sick pulse. His clothes had drunk from the blood. They clung to his body like a sticky peel. Toothless whined and walked back and forth along Hiccup's side, guarding him from anyone who would dare come near.

"Jack, keep going, keep going!" Mavis said, "It's working!"

"Stupefy!", "Petrificus Totalus!", "Confringo!". Jack heard his friends fire spells to keep them safe. Blasts and screams and weapons clanging infused the air. Hiccup's screams overpowered it all.

Hiccup rolled on to his stomach. His body heaved and shook. Desperate wheezing left his throat between his screams. Hiccup's nails slammed into the bloody floors. He tried to pull himself forwards to escape.

The tears stung in Jack's eyes. Hiccup was no longer a human but a blurry shape, a mess of watercolors. "I can't… I can't…" Jack whispered. The cold sweat slithered down his skin.

"Don't stop. You need to do this. You stopped the bleeding, you're helping him," Rapunzel said, trying her best to sound reassuring. Jack could hear the threat of tears in her voice. Mavis' hand curled around his arm in a firm but supportive grip.

Hiccup's blurry form rolled around from stomach to back, arms and legs flailing and twisting. He pounded his fists into the crimson ground. Choked sobs left his mouth among the sharp screams.

Every pained sound and move ripped out a brick in Jack's fragile tower of resolve. Seeing his love like this, his strong, smart, kind, funny, brave love, reduced to the barest of primal instincts, would be carved into the inside of his skull forever. He didn't hear the clash of swords and the sparks of spells anymore. He didn't notice battle cries and his friends fighting around him. Hiccup's screams. Hiccup's writhing. Hiccup's blood. This was all that existed. They were in his lungs like a poisonous dust, scraping at his flesh, choking him from the inside. Jack screamed but it came out as a strangled sob. He had no air. Warm drops flowed down his cheeks. His wand lowered.

"You need to do it!" Rapunzel said. Her hand flew up and wrapped around his wrist, keeping his arm and wand up. "You need to heal him. You're saving him!"

"It hurts now but it will get better," Mavis said, stroking his back, "Hiccup will be all right afterwards." Jack got the feeling, she was not only trying to convince him but herself as well.

Jack's chest hurt, aching from desperately trying to breathe. He blinked away the tears, and poured all his energy into stopping himself from collapsing in a heap of sobs and screams. He tried to steady his breathing, taking deep breaths in and out.

Just as quickly as Hiccup's eyes had flown open, his eyes fell shut. The silence was overwhelming. Hiccup lay still, his limbs floppy and weak. Toothless pawed at him and lowered his head to sniff at him. Jack hurried to his side, but he knew Hiccup was alive from the look on Toothless' face. He found the gashes in Hiccup's trousers, where he had been cut by Björn. The wounds had closed, not leaving a trace behind. The only evidence of what had occurred was Hiccup's blood soaked clothes and exhausted body.

"I-is he okay now?" Mavis said.

"The wounds are gone," Jack said. His voice sounded distant, like he was outside of his own body. He tried to take more deep breaths to calm himself down. The battle noises around him bombarded his brain to fill the sudden gap from Hiccup's silence.

"You did it," Rapunzel said and sighed with relief. "You did it."

"Thank goodness," Mavis said, "He's going to be okay."

Jack wasn't sure about that. He spared a glance around them. Only a few fights were still unsettled. Gobber ended a bald man with a big moustache by hitting him straight in the face with his axe. His friends were finishing off enemies with well-placed spells. Jack didn't even blink. The familiar scent of smoke and burning flesh and blood infected his nose. Dead bodies lay here and there on the ground, blood sprinkled across faces and armor like abstract paintings.

Toothless licked the beads of sweat from Hiccup's forehead. Jack put his hand on Hiccup's cheek. The skin was warm and clammy, but he didn't know if it was one of the aftereffects of the spell. "The wounds are gone but he's really warm," he explained.

"I think that's normal," she said, "But we need to get him somewhere he can rest."

There was an unspoken moment between all of them, where they savored the relief that Hiccup was going to live. Once again, it had been too close, and the realization that, at any moment, life could tear one of their loved ones away was difficult to process.

Toothless lowered his body as a sign of wanting to carry Hiccup. Jack and Flynn gently lifted him up and placed him on Toothless' back. Jack checked again that the wounds were actually gone.

Gobber's panting alerted Jack to his approach. He was exhausted from battle, his breathing strained and his face dripping with sweat. "Is he all right?" Gobber asked, looking over Hiccup with a barely concealed panic.

"Yes," Rapunzel said, "Jack managed to heal him. But now it's really important that he gets some rest." There was a pause, where Rapunzel clearly prepared herself to say the next part. Her eyes were shiny with unshed tears. "You heard the… screams."

Gobber's fear had evaporated and sadness took its place in his eyes. "Yeah… I hoped I would never hear him sound like that."

The world swam in Jack's eyes. Though Hiccup's pain had stopped, he could still hear his screams.

All the eyes of the remaining tribesmen were on them. "The Chief will be all right!" Gobber called out repeatedly. Jack felt a twinge of gratitude in his heart, when he saw the relief in their eyes. The ones who were left here truly cared for Hiccup.

* * *

The days melted together in fragments of consciousness. Moments of warmth and pain. Flashes of joy and relief. Seeing Toothless' happy eyes and hearing Jack whisper "I love you". Feeling a cold cloth on his forehead. Seeing his friends' caring smiles. Feeling Gobber's big hand resting on his shoulder. His bones were weighing him down. Soreness had wrapped around his muscles. His brain refused to let him stay awake for long. He was swimming in and out of reality. His dreams were twisted with weird images of bloody dragons with hollow eyes and tribesmen with smiles full of sharp teeth.

Jack and Toothless were leaning against each other with their eyes closed. Jack slowly stroked Toothless' shoulder. The morning sun covered them in a soft light. Hiccup stirred and Toothless' eyes fixed on him. His best friend came closer, pulling Jack out of his rest.

"Hey," Jack said and leaned down to kiss the top of his head, "How are you?"

"Hey," he said and did his best to pull off a reassuring smile, "I'm okay, I think. Still really sore and tired but… okay."

"Good. Do you want something to eat or drink?"

"Some water would be nice."

Jack got the wooden cup on his nightstand and pulled out his wand. With a quick spell, he filled it and handed it to him. Hiccup drank it down greedily and felt stronger afterwards. "Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," Jack said and took his hand. The soft smile on his boyfriend's lips left Hiccup with a pleasant warmth under his skin. A warmth he wished could last. "Let me know if you get tired. You still need rest and you haven't been able to be awake for more than a few minutes at a time so far."

"Yeah… It's pretty hard to have any sense of time right now," he said, hoping his voice didn't reveal his frustration. It was unnerving to not be in control, to not know what was going on in his tribe, except for the few snippets his friends had told him.

"It must be, yeah," Jack agreed, "It's been three days so far, by the way."

"I hope I'll be able to go back to normal soon."

"Yeah, me too, but just take your time. Rapunzel will drag you back to bed, if you try to go anywhere, before you're completely ready," Jack said and gave him one of those crooked smiles.

Hiccup laughed but it came out weak. "Yeah, she definitely would." His smile disappeared, when thoughts of blame pushed into his head.

Jack's smile faded. "Hic, what's wrong? What are you thinking?"

Hiccup found himself in a familiar dilemma: should he deny anything was wrong or open up and share? In the past, he would often have denied anything was wrong. But Jack had changed him. Opening up seemed less frightening now. Less shameful than before. He sighed. "I was naïve… even after everything that's happened before this, I was still too fucking naïve."

Jack found his hand and squeezed it. "Don't blame yourself, Hic. You aren't responsible for Björn's actions. He and the others chose to betray you. It was nothing you did."

Hiccup slid his hand out of Jack's. "But I need to blame myself. I can't make mistakes like this, now that I'm chief. It's not just about me, it's about everyone I'm responsible for now… The people and the dragons. I need to be better. It's not that I think I'm responsible for Björn's actions, but I need to see the dangers, before they come."

Jack hummed. "We'll work on that. But you also can't lose that ability you have to see the good in people. You're one of the most forgiving people, I've ever met. It would be terrible, if you ever lost that trait."

Hiccup grabbed a fistful of blanket. "It's hard to find a balance."

"It is. You're not the only one who needs to find it."

"What do you mean?"

There was an angry spark in Jack's eyes. "I'll never let someone, who disagrees with you get close to you again without having my wand ready."

"I should have been the one who was ready. I knew Björn was angry with me… But I never thought he would go that far." Hiccup shook his head. "We grew up together. We might not have been friends, but we've always been tribesmen, and we've shared a lot of the same experiences. The same home. We knew the same people. I didn't think he would ever be a threat."

"You had no reason to," Jack said and brushed his thumb over Hiccup's fingers.

"I'm not sure, how I can prepare myself for these kinds of things. All the chiefing lessons I had with my dad… We never got to the point of being prepared for threats from within the tribe," he said and bit his lip, "I think my dad would have been heartbroken by this."

"By you blaming yourself?"

"By the tribe going against each other," he explained. His head was heavy and aching, like it had been filled with gravel that scraped against his skull. "My dad was such a great chief. He always managed to keep the tribesmen loyal to each other. I hadn't even been official chief for five minutes, before the tribe turned on each other."

"You can't keep comparing yourself to your dad, Hic. I know it's scary being responsible for a whole tribe. I know you've been in your father's shadow for so many years. I know he was a great chief and that it's hard to live up to," Jack said and scooted closer, "But you are great in other ways. And you will be an amazing chief, if you stop being so hard on yourself all the time."

"You think so?"

"Yes. Look, you have some of the same strengths your dad did. You're brave. You're selfless. You're strong. But you also have strengths, that he didn't have. You think outside the box. You open other people's minds. You push the boundaries of tradition. Those are the things that will make you a great chief, while doing things your own way, not your dad's way."

Hiccup took a deep breath and let go of some of the tension in his body. He put his hands on each side of Jack's face and pulled him closer for a slow, loving kiss. Hopefully, the way he guided his lips so gently and softly over Jack's, could convey his love and his gratitude better than his words ever could. When they pulled away from each other, Jack leaned down and hugged him. Hiccup wrapped his arms around him, and kissed the side of his head. He breathed in the scent of Jack. "_Ek ann þér _[I love you]_", _he said.

"_Ek ann þér," _Jack repeated his words and leaned back. He looked down at him with one of those heart melting smiles that left no doubt.

"How are you always able to make me all weak in the knees?" Hiccup said and savored the feeling of a smile spreading on his lips.

And there was that boyish, crooked smile on Jack's face. The one that warned everyone of a smartass reply coming up. "That's a side effect for everyone who's near me, Hic. I thought you knew that. I mean… My good looks and amazing personality leave everyone swooning."

Hiccup had no energy for banter battles, no matter how satisfying it would be to put Jack in his place. "It sure leaves _me_ swooning."

He could tell Jack wasn't prepared for it. That he had expected sarcasm. There was a moment of surprise in his eyes, before he smiled and placed a quick kiss on his forehead. "Tell that to Merida, Hic… She once said no one could ever swoon around me, unless it was-"

"- Because they passed out from looking at your ugly face," they finished the sentence together. "I remember", Hiccup added with a smile. "How are they all? Are they still okay?"

"They're okay. Still worried about you and all… But they know you're going to be okay. Eventually." Jack's smile vanished. His grip on Hiccup's hand loosened.

"What aren't you telling me?"

Jack shook his head and let go of his hand. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry. I know I haven't said that before now."

Hiccup frowned at the words. "Sorry for what?"

Jack stared at the foot of the bed. "For what I did to you. I tried to heal you and you were… Screaming and writhing and sobbing… You were in so much pain. Don't you remember?"

Hiccup took a deep breath. "I remember some of it. But you didn't try to heal me. You did heal me."

"I didn't know. I didn't know how much pain, it would put you in."

Hiccup licked his lips. "If you had known… Would you have made another choice?"

Jack curled one of his hands tight around some of the blanket. He was silent for a moment. "I don't know," he said, "I would do anything to save you, you know that… And I need you. Toothless needs you. This world needs you in it. But… I don't know, if I would have been too scared to do it, if I had known. I don't know, if I would have clung to the hope, that we could find another way, so I could spare you the pain… And then you would have ended up dying, because there wasn't one."

"You have nothing to feel guilty about. You saved my life. You're the only reason I'm still breathing."

Jack smiled but it was strained and tired. "But at what cost?" He shook his head. "After McGowan and the others tortured you… You isolated yourself, you didn't sleep or eat. You were destroying yourself. And the whole thing left scars in your mind and on your body," Jack said and glanced at his leg, where the word "CRIPPLE" was etched into his skin underneath the blanket, "that are never going to leave. Whenever you have nightmares about it, or you snap the strap on your satchel to deal with stress, I remember that. And I'm scared this is going to be the same."

Hiccup took Jack's hand and pressed his lips on it. He weaved their fingers together. His limbs were beginning to feel weak, but he fought the tiredness. "When you finally got me to open up about what happened with McGowan and the others… Do you remember what I said was the worst part?"

"The shame."

"Yeah." Hiccup nodded. "This is different. I felt ashamed and weak back then, because someone held me down and tortured me to reach their own sick, selfish goal and there was nothing I could do about it. This is not the same. This was…" He sighed. His eyelids wanted to fall down and turn the world dark. "The pain was unbearable. But it was done by the people I love, because they wanted to save me. It was because of love. And that makes it less painful to deal with. I know none of you wanted to do it, but it was the only way. And that's why it isn't going to make me isolate myself. There's nothing shameful about this."

Jack nodded, seemingly doing it to convince himself. "That helps… That you see it that way. I still feel like shit for doing it, but knowing you feel this way will make it easier."

"Please cut yourself some slack, Snowflake. You had to do something horrible, but it was to save me and I don't hold it against you even for a moment. If it wasn't for you, I would be dead now," he said and couldn't keep a yawn from escaping.

Jack nodded but no more words left his lips.

"I want to keep talking about this, but I'm going to fall asleep soon," he said and gave Jack a sad smile.

"Sleep, Hic," Jack said, "We can talk about it again later."

"You should sleep too," Hiccup said, "I promise I won't pull away from you like the last time."

Jack nodded and smiled. This time his smile looked genuine.

* * *

As a few more days passed, Hiccup's strength came back to him. Gradually, Rapunzel allowed him to leave his room more and more, so he could fulfill his duties as chief without endangering his health. The first time he ventured into the village, he was overrun with his tribesmen, who wanted to tell him how happy they were that he was alive. Toothless and Jack followed him everywhere, helping him deal with the things he needed to make decisions on: interrogation strategies for prisoners of war, organizing more upcoming funerals for the wounded who had died, and the tribesmen who betrayed them, communication with their allies, rebuilding the village. War left everything in ruins. They had a long rebuilding process ahead of them, not to mention the psychological healing. His friends assisted with the tasks as much as they could, using their magic to help build homes, heal minor injuries and transport supplies. Hiccup was grateful for their support. Having them, along with Jack and Toothless and Gobber, by his side, made the responsibility on his shoulders more bearable. But there was one thing that hadn't been attended to, and the more time that passed, the more urgent it became to discuss.

The glowing fire pit in his living room splashed golden colors across the wooden walls. The wind whispered against the closed shutters. He and the others ate bowls of steaming soup around the fire. His fingers buzzed with warmth. His friends had sent owls with letters to their parents yesterday to let them know they were alive. They had all received replies today.

"My mom said I need to get my arse home right now," Merida said and took another slurp of the soup with her wooden spoon.

"Well, we can't really blame her," Hiccup said, "She's worried about you. And she has every right to be upset." In fact, he wouldn't blame any of his friends' parents, if they were furious with him for putting their kids in danger.

"Of course, but…" Merida said, "I told her I'm all right and that I'll go back to Hogwarts as soon as possible. But she's still furious."

"You did run away from school to go off to a war," Fishlegs said and put down his bowl of soup, "How did you expect her to react?"

"What was I supposed to do?" Merida said, swinging her spoon about, "Just leave my friends to die?"

"I'm not saying you made the wrong choice. You know that," Fishlegs said, his brief smile filled with warmth, "I'm just saying your mom has clearly been worried sick and that's understandable."

"It's the same with my dad," Mavis said, leaving her spoon in her bowl, "He's threatening to pull me out of school, lock me in my room and homeschool me."

Hiccup's guilt pushed his lips into a sad smile. He felt Jack's hand glide up and down his back in soothing motions.

"Shit…" Flynn said and ran a hand through his hair, "Do you think maybe he just needs to calm down?"

"Maybe…" she said, staring into the fire pit. The flames whirled in her eyes. "I do know one thing though. There's no way I'm going to be homeschooled."

"Does he know about…?" Jack asked.

"My arm?" she said, not taking her eyes off the flames, "Yeah… I figured it was best to tell the whole truth. He would find out sooner or later anyway."

"How did he react?" Jack said.

"As expected," Mavis said and sighed, "He freaked out."

"He'll come around," Flynn said and patted her back.

"I hope so," Mavis said.

"What did your parents say?" Hiccup asked Rapunzel.

"They're just relieved I'm okay," Rapunzel said, "They hadn't slept, since Professor Lunar told them we were missing from Hogwarts."

"Maybe they're so understanding, because they know Hiccup and Fishlegs," Astrid said, "They know they're like brothers to you."

"Yeah, probably," Rapunzel agreed, "They know I'd do anything for them."

Hiccup smiled at her, a familiar, bubbly rush inside him. People didn't give Rapunzel enough credit. She came off as sweet and innocent, but she was also fiercely loyal and strong. In this war, Hiccup had seen sides of her, he had never seen before, but always known was there.

"You haven't told us how your dad took it?" Jack asked Flynn.

Flynn shrugged. "He was scared, obviously. Worried. But he wasn't mad. He said he was proud of me for doing what's right. But he also said that if I ever ran off like that again, without even telling him where I was going, he would dye my favorite satchel pink and cut off my beautiful hair."

Everyone shared smiles and chuckles.

"That's pretty close to what my family wrote to me," Jack said, "Except it was Emma making the threats. Anna and North were more understanding. Still worried sick though. I had to convince them it wasn't a good idea for them to come to Berk."

"They wouldn't be able to find it, even if they wanted to," Hiccup said.

"That wouldn't stop them from trying," Jack said, "Parents and siblings are stubborn like that."

Hiccup didn't fail to notice the hint of sadness in Fishlegs' eyes, despite his efforts to hide it. Hiccup couldn't claim all this talk of family didn't affect him too. Being reminded of what he no longer had. Tears burned in the corners of his eyes. He blinked them away. "Uhm, have you guys thought about when you'll go back to Hogwarts?"

"When you don't need us here anymore, I think," Mavis said. Merida and Flynn nodded.

"It'll be nice to go back to normal. Or at least try to," Flynn said. His voice was more confident than his eyes. Hiccup's protective streak poked at him. His friends hadn't tried this before. Except for Jack, they hadn't gone through a trauma and come out on the other side. They hadn't learned to live with memories shaking in their heads. Memories that eventually turn calmer and lurks in the back of your skull, convincing you they're no longer guiding your decisions. Your way of seeing the world. Hiccup wished he could turn the trauma into peaceful acceptance for his friends. But it was a process they all had to go through. Some of them might never reach that final step.

"Even if it's going to be annoying when everyone starts asking questions," Merida said, her nose wrinkled with disgust, "And we don't even know what to tell them yet."

"I think maybe silence is the way to go," Jack said, "We obviously can't tell them we went to a Viking war. Not only would Professor Lunar get in trouble, but Hiccup's been right all along. It's important to tell people outside the archipelago as little as possible about it."

Hiccup nodded. "I'd really appreciate it, if you could all avoid telling anyone any details about what happened here."

"I think that's a good idea," Astrid said.

"Of course," Mavis agreed. "Whatever you need," Flynn added.

Rapunzel looked at him with hesitance in her eyes. She fiddled with the hem of her school robes. Hiccup sensed a tense subject coming up. "What's wrong?" He said.

Rapunzel bit her lip. "Are you coming back with us?"

That wound inside him, the one born out of guilt and loss and worries, pulsated and oozed its sickening slime in his chest. "I'd like to but…I can't," he said, "Now that I'm chief, I'm responsible for everyone here. I can't just leave, even though I'd love to have that last year at Hogwarts with all of you."

"You're staying here too then," Flynn said to Jack. It wasn't a question.

"Yup," Jack said, putting on that familiar, relaxed expression. The one Hiccup could see right through. The one that poked Hiccup's wound until it oozed more slime. "I'd like to go back to Hogwarts too…" Jack said, "But I go where Hic goes."

And wasn't that just one of the most touching things, Hiccup had ever heard? Despite all the suffering Jack had been through, despite the scars that would never leave, he had no doubts about staying by his side.

Hiccup planted a warm kiss on Jack's cheek and received a fond smile in return. He had no words to convey, how much this meant to him. How much he admired Jack for his strength and bravery. How grateful he was that he wouldn't lose him.

"Hogwarts won't be the same without you two," Mavis said, turning her eyes to the floor.

"Yeah…" Flynn said, "Who's going to help me tease Simba now?"

"Shut up, Rider," Merida said and stuck her tongue out.

"We'll really miss you…" Rapunzel said. Fishlegs nodded and caught his lip between his teeth.

"We'll miss you too," Hiccup said. He had so many good memories of Hogwarts, and not being able to say goodbye to his second home, not being able to finish his education alongside his friends, as they always thought they would, left a hollowness in his chest.

Astrid cleared her throat. "There's another solution, I think we could all live with," she said, her eyes glancing over each of them before settling on him.

"What?" Hiccup said. He thought he had considered all his options, but perhaps Astrid had another perspective, he hadn't even realized.

Astrid put down her empty bowl. "You'll all go back to Hogwarts and finish your education. And I'll stay here and run the village as second in command," she said with that reassuring look in her eyes. The one he had seen so many times by now, when she supported him in a tough situation. "All important decisions will be made by you of course," she said, "I'm just there to keep everything running, until you graduate."

The soft touch of hope tickled inside him. But he had to kill it. "Astrid…" he said, "I couldn't ask you to give up your education for me. There are still so many things you want to do and learn at Hogwarts. And spend more time with your friends there."

"I know," she said, "But it's more important that our chief is as strong and capable as possible. You're a good wizard, Hiccup. But you'll be even better in a year's time, when graduation comes. And we need you to be the best you can be."

Hiccup shook his head. The selfish part of him begged him to take the opportunity. "It wouldn't be right to ask you to do this."

Astrid sighed, but her eyes held a familiar fondness that seemed even fiercer in the glow of the flames. "You're not asking me for anything. I'm volunteering. I'm telling you, I want to do this."

"Hic," Jack said. He had one of those rare serious looks in his eyes, "I think Astrid's right. It's not ideal that she'll give up the rest of her time at Hogwarts but you trust her to run the village, right? Probably more than you would trust anyone else with it?"

"Yeah," Hiccup said, "She'd probably be much better at it than I would," he said and smiled at Astrid. She rolled her eyes at his hint of self-deprecation.

"Then it's the best solution, we could hope for," Jack said and put his arm around him, "Astrid can stay here and take care of Berk, while we're gone. She'll be great at it. And when we come back, you'll take over, and we'll both know so much more magic than we do now. Magic that can help us defend Berk in the future too. And each other."

Hiccup twirled one of his braids between his fingers. "I know you're both right. I just can't help feeling like this is wrong."

"That'll blow over," Astrid said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "Don't worry so much, Haddock. I promise, I've thought a lot about this."

Hiccup nodded. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"I'm absolutely sure," she said with no hints of doubt in her eyes.

Hiccup breathed out slowly. "Okay. We'll do it that way then. Thank you so much Astrid," he said and scooted over to her to put his arms around her. She hugged him back and mumbled "You're very welcome" into his hair.

"Yeah, thank you Astrid," Jack said from behind him, "I think I can safely say we all really appreciate this."

Hums of agreement went through their friends.

Hiccup broke the hug and scooted back to sit next to Jack.

"We'll miss having you around though," Rapunzel said.

"Yeah, we will," Hiccup agreed, "It's going to be so strange."

"I know," Astrid said, "I'll miss you guys too. But it's not like we'll never see each other again. And when graduation comes, you guys-" she said and looked at Rapunzel, Flynn, Mavis and Merida, "- can come visit any time you want."

"Yeah, of course," Hiccup agreed.

"We will," Mavis said, "By then we'll be able to apparate."

"Yeah, that will make everything so much easier," Merida said, "We can visit all the time. And you can teach us how to ride dragons!"

Hiccup couldn't stop himself from grinning.

"Of course, we can," Fishlegs said.

"You won't ever get rid of us," Flynn said, his joking smile fading into a soft one, "After everything we've been through, we need to stick together for the rest of our lives."

The sounds of agreement and the nods coming from everyone had Hiccup's heart fluttering with tenderness. A lot of school friends believe they'll never grow apart. That the bond forged in their youth will remain as strong as ever through the years. But time peels off one flake at a time, until the bond no longer has the same grip on their hearts. This was different. They had been through a war together. They had risked their safety and taken lives for each other's sake. They'd lost innocence, limbs, peace of mind. Sacrifices that settled around their bond like a diamond shell. Protective. Unyielding. Never to be broken.

* * *

When the Hogwarts castle came into view, it left an unfamiliar sting in Jack's chest. As Toothless' paws landed softly on the grass in the dark forest, the sting dissolved and nausea grew from its remains. They were here now. Back to their second home. To the place where they had frantically chased Hiccup, Fishlegs and Astrid and decided to follow them into a war.

Under the gentle touch of the moon, Hogwarts was still the same. The same majestic towers and beautiful courtyards. The same impressive halls and snug dormitories. But he and his friends were not the same. They had felt the warmth of blood on their skin. They had stopped hearts. It was impossible to go back. He knew they could only adjust.

The tranquility of night had settled in the corridors long ago. In the heavy silence, their footsteps across the stone floors were like thunderclaps. Toothless followed them in his cat form. The old lamps on the walls glowed like yellow moons. The characters in the portraits were fast asleep. He and the others shared no words. For Jack, it confirmed that they felt the same way. Nostalgic but strangely misplaced.

"What are you doing out of bed!?" Professor Bunnymund called out, his loud voice echoing among the stone walls. Jack flinched. Fishlegs and Rapunzel let out squeaks of surprise. Professor Bunnymund hurried towards them with angry steps that would make any student regret breaking curfew. Jack was aware of the exact moment Professor Bunnymund recognized them. He stopped in his tracks and for the first time, Jack saw him being at a loss for words.

"Hello Professor," Hiccup said, grabbing Jack's hand. Around them, their friends were either fidgeting or frozen in place.

Professor Bunnymund's eyes looked them over one by one. When he got to Mavis, he sucked in a breath. Seeing her snapped him out of his silence "Ms. Dracula! Mavis!" He rushed to her side and grabbed her hand. "Do you need help?"

"No, thank you," Mavis said. She tried to seem calm, but Jack could tell she was uncomfortable from the way her gaze darted between Hiccup and Professor Bunnymund. "It's been taken care of."

Professor Bunnymund nodded. His eyes were softer than Jack had ever seen. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Mavis said.

"Come with me," Professor Bunnymund said, "All of you. Headmaster Lunar has been worried." He cleared his throat. "We all have. He insisted he'd be informed as soon as you returned."

"Does the whole school know?" Flynn asked, as they followed the professor through the darkened maze that was Hogwarts' corridors.

"No," Professor Bunnymund said, "Headmaster Lunar told your concerned schoolmates that he couldn't tell them, where you had gone. For now."

"They must be so worried…" Mavis said. Jack thought of all the people he knew at Hogwarts, but especially Jim, Harry and Liam. He would have been worried sick, if they had suddenly disappeared with no explanation.

"Yeah," Merida agreed, "But we didn't exactly have time to leave a note."

"That would probably only have made them more concerned anyway," Jack said.

When the gargoyle by the Headmaster's office swung to the side, they followed Professor Bunnymund up the stone spiral staircase. The Headmaster was by his desk, his head bowed over a thick book. When he looked up, he let out a sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair. Headmaster Lunar looked pale and older than before, like lack of sleep had taken years off his life. Jack had no doubt he had been concerned.

Professor Lunar took his reading glasses off. "Welcome back," he said, "I'm so glad to see you all. Please sit. Where is Ms. Hofferson? Did something happen to her?"

"No, she's back on Berk. She's safe," Hiccup said. Toothless jumped into Hiccup's lap.

"Good," Headmaster Lunar said. His eyes drifted over Mavis. "I'm so sorry," he said. There was something hurt in the way he looked at her. "Do you need medical assistance?"

"No thank you, Headmaster," Mavis said, "I'm okay.

"If there's anything you need, please let me know."

The brief twitch of Mavis' lips seemed grateful. "I will."

Headmaster Lunar reached into an open drawer in his desk, "I have someone here, who will be very happy to see Ms. Corona." He put Pascal down on the desk. Pascal's eyes were slowly opening. He had clearly been sleeping.

"Pascal!" Rapunzel said and flew out of her chair. She took him in her hands and Pascal's eyes grew large. He crawled up on Rapunzel's shoulder and rubbed his head against her neck. "I'm happy to see you too," Rapunzel said and giggled. She petted his scaly back with a finger.

"Pascal here was miserable when you left. For a little while, he stayed in the dormitory with your House mates, but eventually, I found him sleeping in one of my drawers, so I let him stay here with me. I suppose he knew, I would be one of the first people to know, when you came back."

Rapunzel put Pascal in her lap. She petted his head, and he closed his eyes in contentment.

"He's a smart frog," Flynn said.

"Chameleon," Rapunzel said and rolled her eyes.

"I know, Blondie, it was a joke."

"And this…" Headmaster Lunar said, reaching into the drawer again. He pulled out a yellow sock and put it on the table. "Must be yours as well, Ms. Corona. Pascal dragged it down here to sleep in."

"Uhm, yeah, that's mine," Rapunzel said, and hurried to put the sock in her pocket. Jack had to suppress a chuckle.

Professor Lunar folded his hands. In the light of the glowing lamps, his eyes seemed to hold more wisdom than ever before. "Now… I know it must be a long story, but please tell me what happened."

There in the Headmaster's office, among the strange contraptions and moving portraits, they told Headmaster Lunar as much as they could without revealing important information or breaking down. Sometimes their voices trembled and cracked. Sometimes there were moments of intense silence that reminded Jack of ice shards. They all had tears in their eyes by the end.

"Headmaster…" Hiccup said, the first to speak after finishing their story, "What do we do with all of this?"

The smile on Professor Lunar's face was a kind one, a protective one. "We'll figure it out together, Mr. Haddock. I would highly recommend being honest with your family and friends about what's happened, but I understand that there are some things you can't share because of safety. And some things you might not want to share, because you haven't come to terms with them yet. Please, take everything at your own pace."

"Have you talked to our parents?" Rapunzel asked and leaned forward in her chair.

"Yes, many times," Professor Lunar said, "They were mad with worry, when I informed them you were all missing."

"What exactly have you told them?" Mavis said.

"Only what I could. That you asked me to send you to the archipelago to help your friends in their war, and that I refused, since you're my responsibility. And that later, when I came back to my office, you had found the port key and gone anyway. I assume you've all sent a letter to them, and let them know you're okay?"

They all nodded, except Hiccup and Fishlegs. How could such a simple lack of action puncture Jack's lungs with sadness?

"Good," Headmaster Lunar said, "I'm sure they're all relieved to know you're safe now. And I've agreed, that I'd arrange for them to come to Hogwarts and see you as quickly as possible, due to these unusual circumstances."

That was the time Jack realized how different nods could be. Rapunzel's and Flynn's nods were quick and sharp, accompanied by hints of smiles. Those nods spoke of eagerness, longing for comfort and familiarity. Mavis' and Merida's nods were languid and slow, their eyes fixed on the floor. Conflicted between wanting to see their families and not having the energy to deal with scolding and fretting.

"What about you?" Hiccup said and stroked Toothless' fur, "What's going to happen to you now? Do they blame you for this?"

"Some of them did at first," Headmaster Lunar said, "I'm not certain, how they'll feel, now that they know you're safe. And naturally, as other students' parents found out, that eight students were missing, they called my abilities as headmaster into question."

"You're not getting sacked, are you?" Merida said.

"I doubt it," Headmaster Lunar said, "It's a good time to have friends in the ministry. People who trust my leadership here at Hogwarts. But it's been made clear that there will be some sort of punishment for my failure. The Daily Prophet has been running a lot of criticism about me lately. I can't say it's pleasant reading. And the ministry's been getting a lot of letters from angry parents. They're frightened about their children's safety at Hogwarts. I understand that. You eight aren't my children, but I feared for your safety."

"Then why did you let us go?" Merida said with a wrinkle on her forehead.

"Because you had to," Professor Lunar said, "And sometimes we need to let the ones we care about make decisions we aren't happy with. That we wish we could change."

"Not everyone would see it that way," Hiccup said and the barely noticeable smile on his lips, told Jack how much he respected Professor Lunar's decision.

"No," Headmaster Lunar said, "But I've been in a similar situation. Granted, it wasn't a war, but I had the chance to fight beside those I loved. And someone held me back. Made the decision for me. I never forgave them, and now I have to live with it. I didn't want the same thing happening to you, even though I was conflicted. But I can't protect you forever. You're of age now, old enough to make your own decisions and to accept the consequences of them. I only hope you won't regret those decisions."

"What happens now?" Mavis said, "How do we go back to normal?"

"There's no such thing, after what you've been through, Ms. Dracula," Headmaster Lunar said, "But the teachers and I will do our best to help you get back to school and some sense of normalcy, at least. If you need someone to talk to, we have a professional at hand to help. If you need Dreamless Sleep, Madam Whitley has been instructed to provide you with it, no questions asked. If you need some time off before you go back to classes, it's yours, and the teaching staff will make sure you catch up with the rest. In regards to your parents, I will of course encourage them to let you stay at Hogwarts and finish your education, but in the end, it's their decision."

"Thank you, Professor," Hiccup said, "That really means a lot."

"Yeah," Jack agreed, "I expected some kind of punishment. I mean, at least for show."

"No," Headmaster Lunar said, "After what you've all been through, I wouldn't ever punish you. Not even for show. Besides…it's my responsibility as Headmaster to keep my items secure from students and to make sure no students get into my office without permission."

"I'm sure that decision won't be popular," Hiccup said.

"Maybe not," Professor Lunar said, "But I've never been one to worry about what's popular."

Jack shared a look with Hiccup. He could see the same admiration in Hiccup's eyes that he felt inside. Headmaster Lunar was no ordinary Headmaster. He had known that for a long time, but he'd never known how far he was willing to go to do what was right.

"If you all want to stay together tonight, you can use the Room of Requirement to sleep in. I know that Mr. Haddock and Mr. Overland at least know where it is," Headmaster Lunar said with a twitch of his lips.

It took Jack a second to understand that comment. His cheeks heated up. He glanced at Hiccup, who looked ready to gnaw off his other foot just to get out of this situation.

"Yes, thank you, Headmaster," Rapunzel said, saving them from having to reply.

* * *

The night in the Room of Requirement was a swirl of comfort and worry. As they sat around the fireplace together and tried to find relief from their thoughts, they discovered none of them knew what to do. This was not the same as when Hiccup's secret about the dragons had come out, or the time where they revealed their relationship to the whole school. This was a secret that hurt. That had the potential to hurt even more, if it was dragged into the light. Who could possibly understand? Who wouldn't end up afraid of them, if they told them they had gone to war, that they had seen mutilated corpses and taken lives? As he listened to his friends talk about their concerns, the glow of the flames reminded him of burning islands and dragon fire. He wondered if he would able to trust Jim, Harry and Liam with this. If his trust stretched that far. He wasn't sure. One thing they agreed on that night, was that they would stick together as much as possible in the coming weeks, until the attention had died down. It was a survival strategy.

Jack couldn't remember the last time, he had a morning without nausea. It had been some time before the war. A lifetime ago. A minute ago. Both. Just stepping foot outside the Room of Requirement left the sickness buzzing in his core. Not even wearing his school uniform and having his backpack slung over one shoulder left him with a sense of normalcy. The others looked just as uncomfortable, with stiff limbs and strained smiles, as the entrance to the room disappeared behind them. Rapunzel's bruises, Fishlegs' scratches, Hiccup's cuts… Everyone's visible injuries had been carefully hidden under a spell. Jack wasn't sure how he felt about that. On one hand, they had agreed it was better to not raise even more questions. On the other hand, it was like burying a secret and planting a rose bush on top to pretend it never happened. And not all secrets are meant to be buried.

They passed a group of young Hufflepuff girls, who gasped and whispered to each other. Their eyes made the hairs on his neck rise. Hiccup snapped the strap on his satchel against his shoulder. Mavis pulled one sleeve of her black cloak further downwards, but it didn't make it look like she had her arm back. Despite wearing her black cloak with wide, long sleeves on top of the mandatory white shirt and sweater, it was impossible to hide it completely. Jack was not prepared for the anger curling into a hot fist in his chest. An anger born out of the need to protect himself and his friends.

The corridors were hostile places, if everyone knew you carried a secret. Every stare. Every whisper. Every comment. They were tests. Poking fingers to determine if your shell was made of paper or stone. If you would crumble and reveal all or stay behind your mental fortress. Jack's shell was not made of paper, but for the first time he understood what Hiccup had gone through, coming back to these places after he lost his leg and after the torture. Now, he knew the feeling of cracks in the stone.

Around the corner, a bunch of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs from their own year waited outside a classroom. Their laughter and talking was at a deafening level, until they spotted them. The silence was overwhelming.

"What's wrong with her arm?", "Is that Hiccup?", "Where have they been?", "They're back?" The whispers shot into the quiet, and not everyone understood that whispers weren't meant to be heard by others.

Flynn sighed and Rapunzel's eyes darted back and forth between the students. Jack gave Hiccup a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, even though he was feeling the pressure himself too. He let out a relieved breath, when they were out of sight from the group of students. The relief didn't last long though. Every turn meant new students to gape and whisper. They were halfway down another corridor, when shouting froze their steps.

"JACK! FLYNN! SHIT! FUCK!", "MAVIS!", "MERIDA!"

Jack had only just turned around, when Liam launched himself into his arms. Harry and Jim started hugging the others.

"Where have you guys been!? No one's told us anything! We were worried sick about you!" Liam said, pulling out of his arms again.

"We…" Jack started, clutching the strap of his rucksack tighter, "It's hard to explain."

Flynn cleared his throat. "W-we're not really ready to talk about it yet. We've been through a lot of shit."

"Ah, okay…" Liam said, "We don't want to pressure you or anything, we've just been so worri-" He gasped.

Jim, Harry and Liam were all staring at where Mavis' arm used to be. It felt like the veins in Jack's chest were tangling and twisting, choking the air out of him.

"What-…" Harry started, his mouth hanging open.

"How did-" Jim said.

"Shit…" Liam said and took a step towards Mavis, "I'm so sorry, Mavis. Whatever happened… I'm so sorry."

Mavis nodded and gave Liam a small smile, but there was uncertainty beneath it.

"We're sorry too," Harry said, "We won't ask you about it. You can tell us when you're ready. If you'll ever be ready."

"Yeah," Jim said, "We're your friends and we care about you."

Jack shared a smile with Hiccup. The veins in his chest turned limp, their attempt to choke him forgotten.

"Thank you, guys," Mavis said. Her smile looked more genuine this time.

"Look…" Harry said and took a step backwards, "We'll give you guys some space, okay? Must be a lot to handle, being back and all. Everyone's going to be crowding you."

"Yeah," Liam agreed, "We'll just go to class now and we'll see you guys around. Whenever you want to hang out again, just…let us know, okay?"

Jack nodded. "We will. Thank you, mates. You're the best."

Harry, Liam and Jim gave them bright smiles, before they hurried off to class, bags slung over their shoulders.

"They're so great," Merida said, her words tainted with guilt.

"Yeah, we're lucky to have friends like that," Flynn said.

Nods and hums of agreement went through their little group. They picked up where they left of, heading towards the busiest corridor in the castle. In the distance, Jack heard shuffling feet and eager chit chat. He wondered how those sounds had become dreadful for him, getting his heart racing instead of beating steadily.

When they turned the corner, the normalcy of every student's morning was broken.

"Jack!", "Flynn!", "Guys!", "Hiccup!", "Mates!", "Merida!", "Hey!", "Mavis!", all their names and random words to get their attention was shouted at them in a deafening choir of mouths, hungry for answers. They tried to move through the crowded corridor, only giving vague replies like "We don't want to talk about it," or "It's private,". Some students backed off with offended frowns on their faces, while others nodded in understanding.

The further down the passageway they got, the more whispers and shocked eyes he saw, as their fellow students noticed Mavis' missing arm. Jack put his arm around her shoulder and kept her close to him. Hiccup walked on the other side of her, guarding her from any contact with others.

"Mavis! Mavis!" a young Ravenclaw boy tried to squeeze through the crowd and come towards them. "Mavis! What happened to your arm?!"

"Fuck off, Luke," Hiccup said with an aggression Jack had only hard on rare occasions. Luke backed away, his face scrunched in annoyance. Jack made a mental note about talking with Hiccup about this later. He realized this must bring back a lot of painful memories.

It was a relief when the entrance to the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom came into view. A sanctuary from all the questions. An island of stability in the middle of a sea of change. They took their seats at the back of the class, and Jack thought about the last time he had been here. When only the possibility of a war loomed over them. Now, he had had more practice with the spells from this class to last him a lifetime. As more people started pouring in, their increasing presence was a burden on Jack's patience. No one had spoken to them here, and yet he found himself thinking irritable thoughts, wishing everyone would just leave.

"Hiccup! Hiccup!" someone yelled. Katie and Megan hurried towards them, their faces pale and wide-eyed.

"Uhm, hi, " Hiccup said, curling his fingers tight around one wrist.

"Where's Astrid? Has she come back with you guys?" The words left Megan's mouth so fast, they were almost jumbled.

"No, she's home on Berk," Hiccup said, "She told me to let you guys know she's all right, and that she'll write a letter soon, explaining things to you."

"Oh, thank god she's okay," Katie said and held her hands over her heart.

"We were so worried," Megan said and sighed, "We had no idea, where you guys had gone. Where were you? What happened?"

"I…" Hiccup said, fiddling with the hem of his sleeve, "We don't really want to talk about it."

"Oh…" Katie said, "Okay. Sorry if we made you uncomfortable,"

"No, don't worry about it," Hiccup said, "I understand."

"Thank you, Hiccup," Megan said, "And thank you for telling us Astrid's all right. That is just… Such a relief."

"And we're glad you're all right too," Katie said and glanced at each of them with one of her dimpled smiles.

"Thanks," Hiccup said. Jack gave them a nod and tried his best to smile.

* * *

The weeks passed at Hogwarts, tense and awkward under the gaze of their fellow students. Jack had known it was impossible to go back, once they had used the port key and landed in a war. But he had kept a weak ember of hope within him, that perhaps it wouldn't be as difficult to go back, as he feared. The first time he noticed the glimpses of fear and perverse curiosity in other students' eyes, he knew it couldn't be done. You can't dive back into your old environment, when you're not the same and the environment knows it. That didn't mean they didn't try. They did their best to fit in. Went to classes, did their homework, ate meals in the Great Hall. In between those branches of normality, the nightmares and the memories slithered in and out.

The rain slammed against the tall windows, pushed by the furious winds. The Defense against the Dark Arts classroom seemed gloomier than usual, like the heavy wooden desks and cupboards drank the dim light that made it through the clouds. Jack twirled his quill between two fingers. He tried to pay attention to Professor Bunnymund explaining the relation between iguanas and the dark arts, but the splashing rain drops and the wind shaking the massive tree outside the window was a distracting melody. _Oh well, I'll just have to read up on it later. Or borrow Hiccup's notes. _

"Now, we turn to the subject of Inferi," Professor Bunnymund said and took out some chalk from the drawer in the desk, "An Inferius is a reanimated corpse that have been bewitched to do whatever a witch or wizard wants." Professor Bunnymund wrote some bullet points on the blackboard.

Jack chewed on his lip. His breathing stuttered.

"It's easy to recognize an Inferius. They are thin, skeletal creatures and their eyes are white and cloudy. You'll see no life in them. They are rotting corpses, doing whatever their master orders them to. They have no ability to think for themselves."

Jack chewed harder on his lip, the sharp sting a brief distraction. His heartbeat drummed in his chest like the violent raindrops.

"But," Professor Bunnymund said, "If you turn to page 56, you'll see that there are also differences between Inferi."

The crunchy sound of flapping pages filled the room. When Jack's eyes landed on the page, he had to close his eyes for a moment. His mouth had gone dry. Several drawings of Inferi decorated the page, their lifeless eyes and bony fingers reaching into his mind. He cast a glance to the side. Hiccup's hands were balled into fists on the table. On the other side of him, Flynn tapped his fingers on the desk over and over. Merida wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

"As you see on the drawings, the Inferi can look quite different, despite their skeletal appearance. Since they are corpses that have been reanimated-," Professor Bunnymund explained.

Jack dug his teeth into his lip.

"- they still look like their old selves. Or more accurate… They look like their old selves after dying and beginning to decompose. The Inferi were used by Lord Voldemort in the first Wizarding War. Needless to say, it was disturbing for many to see people they knew as rotting corpses."

A burst of pain shot into Jack's lip. Sharp. Buzzing. A metallic taste covered his tongue. He could feel a warm drop slither down his chin. Hiccup's hand came out of nowhere and turned his head. Their eyes were fixed on each other. Hiccup pulled out a tissue from his bag and dried off the blood. This had become a new ritual. It stung, as Hiccup gently patted his mouth with the tissue. How was it possible to convey so much meaning without speaking a word? He saw it in Hiccup's eyes and felt it in his touch. The comfort. The shared pain.

Hiccup crumbled up the bloody tissue and banished it to the corner of the desk. Professor Bunnymund had turned his back to write some more bullet points about the Inferi on the blackboard. Hiccup leaned in and let their lips touch. It was brief and soft, like a leaf landing in the snow. Jack managed a small smile, when they broke apart. His lips were cracked, bruised and bleeding every day, but Hiccup still wanted to kiss him.

Jack focused on helping himself and the others through the class. He started a game of 'continue the story, where you write a sentence or two and fold the paper, so the next person can only see the last couple of words. Then the next person continues the story and so on. That's how they ended up writing a story about a kleptomaniacal mole that collected marshmallows, made dresses out of sanitary towels and met its untimely doom by a giant pancake being dropped from a plane. It didn't take long, before they were chuckling instead of stressing.

Jack kept his eyes on the old, stone floors, as they made their way towards the dungeons for their Potions class. His hand rested comfortably in Hiccup's, but the silence between them all was something, he had yet to be comfortable with. They used to spend these trips talking and joking around, but since they came back, there was only silence.

Walking among endless black and white uniforms reminded him, that they were misplaced in their once second home. Foreign. Aliens. The memories of the war were infused into the world around them. An invisible barrier that drew fear and fascination from the other students. Some were afraid of choking, if they dared venture into it. If they dared to try to unravel what had happened. Jack saw them shaking their heads. Walking away. Others were willing to take that risk out of sheer curiosity dressed up as concern. They were worse, with their invading questions and thirst for knowing everyone's secrets.

They were distancing themselves from everyone. Withdrawing into their own little universe, where there was an unspoken understanding. He first caught himself doing it, when he spotted Liam, Harry and Jim in one of the corridors and turned around and walked the other way. The guilt prickled in his chest, but he pushed it down. Every day, the chasm between them and everyone else grew larger.

When they turned a corner, his hand slipped out of Hiccup's, and he broke into a run. Mavis was sitting against a stone wall, her arm wrapped around her legs, her face resting on her knees. She was rocking back and forth, shaking, and clearly had trouble breathing. Elsa and Anna sat on each side of her, speaking to her in soft voices.

Jack dropped to his knees next to Mavis. "What happened?" he asked Elsa. The others gathered around them.

"There was an accident in the hallway. Some Hufflepuff guys were messing around with each other, and one of them botched a spell and hit one of the others. There was a small explosion and he just screamed and his face was bleeding," Elsa said, her nose scrunching in what looked like a mix of fear and disgust. She pointed to a spot further down the corridor. The stone floors had been tainted with a small pool of red. "And Mavis just, she started having some kind of panic attack," Elsa continued, "We've tried to calm her down, but it's like she barely even hears us."

Jack scooted closer. "Mav?" he said, studying her body language. She didn't seem to register his words. He reached out his hand, but before touching her, he looked at the others. Hiccup shook his head. Jack let his hand drop to his side. "Mav, is there something we can do to help you?"

When no response came, Hiccup crouched down in front of her. "Mavis, Mav, just focus on your breathing, okay?" Hiccup said, "I'll help you. I'll count to two, then you breathe in. I'll count to two again, and then you breathe out. Nod if you understand."

Mavis made the weakest of nods, face still pressed against her knees.

"Okay," Hiccup said, "Ready? Breathe in. One. Two. Breathe out. One. Two. Breathe in. One. Two. Breathe out. One. Two," Hiccup kept saying. Mavis was still hiding her face in her knees, but Jack could see her back and shoulders lift and go down with every breath. Hiccup eventually increased the count to three, and Mavis followed his instructions, not saying a word. There they stood, in a protective circle around her, watching her breaths slowly even out more and more, her body becoming calmer.

"Okay, now we go to four, Mavis," Hiccup said, "Breathe in. One. Two. Three. Four. Breathe out. One. Two. Three. Four."

Mavis managed to take slow breaths. Her arm was no longer wrapped as tightly around her knees.

"Mavis? Can you do me a favor and look up?" Hiccup said.

Mavis lifted her head. Her eyes were red and puffy. Remnants of tears gleamed on her cheeks.

"There she is," Jack said and smiled. Mavis glanced at him, and her lips almost formed a weak smile.

"Come here Mav, let's get you up," Flynn said and reached his hand down. Mavis grabbed it and Flynn pulled her to her feet. Merida squeezed Mavis' arm as a show of support.

Jack held out his arms, an invitation to a hug. Mavis walked into his embrace and rested her face on his throat. He stroked her back and gently rocked from side to side. "You're okay," he said, "We're here."

"How do you feel now?" Merida asked.

"Better…" Mavis mumbled into Jack's skin, "Tired."

"You should get some rest," Hiccup said.

"You know what we're going to do?" Merida said, "You and I are going to the dormitory, so you can get some sleep. I'll stay with you. I'll even read you one of those books about vampire lore, you love so much, until you fall asleep."

"Thanks Mer," Mavis said, sounding like speaking was getting difficult.

When Merida and Mavis disappeared from view, and Elsa and Anna left them to go to their classes, there was a moment of solemn realization among them.

"It's going to happen to us all at some point, isn't it?" Jack said, the first to break the silence, "Having a break down in the middle of class. Or the corridors. Or the Great Hall. Letting everyone see us fall apart."

"Yeah," Flynn agreed and rubbed his forehad.

"It's just a matter of time, yeah," Hiccup said, "It will happen to all of us. But at least we have each other to lean on."

* * *

The summer holiday was a detaching experience. After being back at Hogwarts for a couple of months, they had begun to sink into some kind of normality. It wasn't the same normality as before, but they took what they could get. The familiar routines, the rules and the structure helped them function again at Hogwarts. When summer came, they were ripped from that fragile grip on their new everyday lives. He and Jack spent half the summer on Berk and half with Jack's family. Having Astrid in charge whenever he was gone was a surreal experience, but she made everything run smoothly and efficiently. They had many late night meetings about how to make improvements to Berk, and how to integrate the remnants of the hostile tribes into some of their ally tribes, and what sort of challenges that might bring in the future. In contrast, spending time with Jack's family was relaxing and uncomplicated. The only difficult moments was when he or Jack had nightmares, or when North and Anna wanted to have a serious talk about the dangers of living in the archipelago. They supported Jack's decision to move there after graduation, but they wanted to know exactly what their adoptive son was walking into, and how they could support both Jack and himself in the future.

They stayed in touch with their friends all through the summer. Everyone struggled with the sudden changes in routine. Merida had a shorter fuse with her mom, getting stressed out quicker than before. Rapunzel wanted to write almost every day to make sure everyone was still safe. Flynn had begun to avoid ever talking about anything related to the war. Fishlegs often slept over at his house with him and Jack, because staying in his parents' house was too hard. Mavis had anxiety attacks regularly, her dad's constant fretting and worrying rubbing off on her.

When autumn came around, a part of him was excited about returning to Hogwarts and another part was fearing yet another adjustment to a new everyday life. Merida struggled with accepting that she couldn't play Quidditch due to her injuries from the war. They had taken it upon them as a group to research possibilities to heal her completely, but not even magic could make old damage disappear, once it had healed by itself as best it could. After having been told about Jack's new found powers by Headmaster Lunar, Professor Bunnymund offered him private lessons after school to help him reach his full potential. Hiccup was glad to see Jack have a new focus, a new goal to concentrate on. It helped them both keep their minds occupied. Mavis had gotten a prosthetic arm over the summer and did her best to get used to it. She began wearing black gloves, and when she had her school robes on too, you couldn't tell it was a fake arm and hand, unless you already knew. He and Mavis grew closer than ever before, spending a lot time together to talk about how to adjust to missing a limb and how to get the most use out of your prosthetic. Except for flying, those were the moments Hiccup felt calmest. His trauma and his pain came to good use. He could help a friend through the same pain, lending comfort and giving advice he wished he could have gotten himself. He knew Jack felt the same way, when he had late night talks with him and Fishlegs about losing their parents. Jack was the greatest support he could ask for, when he missed his dad and had to let a tear fall.

* * *

The Gryffindor common room had become almost as familiar to him as the Ravenclaw common room. They were different, but each had a unique appeal. The Ravenclaw common room had an ethereal quality; circular and airy, with a starry dome ceiling, and rich blue carpets to match. The private library encouraged the knowledge their House held so dear, while the arched windows with blue and bronze silk curtains and the white marble statues gave the room a refined character. The Gryffindor room was the essence of warmth and coziness. Dark wooden floors were covered with rugs in red and golden hues, and a myriad of big, soft armchairs and a few couches invited students to relax and socialize. Scarlet tapestries of wizards, witches and various animals hung on the walls, and a massive fireplace with a lion motif on the mantle bathed the room in warmth and soft light.

Usually, the place gave Hiccup a snug and comfortable feeling, like eating warm soup when the rain and winds were raging outside. The flames crackled in the fireplace, and the armchairs were as squashy as ever, but they left no relaxation in his body. He shifted in his seat and exchanged a nervous glance with Jack. Flynn stared into the golden flames, but didn't move. The common room was deserted. The stillness of the night was a sharp contrast to the restless energy in his muscles.

"We're worried about you," Jack said, the first to speak.

"There's no need to be," Flynn said without emotion.

"Of course, there is!" Hiccup said, his indignation pushing his voice to be louder than he intended, "You're shutting down. You seem like you don't care about anything anymore."

"You're trying to pretend everything's fine, when it isn't," Jack said.

"I'm okay," Flynn said, "I don't really feel anything right now,"

"That's the problem," Jack said, slapping his hands onto the armrests of his chair.

"You can't just push it down, Flynn," Hiccup said, "You need to deal with it."

"Look…" Flynn said, tapping his fingers on his thigh, "We all saw a lot of shit and did a lot of shit. Things we'll never forget. I try to deal with it as easily as I can."

"You know I'm usually okay with easy solutions," Jack said, "But not in this case. This isn't healthy. This isn't good for you."

"Is it good for me to hurt?" Flynn said. Hiccup thought he sensed a hint of anger in his voice.

"Yes!" Hiccup said, "Okay, that came out wrong… But the point is that you have to hurt to be able to move on."

"Yeah, you can't just skip part of the healing process, it doesn't work like that," Jack said.

"I tried hurting," Flynn said. His face was like the grey skies over Hogwarts earlier in the day. Unreadable. Impossible to tell whether a sudden change would bring sun or storm. "Just like all of you, I had nightmares and anxiety attacks and got stressed," Flynn said, "So, I tried something new. Just packing it all away, so it wouldn't hurt anymore."

"What hurts the most?" Hiccup said and received a confused look from Jack that said 'where are you going with this'?

Flynn was silent. His eyes were fixed on the flames in the fireplace.

"Flynn, come on…" he said and leaned forward in his chair, "What hurts the most? What pushed you into doing this? What is it that kept you awake at night?"

Flynn mumbled something and scratched his hand.

"What?" Jack said.

"Helplessness," Flynn said, a little louder. The scratching became quicker.

Jack took a deep breath and put a hand on Flynn's shoulder. "I get it."

"You do?" Flynn said. His eyes carried hope.

Hiccup bit his lip, as he waited for Jack to explain.

"Yeah," Jack said, "I've been one of your best mates since we were 11. I know you. And I should have realized sooner why you've been acting this way."

Flynn didn't look at them now. He seemed unable to stop scratching an imaginary itch.

Jack squeezed Flynn's shoulder. "You're Flynn Rider. You're a man of action. You always find some clever way out of a tight spot."

Understanding hit him. He breathed out and released some of the tension in his muscles.

"But this time you couldn't," Jack said, "You couldn't get to Mavis before that Viking cut off her arm. Merida pushed you out of the way and took an axe to the stomach." Flynn winced at the mention of that event. "In your mind, you should have been the one to act," Jack said, "There were many people we saved, but also many we couldn't get to in time. And that's not the Flynn Rider you want to be. That's not the one from the book you love so much. The one who always succeeds in his adventures. The one who never fails to protect the ones he cares about."

Flynn kept staring at the floor. The way he bit his lip told Hiccup that Jack had been right.

"But that Flynn Rider isn't real," Hiccup blurted out in his eagerness to reassure Flynn, "And if he was, he wouldn't always succeed in everything he does. I understand wanting to measure up. I probably understand it better than most. But you'll never be able to measure up to a fictional character. Because you're not the Flynn Rider from the book. You're the real one. The human one. And that's much better."

"How's that better?" Flynn mumbled.

Hiccup met Jack's eyes and they smiled at each other. "Because you fight for what you believe in," Jack said, leaning forward to get a better look at Flynn's face, "And everything you accomplish, everything you protect is worth so much more, because of that. You're flawed, just like everyone else. You feel. You think. You doubt yourself. But you always do everything in your power to help those you love and to do what's right. That's what makes you so much more amazing than the Flynn Rider from the book will ever be."

Flynn picked at his nails. The reflection of the flames swirled in his eyes. Hiccup imagined that must be what his mind was like; swaying and swirling, trying to determine if he believed their words and should act on them, or whether he should keep pushing his feelings down.

After a moment of silence, Jack spoke again. "He doesn't have to deal with all the shit that real humans do and overcome it to achieve his victories. But you do and you do it so well. None of us can ever prevent every bad thing that happens, mate. We just can't. Sometimes things get pushed out of our control. Don't blame yourself for that." Jack put a hand on Flynn's arm.

"If you blame yourself for it, you have to blame the rest of us too," Hiccup said, "We couldn't protect and save everyone either. Every one of us wish we could have saved Mavis and Merida from getting damaged for life. Every one of us wish we could have saved every Berkian and every dragon. But what good is it going to do to blame ourselves? All it's going to do is poison our lives and make it that much harder to live," Hiccup said and thought back to the times, he'd seen tribesmen sick with guilt and regret, even from wars fought before he was born. Some never got to let go.

"It's impossible to win all the battles," Jack said and let go of Flynn's arm, "Even for someone as great as you."

Hiccup smiled but Flynn still avoided eye contact. "You have a lot of good traits and a lot of skills, Flynn," he said, "Being superhuman isn't one of them."

Flynn rubbed his forehead. "I know you're right, mates. It's just hard to feel better about everything that happened."

"We understand that," Jack said, "We blame ourselves for some things too. I think that's unavoidable. But the only way we could have done anything differently, is if we'd already known exactly how everything was going to play out. But no one knew that."

"You need to start forgiving yourself," Hiccup said, "I know it's hard. I think it's hard too. But the only thing the guilt does is make our lives miserable."

"No one holds anything against you, Flynn," Jack said, "You've done nothing wrong. Mavis and Merida know we did everything we could."

"Yeah," Flynn said, the word barely audible. His breathing had sped up.

"Now we need to find a way to be happy, despite everything that's happened," Hiccup said, rubbing his arm, "It's much easier said than done, but the first step is to let yourself feel everything. One thing I've learned from watching battle traumatized Berkians is that it's important to let yourself hurt. If you don't, you're not healing. You're keeping the guilt and the regret and the stress inside you. And some day, they'll come bursting out, and they'll be so much stronger, because instead of slowly drowning them, you fed them."

Flynn fidgeted with his hands. The unshed tears in his eyes gleamed, golden and glassy, like the fire was melting his defenses.

"Hic's right," Jack said, "We're all struggling, and we all wish we didn't have to. But we need to do it. That's the only way we can continue our lives."

"Will you please just let us in?" Hiccup asked, "Tell us about the helplessness."

Flynn bit his lip. He blinked repeatedly.

"I promise, no matter what you say, no matter how you feel, we'll be here for you," Jack said, "We love you and we just want to see you get better. None of us are undamaged but at least we're all alive. We're all still together, and we always will be."

The end of Jack's words smashed Flynn's last barriers. Flynn leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. His sharp breaths were loud among the soft crackle of flames.

Jack hurried out of his chair. He tilted Flynn's head up. Tears branched out like shimmering veins on Flynn's cheeks. Jack sat down next to him in the large chair, and pulled him into his arms. Flynn rested his head on Jack's shoulder, facing away from them. Hiccup could feel the vulnerability from his friend, like it was pulsing inside his own brain.

Staying in Jack's arms, avoiding eye contact, Flynn explained which memories and feelings chewed on him with the sharpest teeth. How he felt responsible for Merida's and Mavis' injuries, because he wasn't quick enough to prevent them. How he thought it should have been him to have an axe lodged in his stomach, instead of Merida pushing him out of the way. How he should have been more alert in the moment Mavis was ambushed. He even blamed himself for Jack's near death experience, because he didn't see the archer in time, and Rapunzel getting beaten, because she was the one to go looking for healing items instead of him.

They stayed in the Gryffindor common room until the sun began to rise, spilling it's mild, golden light onto the stone walls, illuminating the scarlet tapestries. They spoke of their regrets and their guilt, of some of the worst things they'd seen, done, and been unable to do. It was a demanding talk. One that wore on his mind like a sharp rock grating on a piece of string. But when they reached a natural end to the sharing, it was like the words he had said were tainted and had needed to leave his body.

* * *

When winter came around, and the snow covered the world in its shimmering splendor, the first sense of genuine normalcy found its way back to Hiccup. The way Jack's steps had an extra bounce in them, the way the castle was decorated with lights and shining ornaments, the way the soft dragon scarf Rapunzel had knitted him years ago fit snugly around his neck. There were moments he forgot they were still misplaced here. Fleeting blinks of an eye, where they had never left Hogwarts at all. Snowball fights, sledding on the large hills, competing in who could build the biggest snowman. The childish spark winter brought was enough for them to find some peace among the struggles. Their annual trip to Hogsmeade to buy presents, eat candy and look at the decorations had a soft hope sprouting inside him. A hope that they'd eventually be okay.

The winter holidays and Jól celebrations were hard to get through without his dad. Having all these new responsibilities in arranging the major events on Berk, only reminded him of how great his dad used to be at it and how he wished he was still alive. Astrid, Fishlegs and Jack were a great support, helping him organize everything and comforting him, when the pressure and the longing was overwhelming.

* * *

The silence of the abandoned library was a safe cocoon, sheltering them from curious students. The thick stone walls and the fireplaces had a delicate warmth settling in his bones. The hard frost left beautiful markings on the old castle windows, pale whites and blues swirling in flowery patterns. Hiccup's fingers tingled to touch the cold glass. Most people in the castle were at lunch, but their little group spent some time together in the library after a study session. Jim, Harry and Liam ended up joining them, having finished their own homework.

"I imagine him being even more intimidating one on one," Harry said.

"Actually, he's surprisingly laid back," Jack said, lifting his feet out of his shoes. He was wearing those ridiculous socks, red with Viking heads on them, their helmets wrapped with tinsel and holly. Sure, the Viking helmets had horns on them. But Hiccup could overlook that, because he couldn't help but smile every time he saw them. It had been a gift from Emma. Where she had found such a horrible thing, he had no idea.

Jim's eyes turned narrow, when he shot a skeptical look at Jack. "Really?"

"Yeah," Jack said and kicked the shoes under the table. He leaned back on the armchair. "I mean, obviously, he's still wants discipline and wants me to focus, I'm not allowed to take the piss, but… He's more relaxed one on one, and I even got him to smile at a joke I made the other day."

"Wauw," Harry said, "That's impressive. I don't think I've ever seen Professor Bunnymund smile."

"Well… I feel like we've reached an understanding," Jack said, "Which is good timing, since there aren't many months till our final exams."

"Way to charm the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher," Flynn said and waggled his eyebrows. Rapunzel rested her head on his lap. He stroked her hair. "I've seen him smile," Rapunzel said, sitting up, "I've actually made him smile."

"Yeah, that was great," Hiccup said. He felt like Professor Bunnymund had a certain fondness of Rapunzel after that day.

"What?" Merida said, pausing in her mission to kill off a packet of sweets quickly and efficiently.

"How?" Jack and Flynn said in unison.

"We'd done Easter projects in Art class, and I'd made these really detailed glass Easter eggs with painted Spring flowers and plants on them. Anyway, me and Hiccup were heading to our next class, and we saw Professor Bunnymund come towards us". Rapunzel's eyes turned sympathetic from the memory. "He just, he looked like he was having such a bad day, and I felt like I needed to cheer him up. So, I wished him a happy Easter and gave him one of the glass eggs."

"And then he smiled," Hiccup said, "And thanked her."

"That's impressive, Punzie," Jack said, "You made his day."

"Well, how could she not?" Fishlegs said, with a glimpse of pride in his eyes, "Those eggs were beautiful. I got one too."

While Rapunzel and Fishlegs described to the others what the eggs looked like, Hiccup's attention was drawn to Mavis. She shifted in her seat, like she was unable to sit comfortably. She grinded her teeth.

"Phantom sensations?" he said and leaned closer to her. The others stopped their conversation.

"Yeah," she said and pulled her legs up on the chair. She wrapped her arm around them, and let her prosthetic hang by her side.

"Does it hurt?" Jim asked, his voice quiet, like he was almost afraid of asking.

"No," Mavis said. She didn't look at anyone. "It's just very… unnerving. It feels like it's still there and the skin is sort of prickling."

"But when you have them, Hiccup, it hurts a lot, doesn't it?" Liam asked.

"Yeah, but that's different," Hiccup said, "I have phantom pains. Mavis has phantom sensations."

"Oh," Liam said, "I didn't know there was a difference."

"A big one," Hiccup said. He took Mavis' hand and pulled it off her legs. He ran his thumb over her knuckles.

"That must be horrible… For both of you," Harry said.

"I'm sort of used to it by now," Hiccup said, "I think it's worse for Mavis, because she hasn't had much time to adjust yet."

Harry, Liam and Jim all nodded with understanding in their eyes. Understanding that faded into hurt. The kind that came from being on the other side of a gorge of secrets. The kind you didn't allow to morph into words, because you knew the ones that left you there, the ones holding the secrets, had a pain of their own. A pain greater than yours.

They sank into silence. Hiccup glanced at his friends one by one. Avoidant eyes, lips clenched between teeth, fingers picking at nails or tugging at sleeves. Their hearts were just as conflicted as his. One moment, closeness. Next moment, distance. It was safer to stay on the other side of the gorge, where the distance shielded you. But if they could all be on the same side, if they could bring their friends with them, they could throw the hurt between them away.

Jack cleared his throat. Everyone's careful eyes found him. "Uhm… This is hard but… Maybe it's time. What do you think, guys?"

"I'm okay with them knowing but… I don't want to be the one doing the talking," Mavis said. Her hand slipped out of Hiccup's. She scratched the shoulder her arm used to be attached to.

"Yeah, me too…" Rapunzel said and looked at Pascal resting in her lap. She leaned against Flynn's arm.

"I think… It would be a good idea to tell them," Merida said. Flynn and Fishlegs nodded to show their agreement.

"Hic?" Jack said, "What do you think?"

He pulled on one of his braids. "I know we can trust you," he said, looking at Harry, Jim and Liam, "And… I'm fine with telling you most of what happened. But there are some things we can't tell you. For safety reasons. So…if you're okay with that, and if you're okay with never telling anyone else, once you know, then I think Jack's right. It's time to tell you."

"Of course, we're okay with that," Jim said and the way his voice turned soft almost made Hiccup feel guilty for asking in the first place.

"Yeah. And you don't have to tell us anything you don't want to or can't for some reason," Harry said.

Liam nodded. "We just… We'd like to know what happened to our friends. We're not asking for all the details, just something that can make us understand, why you're struggling. Why Mavis lost her arm. Why you're all having anxiety issues in one way or another. And nightmares."

"I know it can't have been easy for you guys, just watching us all being different and having a hard time, and not knowing why and not being able to help," Flynn said.

"We really appreciate, that you've let us do things at our own pace," Jack said.

"Yeah… Thank you," Mavis said.

"There's no need to thank us for that," Jim said, "It hasn't been easy, no. We've been worried about all of you, but you have clearly gone through something terrible. We didn't want to make you struggle even more."

The appreciation showed in his friends' eyes. Hiccup gave them a hesitant smile. It was never easy to talk about what had happened. But each time left him feeling more at peace.

"I'm not sure where to start…" Jack said, rubbing his neck.

"Maybe you could start by telling us, why you left Hogwarts in the first place?" Liam suggested.

"Yeah, of course..." Jack said and turned to Hiccup and the others, "And if any of you have something to add or want to talk about something specific, please just interrupt me."

Hiccup suspected Jack took it upon himself to be the main story teller, so he could spare the rest of them from it. Always the protector. Despite the intense situation ahead, he smiled. A thought shot into his mind. "Muffliato," he said and cast the spell that would fill any eavesdroppers' ears with a buzzing sound instead of their conversation.

"Good thinking," Flynn said.

"Okay," Jack said and took a deep breath, "It started when Merida and I saw Hiccup and Fishlegs and Rapunzel running towards the forest. Hiccup screamed Astrid's name and she started going after them. I realized there was only one thing, that could make him act like that…"

By the time, Jack and the rest of them had finished telling their story, the sunlight hid behind the dark evening sky. The old lamps on the stone walls cast a rich, yellow light among the packed bookcases and shelves. The library was as empty as when they had started, except for the librarian, whose heels clacked on the wooden floorboards, loud and sharp in the silence.

"And then we came back to Hogwarts," Jack said and cleared his throat.

Harry, Jim and Liam had been silent throughout, giving them all the room they needed to tell the story. It said something about Harry, Jim and Liam; choosing to save the questions and the emotional outbursts until the end. It made it easier to get the words out.

"Shit…" Harry said, shaking his head.

"I can't believe you went through all that," Jim said.

Liam stayed silent, watching the table with unshed tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry," Harry said. Hiccup wasn't used to seeing pain on Harry's face. He was always grinning and joking around like nothing could hurt him. "I'm sorry this happened to you."

"Me too," Liam said. His voice was hoarse.

Jim nodded. His eyes were conflicted. "I feel like I should say something encouraging… Or something meaningful. But I can't. All I'm thinking is that I wish you didn't have to go through that. And I wish we could have helped somehow."

"You shouldn't blame yourself for anything," Rapunzel said, finishing her words with a sympathetic smile.

"No, don't blame yourselves," Hiccup said. None of them needed more blame. It was like a poison swimming under their skin. "It was our choice to leave, and you weren't even given the choice to come with us."

"What happened, happened," Merida said. She glanced at the packet of sweets on the table, but didn't touch it. "None of us can change it."

"You're right," Harry said, "I guess the only thing we can do, is be there for you guys now."

"Yeah," Liam said, rubbing his eyes, "Please… Let us help you. If there's anything you need, now or later, even if it's just something small, let us know."

Jim nodded. "It would be nice to be able to help with this. Must be a huge burden to bear."

"It is," Jack said, "But it helps a lot to have good friends for support."

"It really does," Hiccup said, "We're going to continue having problems for a long time. Maybe they'll never go away. But it gets easier to deal with, when you have someone to share it with."

"Well, you can share it with us too, now," Harry said, the words falling quickly from his lips.

Hiccup hadn't known Harry, Jim and Liam for as long as Jack, Flynn, Mavis and Merida had. He was unaware of which other secrets they had shared between them, which other hardships they had helped each other through. But he knew their story would be kept safe with them, and that they would do their best to support him and the others.

* * *

Leaving a place that has warmed your heart is like floating in a sea, where sadness and excitement swirls together in salty splashes, until you can no longer separate them. Hiccup had made lifelong friends at Hogwarts. He had found love. He had grown and developed his skills. He had found a place, where he belonged, before he even felt like a part of his tribe.

The graduation ceremony and the following feast was surreal in its splendor. The tables were stacked with delicious foods on sparkling silver plates and bowls. The silver shone brightly against the rich table cloths in the House colors. Since this was their last time in the Great Hall, and many students had friends from different Houses, the usual rule of having to sit at your House table had been discarded. Elegant flower arrangements brought a touch of lush green to the tables. The Frog Choir gave a memorable performance, their voices sounding even more beautiful than usual, as they sung about goodbyes and new beginnings. Whether it was because of his nostalgia and sadness, or because they had practiced hard, he didn't know. The Headmaster gave a long speech about how proud he was of all of them, and how they could put their skills to good use in the future. Hiccup would miss Headmaster Lunar and his wisdom.

During the feast, the eager chatter in the Hall buzzed with nervous anticipation. Hiccup imagined it was the fear of losing precious friends that created most of the anxiety among the happiness. What would happen, when people you were used to seeing every day were no longer around you all the time? Was your friendship strong enough to survive, when your lives broke apart, and you had to make an effort to keep each other close? These thoughts occupied his mind, as he stuck his fork in and out of a potato.

"Hic? You okay?" Jack said and nudged his shoulder.

"Hmm?" he said and stopped stabbing the poor, defenseless potato, "Yeah, I'm okay. All of this is just so bittersweet."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Jack said and put a hand on his shoulder, "It's going to be sad not coming back here anymore. All the great times we've had here."

"Yeah, this place's been a second home to us," Mavis said and sighed. She still had tears in her eyes from the Headmaster's speech.

"If it wasn't for this place, I never would have met any of you," Flynn said and glanced at each of them. Hiccup realized just how much he appreciated seeing the soft sides of Flynn, the sides that were often buried underneath confidence and humor.

Jack smiled. "I still remember it so clearly… Meeting you and the girls on the Hogwarts Express. We were all so nervous."

"And small," Merida said and grinned.

"And inexperienced," Mavis added.

"It's a good thing we quickly bonded over candy and fart jokes," Flynn said. They all chuckled at that.

"And then Hic and Punzie and Fish," Jack said, "It was only like two years ago. It feels like a lot longer."

"That's because we can't imagine life without them now," Flynn said.

"Aww," Rapunzel said and kissed Flynn on the cheek.

Hiccup took Jack's hand under the table. Jack leaned his head against Hiccup's shoulder. If his secret about the dragons had never come to light, if he and Jack hadn't bumped into each other twice in a few days, maybe all of this would never have happened. Hiccup tightened his grip on Jack's hand.

"Likewise," Fishlegs said, his soft smile showing how touched he was.

"I just hope we don't drift apart," Rapunzel said, the fondness in her eyes melting into concern.

"Come here," Flynn said and wrapped his arms around Rapunzel.

"Don't worry too much," Mavis said, "I know people often say "Oh, we'll definitely be friends forever." But in our case, it's true. Think about all the things we've been through together. There's no way that bond is just going to break, once we leave Hogwarts."

Hiccup nodded. "It won't. But I'm going to miss having you guys around all the time."

Mavis' smile was touched and sad at the same time. Merida rubbed her eyes with a sleeve, probably to conceal that she was tearing up.

"We'll miss you too, Freckles," Flynn said, "But hey, we can all apparate now, so… We can visit each other in the blink of an eye!"

"That's true," Rapunzel said, "We can come to Berk any time we want, and you guys can come over here, whenever you're available."

"That's a comforting thought," Jack said, "And even though I'll miss you all, at least I'll still have Hic and Fish around every day."

"You know…" Fishlegs said, shifting in his seat, "I don't think I ever said this, but I'm really glad you're coming back with us, Jack."

"Don't make my heart melt like that, you charmer," Jack said. Hiccup couldn't help but laugh.

"Maybe we should have at least one day a week, where we get together," Merida suggested, "To make sure that life doesn't get in the way all the sudden, and we don't get to see each other, as much as we'd like."

"That's fine with me," Jack said and the rest of them quickly agreed. "What about every Sunday? No excuses. We avoid making plans that day, and unless we're, like, bedridden with the flu or something, we meet up, come Hel or high water."

"It's a deal," Flynn said.

Rapunzel did a small jump in her seat. "That's such a relief."

"Don't worry Rapunzel, you're not getting rid of us," Merida said.

"Thank goodness for that," Rapunzel said, her mouth splitting into a bright smile.

Saying goodbye to their fellow students was a tear inducing experience. People they'd shared laughter and good times with, but weren't close enough to call friends. They were like a kiss; sweet and soft, gone from their lives from one moment to the next, with only a vague memory of the warmth. They'd forever be a reminder of how comforting a home Hogwarts had been.

Hiccup, Rapunzel and Fishlegs said goodbye to the House mates they'd talked to during the years. Not seeing them in classes, not hearing their laughter and eager chatting in the common room, it was a strange thought. They would never lay eyes on most of them again. Maybe even all of them. It was a tender moment, every Ravenclaw in their year saying goodbye to each other. Some shed silent tears and shared tender hugs. Others gave awkward handshakes and muttered words of appreciation. Several promised to stay in touch with each other.

The Gryffindors were more expressive in their sorrow. He watched Jack and the others take part in a chaos of fierce hugs, hard pats on the back and loud words of love and sadness. Some Gryffindors were sobbing in their friends' arms. Jack and Liam held each other close. Jim had a firm grip on Flynn's shoulders and made him promise they'd stay in touch. Mavis cried openly, when she embraced some of her Frog Choir friends one by one. Even Merida shed a tear, when she and Harry shared a long, soft hug, and she ruffled his long, blonde hair.

In time, everyone moved on to saying goodbye to everyone they knew from other houses. Hiccup and Liana shared a hug. He told her to stay in touch, if she wanted to. He even shared a soft goodbye with Sam, who told him and Jack to take care of each other.

When the time came to sit in the Hogwarts Express for the final time, there were no words spoken between them. Hiccup rested his head against Jack and stared at the hills and trees swimming past the window like memories. The train rumbled and creaked, a familiar melody that would be missing in his life. Every kilometer they moved further away from Hogwarts severed his connection to his second home. The emptiness in his chest was sharp and unforgiving.

He glanced at his friends from time to time, trying to memorize these last moments. Rapunzel and Flynn holding each other, Pascal sleeping on Rapunzel's shoulder. Merida eating candy from the trolley, but with less eagerness than usual. Fishlegs trying to read a book but failing. He'd been on the same page for the last 20 minutes. Mavis staring out of the window too, the blurring landscapes mirrored in her shining eyes. Hiccup breathed in slowly, like he could inhale the presence of his friends, and keep them in his lungs. They all shed painful tears, when they parted ways at King's Cross station.

* * *

The more practice he got with apparating, the less nauseated he felt, when the world spun around him in frantic bursts of color, and every particle in his body was pulled in different directions. The cozy living room with the large fireplace and huge couches full of soft pillows came into view. He blinked and steadied his legs. It felt like his kneecaps were melting. A big shape came charging towards him, and Jack didn't have to get a proper look to know who it was.

"Jack! My boy!" North yelled, his loud, excited voice a welcoming sound in Jack's ears.

"North!" Jack said and threw himself into North's strong embrace.

"So good to see you!" North said, holding him tightly. North's big arms may have been borderline bone crushing, but there was no person that gave more loving and enthusiastic hugs.

Anna and Emma came into the living room. Their smiles were bright, when they spotted him.

"It's good to see you too," Jack said, as North let go of him, "I've missed you all!"

"Especially me, right?" Emma said and winked.

"Who are you?"

Emma punched him in the arm. "Oww!" he said, "Fine, especially you, Kiddo."

Emma nodded with a satisfied smile. Jack lifted her into the air and swung her around. Emma laughed, and the sound was like the trickle of raindrops to a thirsty man. Gods, he had missed her. Anna came over and pulled him into a soft hug. She was all motherly warmth and kisses on top of his head.

"So… You guys ready to go to Berk?" he asked, wiggling his toes out of pure eagerness.

"Yes!" Emma said and jumped up and down, "I can't wait to see Hiccup, and all the dragons!"

"Well, let's go then! No time to waste," Jack said, "Just grab onto me, and we'll be there in a second. You might feel a little nauseated though."

North waved his hand dismissively. "We can handle."

"Okay. Grab on to me," he said, "Ouch, North, please do it without breaking my arm."

"Oops," North said and loosened his death grip.

"Okay. One. Two. Three," Jack counted. The living room turned into fluid stripes of light and color. The tugging sensations pulled at his skin. Anna and Emma squeaked and screamed, while North groaned.

They appeared at the edge of the village, between the last row of houses and the forest. The first thing Emma did on Berk was vomit. Anna didn't look too good either, but she focused on helping Emma, holding her hair back and talking to her in a soft voice.

North wobbled and steadied himself against a big rock. "North?" Jack said and grinned, "Are you okay?"

"Sure, sure," North said, "Takes more than little loop de loop feelings to bring Russian down."

"Of course, it does, dear," Anna said and chuckled.

Emma's nausea was quickly forgotten, when she looked up into the sky, where several Deadly Nadders and Monstrous Nightmares swooshed by with riders on their backs. "Wow!"

"Are you okay now, Em?" Jack said, stroking her back.

"Yeah, yeah, fine," she said, "Just felt a little sick."

"Yeah, that's normal," Jack said, "Even North doesn't feel too good, although he won't admit it."

"Hey!" North said and pointed a large finger at Jack, "I will admit, when there's something to admit."

"So, this is Berk," Anna said and spun around, taking in the rough cliffs and wild pine forests, the clash of waves and fresh ocean breeze, the rustic village ahead with its wooden houses and stone statues.

"Yup," Jack said with a surge of pride, "This is my home."

"It looks wonderful," Anna said. She breathed in deeply. "All the raw nature and fresh air. And… There's something ancient about it."

"I know what you mean," Jack said, looking at the endless woods, allowed to grow wild and free.

When they neared the village, Emma ran towards a big Gronckle sleeping peacefully by one of the wooden houses. It's snoring was so loud, Jack was surprised it wasn't sucking the wooden planks straight off the house.

"Emma!" Anna said and reached out to hold her back. But Emma was too quick.

"It's fine, don't worry," Jack said, "Dragons only harm people, if they're a threat. And the dragons here are great with kids."

"Oh, okay," Anna said, her face turning calmer. Her hands were still fidgeting. Jack couldn't blame her. He was used to dragons. His family wasn't.

"Hi there," Emma said and petted the Gronckle's head carefully. The Gronckle opened its eyes just enough to see, who was disturbing its sleep. Emma scratched it on the neck. The Gronckle let itself fall to its side, exposing its belly. Jack had heard explosions at Hogwarts less noisy.

Emma laughed and scratched its belly. The Gronckle let out low, content sounds. Snot bubbled from its nostrils.

"What a beauty you are, my friend!" North said and patted the Gronckle on the side, "Big and proud! Strong! I bet you could knock over house!"

The pride in the Gronckle's eyes and the goofy smile on its face were unmistakable. Jack laughed.

"What's its name?" Emma said.

"I… Actually, I don't remember. But I know it belongs to Rúna. She's your age."

"Really?" Emma said, large eyes reminding him of a cute animal.

"Yeah, she-"

"Hiccup!" Emma shouted and sprinted past him.

"Okay then," Jack said and laughed, "Nice talking to you, sis."

Anna and North shared his laughter.

"Hi Emma!" Hiccup said and waved. Emma had other plans though. She jumped into his arms, and Hiccup's face turned from surprise to affection in a few seconds. He held on to her and stroked her hair, until he gently let her down on the ground again.

"Hiccup, it's so good to see you! We've missed you," Anna said and pulled Hiccup in for a much gentler hug.

"Thank you, I've missed you all too."

"Hiccup! Come here!" North said and lifted Hiccup into a tight hug. His massive arms enveloping Hiccup was like a pair of pythons strangling their prey. Jack was half expecting a cracking noise

"Hi North," Hiccup wheezed.

"Let the poor boy go," Anna said and shook her head, "You're going to break his spine."

"Nonsense!" North said and laughed. Nonetheless, he let Hiccup go.

Jack would have felt sorrier for Hiccup, if it wasn't because he looked so funny, all large eyes and red cheeks and difficulty breathing.

"So, where did you come from?" Anna said.

"Well, I was just over at the workshop and-"

"WORKSHOP!" North's eyes sparkled and his mouth hung open, resembling a kid who had just been informed Disneyland was around the corner.

Hiccup flinched. "Yeah, it's right over there, if you want to-"

Jack jumped out of the way, when North came surging forwards. It never ceased to surprise him, how fast a man that big could move. North grabbed Hiccup's hand and began dragging him in the direction of the workshop.

"Help, I'm being kidnapped!" Hiccup yelled, his scared expression morphing into a grin.

"Only friendly kidnapping!" North said.

"Sorry, Hic!" Jack yelled, "Can't help you! See you later!"

Hiccup laughed, as North all but shoved him around a corner.

"Well, we're not going to be able to make contact with those two for a while, so… How about I give you guys the rest of the tour?" Jack said.

Anna chuckled. "I think that's a great idea, Sweetie."

"Yeah, let them get all the dorkiness out of their system," Emma said.

"There's no workshop big enough to do that, Sis."

Jack had only lead them a little further through the village, before Fishlegs and Meatlug came into view, Fishlegs carrying a saddle under one arm.

"Anna, Emma. This is Fishlegs," Jack said and gave Fishlegs a bright smile.

"Hello Fishlegs," Anna said and reached out her hand, "Jack's told me so much about you in his letters."

Fishlegs' smile seemed equally happy and embarrassed. He shook her hand. "Well, he's told me a lot about you guys too. It's good to finally meet you."

"You too," Anna said and looked at Meatlug, "Is this your dragon? Meatlug?"

"Yes, this is my little princess!" Fishlegs said and patted Meatlug's head.

"She's adorable!" Emma said and scratched Meatlug's shoulder.

"She is indeed!" Fishlegs agreed.

"Yeah, she's lovely," Anna said, "It's so exciting to see all these dragons! There are so many different kinds!"

"Yes," Fishlegs said, "And we keep discovering new species too."

"That's amazing!" Emma said, "You must have the best job in the whole world! Dragon rider and explorer!"

The sparkle in Fishlegs' eyes was unmistakable. Emma had hit the jackpot of compliments. "Well…" Fishlegs said and suppressed one of his giggles, "I certainly wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world."

"Of course, you wouldn't," Jack said, "Well, we've taken up enough of your time. I know you're heading to Gobber's workshop to get that saddle fixed. Beware though… Hiccup and North are in full geek-mode over there," he said and laughed.

"I'll join them then! Maybe they can fix this saddle right away."

"Yeah, maybe," Jack said, "See you later, Fish."

They strolled through the village, where the Vikings went about their daily business. The scent of freshly baked bread and smoked sausages never failed to make Jack's mouth fill with saliva. Tools clinking and dragons roaring were sounds of home to him. Seeing leather hanging to dry, wool being turned to yarn, Vikings making everything from shoes to tools to dragon gear had become familiar to him in the few months, he had lived here. But for Anna and Emma it was a whole new experience. The rustic, wooden houses with carvings of runes and figures from Norse mythology, and the stone statues of famous Viking gods and heroes particularly fascinated Anna, who kept asking Jack questions about the old myths and legends. Emma was eager to get a closer look at the crafts the different villagers were making, and the Vikings let her ask all the questions she wanted, about what they were doing and how.

"I love it," Anna said, running her hands over a wooden pillar decorated with rune carvings, "It's just all so different! Have you gotten used to living here already, or do you think it will take a little while longer?"

"I've actually gotten used to it pretty quickly," Jack said, glancing around the village. Emma's eyes went large and stared at one of the villagers, who was lifted up by his dragon to work on fixing a rooftop.

"That's great, dear," Anna said, "I'm so happy for you. And for Hiccup too of course."

"Thanks, Anna" Jack said.

"And it's just amazing that he's the leader of this whole island," she said. Her smile faltered. "Such a young age for that kind of responsibility. Is he handling it well? I've been a little worried, since you wrote it in your letter."

"He's doing really well, yeah. Obviously, he misses his dad a lot. And he doubts himself often. But he's doing such a good job, and everyone thinks he's a great leader," Jack said, almost stumbling over the words in his haste to reassure Anna.

"I can tell you're really proud of him."

"I am," he said, his lips threatening to split into a grin.

"Do you miss your Playstation and X-box? And your computer?" Emma said.

"Not really," Jack said, "I mean, I'll admit, the internet would be a really great thing to have out here, but… I don't actually need it."

"Well, you get plenty of excitement in other ways," Anna said, "Being around dragons and Vikings all the time."

"Exactly," he said, "It's rarely boring out here. The only thing I really miss about it is kicking your ass in every game, Sis."

"That's not true!" Emma slapped his arm. "I win sometimes!"

"Sure, you do," Jack said and winked just to provoke her.

"You winked!" Emma protested, stomping a foot into the ground.

"I did no such thing," Jack said.

Emma narrowed her eyes and motioned with her hands that she was keeping an eye on him. He laughed and grabbed her hand, tugging her along.

"There are so many dragons everywhere!" Anna said, her eyes flickering between the many dragons that not only flew above them, but also took up quite a lot of room in the village.

"I hope you'll get your own dragon!" Emma said.

"Me too, Em. Me too," he said, "But you can't rush these things. Hiccup says, that when I meet the dragon, I can form a strong bond with, I'll just know it. So, I'm counting on that."

"Well, Hiccup should know," Anna said.

"Wauw, look at that one!" Emma shouted and pointed towards something.

Grump and Gobber were heading in the direction of the workshop. Grump had piles of logs stacked on his back, and Gobber carried some weapons that needed mending.

Emma ran towards them and stopped abruptly in front of Grump. Gobber smiled at her. "If you want to pet him, he likes to be scratched on the head." Emma didn't need to hear that twice. She launched into a petting attack, scratching Grump's strong scales eagerly.

He and Anna watched in silence for a moment, both with a smile on their face.

"Jack," Anna said, "Now that Emma's busy, I thought I'd ask… How's everything going with the Vikings, who… Attacked Hiccup? The ones who didn't want him to be in charge? The last thing you mentioned was that most of them died in the fight, but there were a few survivors, who had been imprisoned."

Jack sighed. "Yeah. They have been exiled from the archipelago. They're never allowed to return."

"Exiled? Isn't that a very… Mild sentence for trying to kill him?"

He scratched his neck. "That was my first thought too. But Hiccup is almost a pacifist, and there's no way he would agree to execute them. And I wouldn't want that either, but… It was hard to find a solution, because we also couldn't just let them go."

"So, what did it end up with?"

"Hiccup discussed the matter with the tribe, and he suggested that they exiled them. They all agreed on that. And like you, I thought it was a mild sentence at first. But then Hiccup told me more about it. About what it means to be exiled in Viking culture, and how many Vikings actually see it as a punishment worse than death."

The wrinkles on Anna's forehead showed her confusion. "How is that worse than death?"

"You need to understand that honor and community is everything in Viking culture. Your tribe, your family, your ancestors. You gain honor by being brave and skilled and generous. And by being loyal and kind to your tribe and your loved ones. If you're exiled, you lose all your honor, and you're pushed out of the tribe and out of your family. You lose all the protection and the privilege you had."

Anna nodded, biting her lip.

"No one is allowed to help you or support you in any way, and everyone who sees you is permitted to kill you without being punished for it afterwards. So, basically, you become almost everything Vikings loathe: a person with no honor, no kin, no tribe. A coward and weak person. A lot of Vikings would rather die, and at least gain a little honor back by facing their death with courage instead of going through exile."

"I see…" Anna said, "So they're forced to leave the archipelago, because they have no one to turn to, and they'll probably be killed, if they run into anyone?"

"Exactly."

"That's a… Very different mentality than I'm used to,"

"I know," Jack said, "Same here. But that's the way things are done here. And that was the only way Hiccup could spare their lives". Jack thought back to the discussion about the war hostages. How it had also been Hiccup's idea to give the prisoners from the hostile tribes the choice between death and exile, and how he had come up with a plan to let their wives and kids be integrated into Berk's ally tribes, so there wouldn't be a blood feud.

"I understand that," Anna said, "I must admit that I worry. About both of you. Having to deal with such things. You're too young for that."

"Yeah," Jack said, "But that's the way it has to be. We'll handle it."

"You will," Anna agreed, "I'm just concerned, you know? But it's the right thing, you moving here to be with Hiccup. I don't like the danger lurking around here, but I can see how happy you two are together, and that's what I want for you, Sweetie."

"Thank you," Jack said and closed the gap between them, wrapping his arms around Anna.

Anna kissed him on the cheek and stroked his back. "I'm relieved you two seem to be doing better and better though," Anna said, "It was a horrible sight, seeing you for the first time after the war. I was so happy and relieved you were both alive, and your friends too of course, but you all looked so... There was something different about your eyes. Like you'd seen things you'd never forget and aged 20 years since I last saw you."

"Yeah, I know," Jack said, "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"There's no need to be sorry, Jack," Anna said, holding him tighter, "We're a family. And families aren't just there for each other, when things are easy. We'll always be there for you, no matter what."

No words existed that could properly convey the gratitude he had for being a part of such a wonderful family.

"Jack! Gobber let me give Grump some fish!" Emma said, her voice full of wonder.

Jack broke into a fit of laughter, when he saw Emma. Anna was too surprised to make a sound. Dragon slobber clung to every inch of his sister, her hair and skin gleaming in the sunlight. Her eyes shone with childish glee, not dimmed in the slightest by how difficult it would be to get all the dragon slobber off.

"Nice going, Gobber!" Jack said.

"Hey, the lass had never fed a dragon before, how could I say no?" Gobber said and shrugged.

"Well kid," Jack said to Emma, "You're in for a long cleaning process."

"Aww, man," Emma whined.

"Go to that house over there," Jack said to Anna, "It's the healers' house. They'll have some soap that will help get the dragon slobber off. It's something we brought back from Diagon Alley, much more effective than regular soap. You can use their bath."

"We'll do that right away," Anna said and took Emma's hand, "I'm not walking around with that stinky rascal."

"Hey!" Emma objected.

"See you in a little while," Jack said, "I'll hang around nearby."

"Sure, no problem," Anna said.

"I hope I didn't cause any trouble," Gobber said, when Anna and Emma were out of sight.

"Nah, of course not," Jack said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Wasn't… What's his name… North supposed to come to?"

"Yeah, he and Hiccup are at the workshop. North loves tinkering. Just as much as you do, actually."

"Ah, I see!" Gobber said, "That's great. I might have to put them to work then!"

"You do that!" Jack said and laughed, imagining North repairing weapons with the same childish enthusiasm, as when he mended broken toys.

* * *

_His eyes burst open. He is burning. Flames under his skin eats him. He flails and rolls. Crawls. His screams rip through the air. Echoes in his brain. The pain erases everything. "What's happening to him?!" The voice is far away. Escape. He needs to escape. He shoves his nails into the ground. Escape. The pain grabs fistfuls of his skin. It peels it off him, his naked flesh bleeding. Burning. Ripping. He begs for it to stop. It tears his hair out. His screams are sharp in his skull. It pulls off his eyelids. "Don't stop!" someone screams from outside the bubble. Invisible fingers slam into his chest and breaks his ribs open. The world turns white._

He gasped for air, claws gripping his wind pipe. His clothes stuck to him, drops of cold sweat like a membrane over his skin. His heartbeat stomped against his ribs. Hard. Urgent.

"Hiccup! Hic! What's wrong?" Jack said.

Wooden walls surrounded him, reminding him that he was home. A vague reminder of sound. Did he scream? Toothless' was at the side of the bed in a second, staring at him with concerned eyes.

"Just… Just a bad dream," he said, balancing on that delicate edge between truth and lie. He petted Toothless' head to calm them both. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"A bad dream?" He could hear the skepticism in Jack's voice. "You're covered in cold sweat. You screamed."

He opened his eyes and let his fingers glide over Toothless' rough scales. They reminded him of the crunchy autumn leaves outside. "A nightmare," he said. He tried to catch his breath, but it was a slow process. "A really bad one,"

"About… The war?"

"Yeah," he said and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. "I'm okay, bud," he told Toothless, who lay down next to the bed to stay close.

Jack scooted closer. Hiccup could feel those piercing eyes on his face. Jack could read him better than anyone. Maybe that was why he was avoiding eye contact.

"What part?" Jack said.

He bit his lip, like that would stop the words from escaping. He knew the guilt Jack carried.

"Come on," Jack said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "You know it helps to talk about it."

"I don't want to lie to you," he said and finally met Jack's eyes.

"And you shouldn't have to," Jack said. His forehead wrinkled in confusion, but it evened out as he began to realize. "It… It was about what I did to you."

"Yeah," Hiccup said and tore his eyes off him, staring at the bedding. He couldn't bear the sadness that would be in Jack's eyes, and the stab of guilt it would shoot through him.

Jack sighed. "I thought I did the right thing." His voice was fragile, prepared to break into pieces.

The words had Hiccup snap his head to the side. He held Jack's gaze. "You did. You did the right thing. Don't ever question that."

"But I…" Jack began.

"Jack," Hiccup said and grabbed Jack's shoulders, "You did nothing wrong. You saved my life. But it was… Unbearable. And it might show up in my dreams sometimes, it's only been two years since the war ended. But I'll be okay, thanks to you."

Jack nodded, but the sadness in his eyes didn't disappear. That sadness could cut through Hiccup like ice shards.

"As long as I have you and Toothless, I'll be okay," Hiccup said, "You hear? I'll be okay."

"Yeah. I just…"

"What?"

"You don't know what it's like, Hic. To live with this. I know you don't think I did anything wrong, but I can still hear your screams sometimes. I can still see you writhing on the ground and claw your nails into the dirt, trying to escape… From me. I never- … I don't- ... I know, you've forgiven me. But I don't think, I've forgiven myself."

Hiccup moved closer and wrapped his arms around Jack. He stroked his neck and planted soft kisses along his shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to do, what you did," he mumbled against Jack's skin, "But it was necessary. Otherwise, I would be gone now."

"Yeah," Jack said and sighed, "I know. I guess it'll just take a while, before I can begin to let it go."

"I understand," Hiccup said and kissed a trail from Jack's shoulder to his cheek. He pulled their faces closer. He needed to make him understand. He could feel Jack's hot breath on his skin. "You're the reason I'm breathing. What you had to do was terrible," he said, "I can't even imagine, how you felt. But we'll get through it together, okay? It might take time, but we'll get there."

"You're right," Jack said, "I guess I'm just impatient."

"Well, patience's never really been your thing, now has it?" Hiccup said and gently placed his lips on Jack's forehead.

"Right, because you're just Mr. Patience, Patiencedrive number 1, Patienceshire."

"Uhm, yeah?" Hiccup said, unable to keep from smiling from the way Jack rolled his eyes, "I've earned that title. I'm in a relationship with _you_."

Jack's hand came out of nowhere and slapped him on the head. "I think that's enough arrogance, dragon boy."

Hiccup laughed and it sent soothing ripples through his body. "It's not arrogance, it's just the truth."

Jack struggled to keep his lips from parting into a grin. Gods, how he needed to see him smile.

"You and I have very different views of the truth," Jack said.

"I know we do. You still claim you can catch a fly with your eyes closed."

"I can!"

"No. You can't."

"You just don't have enough belief in my ninja skills."

"Jack, I've seen you trip and fall head first into a pile of Zippleback dung."

"Hey, someone planted that right in front of me!"

Hiccup shot him a deadpan look. "Of course, they did."

"You know, I've just about had it with your false sense of superiority," Jack said and sent a scowl his way.

"Oh yeah?" Hiccup said and gave Jack a crooked smile, "And what are you going to do about it?"

Hiccup barely got to finish the sentence, before Jack shot forwards and toppled him over. His back hit the bed. Jack's body landed on top of him in delicious closeness. Hiccup shut his eyes and dove into the sea of heat and moistness, consuming his boyfriend's mouth in slow and deep movements. Jack poked his tongue out, and Hiccup let him slither inside his mouth. Their wet tongues rolled around each other smoothly, sending zaps of excitement through Hiccup's bones and straight to his cock. How could Jack always have that effect on him? That addictive, electrifying effect that left him a giddy, intoxicated fool.

Hiccup weaved his fingers through Jack's hair, his hands as erratic as his heartbeat. He felt Jack's weight shift on top of him and, _oh fuck_, Jack was rubbing his dick against his. His breaths slipped into Jack's mouth in sharp puffs. The air between them was burning. It was the sweet reassurance they both needed. Despite everything, their love was safe and intact.

* * *

There's a difference between official and unofficial power. Hiccup knew that better than most. He carried both kinds. The frost bit into his cheeks, and his steps left crisp imprints in the snow through the village. The chilly air almost burned in his lungs, like inhaling fresh mint. There was something special about winter days, where the sky was a strong blue against the white landscape, and the sun turned the snow into glitter. It gave even a rough place like Berk a fairy tale touch.

His official power was hard to forget, his title giving him the necessary authority to carry out decisions on behalf of the tribe. The unofficial one was easier to take for granted sometimes. How his opinion on dragons and dragon related issues carried the most weight. How everyone looked to him for courage and inspiration in tough times. How the kids in the tribe looked up to him, because he did things differently.

He was not surprised to see Jack talking to a group of kids at the edge of the forest. The kids on Berk had fallen in love with Jack almost immediately. They adored his childish, mischievous spirit. How he was almost never too busy to play with them and make them laugh. They knew he was still a child at heart, more so than other adults, who also kept their inner child alive.

"Jack! Jack!", "Snowball fight!", "Come on, Jack!", "Snowballs!", the kids pleaded.

Hiccup didn't have to hear Jack reply to know what the answer was.

"Okay, it's free for all!" Jack said, running past the kids. He swung his wand and made heaps of snowballs appear among the blue sparks of the spells.

The kids cheered and ran towards the snowballs to grab as many as they could. The air filled with screams of delight and victorious outbursts. The kids' small feet crunched across the snow, running from attackers and hunting for their own targets. Jack's laughter rang out among the shrill children's voices, low and rich. He swerved around the running kids, making snowballs appear here and there. He ducked when one of the kids threw a snowball at him. "Better luck next time!" Jack taunted him.

Hiccup savored the sound of laughter. The pink noses and cheeks. They way Jack ran and dodged, like it was no effort at all. The snow lingered on the kids after each hit, a reminder of their wounded pride. After a while, they looked like they had been dipped in flour. Hiccup decided to approach, not feeling like an intruder now that they'd had some fun.

"Hi Hiccup!" "Hiccup!" "Hello!" the kids said, their eyes bright. The snowball fight ceased, as all their gazes fixed on him.

"Hi everyone. I know you're very busy here," Hiccup said and smiled, "But I need Jack right now."

"Sorry kids," Jack said and raised his chin, "The chief needs me. Very important stuff. He probably wants me to save him from some immensely stupid decision he's made."

"In your dreams, Snowflake."

"No, in my dreams you need me for something else entirely," Jack said and winked at him.

Hiccup laughed despite the warmth in his cheeks. Luckily, the kids seemed confused. Good. No need to traumatize them.

In the safety of their house, Hiccup slumped into a chair by the fire pit. Jack had made a cup of tea, his hands curling around the mug. Hiccup knew Jack had an unusually high tolerance of cold and could keep a snowball fight going for hours, but he still seemed to find comfort in the warmth after being outside.

"So… What is it that you need me for?" Jack said and took a sip of the tea.

"I just had a meeting with Astrid and Fishlegs."

"Yeah?"

"I'd like you to join them."

Jack put the cup down. "Join them? As in… You mean…"

"I'd like you to be my advisor. My second in command, along with Astrid and Fishlegs."

Jack nodded. "Wauw… Thanks, Hic. That's a big responsibility."

"It is," he agreed, "And you can say no, of course. But you're a part of Berk now. And you're my boyfriend. I would like you to be able to make decisions too and to guide me."

Jack licked his lips. Hiccup could see the excitement and the doubts blending together in his eyes. "But do you really think I'm qualified for that?"

"Of course, you are. I trust your judgment," Hiccup said as soon as the words had left Jack's mouth.

"But some of these decisions will be huge and… I don't really know everything about Viking culture yet."

"You know enough," Hiccup said, giving Jack what he hoped was an encouraging smile, "I would actually have asked you right when you moved here, but I wanted to give you some time to adjust to a whole new lifestyle."

Jack nodded. "That was a good idea, you had there."

"It happens sometimes."

"Yeah, on rare occasions."

"Don't get cute with me, Snowball."

Jack laughed. "Well, I'm glad I got some time to get used to everything, before you asked me. I'm still worried I don't know nearly enough to be a good advisor for you."

"That's not what I need you for," Hiccup said, leaning forward in his chair, "Fishlegs and Astrid know about Viking culture. I need you to help me make the best decisions for everyone. Running the village. Dealing with the other tribes. You're going to be in our meetings, and let me know your opinion on things and why. That will help me make the best decisions I can."

"Of course, I'll do that," Jack said, like there had never been another choice, "You know I'd love to help."

Pride sunk into Hiccup's chest.

"So, what happens, if you're away, or you're not able to make a decision somehow?" Jack asked.

"Then you, Astrid and Fishlegs need to make the decision."

Jack nodded. "I'll work hard to be good enough. Berk is my home too now… And I might not know everyone well yet, but I feel like a part of the tribe."

The smile on Hiccup's lips was born from the warmth inside him. "You're always good enough. And you are a part of the tribe, no doubts there. Everyone loves you."

"You think so?" Jack asked with hope in his eyes.

"I know so," Hiccup said, "I've been told by plenty of people here that they're happy you're staying."

Jack's smile was soft and touched. He nodded. "I'll do my best." His smile turned mischievous. "But it better not be hard work and deadlines all the time."

"Of course not," Hiccup said and smiled, "It's work, sure, but there'll be time for snowballs and fun times too."

"Good," Jack said and gave him a stern look, "That's important, you know."

"I know, O Guardian of Fun," Hiccup deadpanned, despite agreeing. It would be a tragedy to lead a life without time for fun and laughter. In Jack's case, it would probably kill him. Death by boredom.

"At least you've learned to use my proper title."

"Your proper title is asshole, and you know it."

"Hey!" Jack objected and pulled Hiccup out of his chair and onto the floor. Hiccup was grateful the tickle attack didn't last long. For the sake of his pride, it was a good thing no one would ever know, how quickly the chief of Berk surrendered to a snow-loving idiot with white hair.

* * *

Jack didn't know all the sounds of potential danger yet. He got caught up in excitement, when he and Hiccup went exploring, so he wasn't always paying attention to minor details. Hiccup was his eyes and ears for the most part, warning him about any signs that their safety was compromised. So, when Hiccup told him to be quiet and duck behind a row of thick shrubbery, he did it without asking questions.

Peeking through the leaves, Jack was careful not to make a sound. Hiccup had those creases of concentration on his forehead, he always got when he had to assess something. They didn't know this island, but Hiccup knew much more about life in the archipelago than he did.

Through the leaves, he could see several unknown men loading things onto some small ships. Most of them were bulky and brutal looking, much like the majority of warriors back on Berk. Looks could be deceiving though, and despite trying to work out what was happening, Jack couldn't come to a conclusion about the danger of the situation.

"What are they doing?" he whispered.

"Transporting dragons," Hiccup said, "They're trappers."

"How do you know?"

"I can tell by their weapons, and some of the stuff they loaded onto the ships."

Despite the hostile tribes having been defeated, there were still some rogue dragon trappers here and there in the archipelago. Previously, they'd had back up, when they ran into them. Now, they were on their own.

Toothless growled, low and guttural, a sound that would scare any sane person that didn't know him.

"I know, bud," Hiccup said, "But keep it down. We'll help those dragons somehow."

"You have a plan?" Jack said.

"Not really," Hiccup said.

"Well, improvisation has always been a strength of ours," Jack said, trying to chase away the ropes of fear slithering around him.

"True," Hiccup said, "You'll take the ones on the right, I'll take the ones on the left. Toothless, you'll cover us." There was no fear on Hiccup's face or in his voice, but Jack knew he was always nervous going into a violent conflict. Only an idiot wouldn't be.

Toothless warbled in agreement. His eyes were focused in the direction of the hostiles.

"It's a deal," Jack said and took out his wand. He clutched it tight. "On your count, Hic."

"Okay, but remember-"

"They're armed, I know," Jack said, "And they know how to use those weapons. I need to focus on defending myself, not just attacking. I have to make sure I don't turn my back to any of them, and I need to keep my distance, and use my magic from there."

"I've said that before, huh?"

"Only like every single time we come across trappers."

"Point taken," Hiccup said, "I know you can take care of yourself. I'm just worried."

Jack nodded. "Likewise. But we'll make it through, like we always do."

Hiccup's smile was tight, more out of obligation than sincerity. Jack couldn't blame him. "You ready?" Hiccup said.

"Yup."

"Okay. One… Two… Three!"

They jumped out of the bushes, spells shooting out of their wands at any hostile they could see. Toothless fired plasma blasts to protect them. Hostiles fell to the ground, screaming, or were knocked unconscious. Men yelled to each other, and scrambled to get their weapons out.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"Stupefy!"

They took out many of the trappers quickly and easily. Their magic gave them the advantage. One of the trappers pulled out a bow. Arrows shot towards them. "Protego!" he and Jack protected themselves. Toothless jumped away and fired plasma blasts at the archer. The man fell onto the ground with a horrifying scream, his face melting off. Jack ended his suffering by slamming him into a boulder. He and Hiccup had an unspoken agreement, that they did their best not to kill. But sometimes it was unavoidable.

The trappers tried to form a joint attack. They shouted directions to each other and found boulders and trees to hide behind, when a spell came flying through the air. Jack saw Hiccup incinerate a row of trees with a powerful Confringo spell. The trappers hiding behind it screamed and hurried towards the water to put out the flames in their clothes. By the water, Jack took them out, paralyzing them one by one.

Two of the trappers frantically began readying one of the ships furthest away. That was when Jack noticed it. A huge, white dragon roared inside a cage and slammed its front legs against the bars. The cage wobbled, threatening to topple over. One of the Vikings took something from his belt and swung it. The whip slammed against the dragon's eyes. It roared and shook its head in pain.

"Hey!" Jack said and swung his wand, "You leave him alone!" Green sparks shot out of his wand and raced towards the Vikings. They ducked behind the ship's railing.

"Get away from that thing! It's ours!" one of the men yelled.

The anger forced the words out of his mouth. "Dragons are not things!"

"You know nothing!" the Viking shouted

"I know I'll die before you hurt that dragon!" Jack yelled and stepped closer, wand ready.

"Then you'll die!" one of the Vikings shouted. Something came flying at him. He threw himself to the side. The spear slammed into a tree trunk. He sucked in a breath and got to his feet.

"Stupefy!" Hiccup yelled from somewhere. There was a scream. Toothless growled and roared.

Jack went closer to the ship, holding his wand outstretched. The Vikings were nowhere to be seen anymore. He could hear Hiccup firing spells somewhere to the right. He glanced at him to make sure he was all right.

The dragon watched him closely, as he approached. Jack looked into the dragon's eyes for a moment. Clear and blue, they held the fierceness of a winter storm, and the vulnerability of a melting snowflake. It was going to fight for its life, but it was afraid. That brief moment was enough for him to know. They were the same.

One of the Vikings popped up over the railing, holding a bow. Blue and green sparks shot out of Jack's wand. Arrows came upon him, but his protective spells left them bouncing off him, landing softly on the grass. Hiccup took the two men out with sharp paralyzing spells.

And then Jack heard it. Distant yelling. Rustling of leaves. Running footsteps. His eyes flickered around the forest, trying to determine where it came from. Shit. There were more of them.

"We have company!" Hiccup shouted, "Be ready!"

The men coming into view, weapons raised and battle cries spewing from their mouths, chased Jack's breath away. There were too many, at least thirty, and they were spread out among the trees, making it difficult to hit more than one or two at a time.

He took a deep breath. This was it. They were going to die, unless he did this. Hiccup's eyes showed the same realization. They had an understanding. The men came closer and closer, their intent clear in their raging eyes. His wand glowed blue in his hand. The magic vibrated against his skin like a hummingbird's wings. He looked at Hiccup.

"Toothless, here!" Hiccup yelled and Toothless was by his side in a second. Hiccup cast protection around him and Toothless.

With a flick of his wrist, Jack summoned the winter storm. Brutal and unyielding, it ripped screams from the hostiles' mouths, and hid them in a white and blue blur of frost and ice. Jack had his eyes fixed on Hiccup, standing close to the storm in his magic bubble. Jack was ready to stop the spell, even though he knew Hiccup's protective magic was strong. The magic coursed through his body, draining his strength. He forced himself to keep the spell strong, until he heard no more sounds from the storm.

When there was only silence inside the swirls of frost, he stopped the spell. The white and blue powder fell away, revealing heaps of dead men. Jack swallowed, the nausea burning in his esophagus. His knees folded under him.

"Hey, are you okay?" Hiccup said, by his side in seconds.

"Yeah, yeah," Jack said, "It just drains me. All of this. It… It never gets easier." He knew he would have nightmares about it. The dead eyes and limp bodies.

"I know, I know," Hiccup said, his voice soft and comforting, "But you defended us. They would have killed us."

"Yeah," Jack agreed, "They would have."

Hiccup put an arm around him for support. Toothless nudged his head against Jack's other side, keeping him steady.

"But at least you know when to use it now," Hiccup said, "Unlike at first, when you used it all the time, without any enemies around, just to prove you could do it. And then you wore yourself out."

Jack chuckled. He appreciated Hiccup's effort to make him feel better. "Yeah… I guess I was a bit too eager about using such a powerful spell. I know it's only for emergencies now."

Hiccup hummed in agreement. He stroked Jack's back. "Now, we have dragons to free."

Jack sighed, a tired smile curving his lips. "Yeah. That will make me feel better."

Hiccup kissed his forehead. "Same here."

"I've only seen one so far though. The one on the ship."

Hiccup looked in the direction the swarm of hostiles had come from. "I think there are a lot more in the forest. They just hadn't transported down here yet."

Jack nodded. "Let's check out the one on the ship first, then we'll find the others."

Hiccup supported Jack with his arm all the way down to the ship. "How did you know the spell wouldn't hurt the dragon?"

"Come on, Hic. I do pay attention, when you talk about dragons. It's a Snow Wraith, of course it can handle a spell like that."

Hiccup nodded and spoke no words, but there was pride in his eyes. Jack drew strength from it.

The ship creaked under their feet. The strong scent of salt water chased away the smell of pine. The cage looked unharmed. Inside, the dragon watched them with wary eyes, backing up to get away from them.

Jack turned to the dragon. "Hi there. We're sorry if we scared you. We just wanted to help you escape from those horrible trappers."

The dragon's expression turned milder, but the suspicion didn't leave.

"If you want, you can come back to Berk with us. There are plenty of other dragons there too. Like Toothless for example," he said and nodded towards Toothless, "On Berk, dragons are treated like family. And if you don't like it there, you're free to leave any time you want."

Toothless warbled something, seemingly communicating with the Snow Wraith. The Snow Wraith grumbled. Its sounds were deeper than Toothless', more guttural. Toothless looked at them with satisfaction in his eyes, and took a few steps back from the cage to give them space.

"It seems like our new friend has decided to come back with us," Hiccup said.

"Great!" Jack said, his joy settling into a grin. His limbs no longer felt weak.

"Okay, please step back a little, okay? I need to get the cage open," Hiccup said.

The dragon backed as far away from the opening, as he could.

"Bombarda!" Hiccup said, swinging his wand. A loud crack and a puff of smoke. The door to the cage creaked and fell to the ground with a shriek. The Snow Wraith hurried out of the cage and stretched out its wings.

Only now did Jack have time to truly study it. He approached it slowly, with his arms by his side. The Snow Wraith kept its eyes on him. It was bigger than Toothless, its scales and wings gleaming white. Its eyes were small compared to other dragons'. Its mouth was full of sharp teeth except for two rounded tusks from its lower jaw. Under the chin, there was a long, white ledge sticking out, and on top of its head, it had a thick, white horn.

When he was in front of it, he held its gaze for a moment. There was uncertainty swirling in those blue depths. It looked curious but skeptical. He could relate to that. He glanced backwards, where Hiccup and Toothless watched him with interest. He slowly lifted his hand towards the Snow Wraith's big snout. It kept its mouth open and its eyes narrowed, leaving Jack to wonder whether this was really a good idea at all. He turned his head to the side, continuing to move his hand closer. His mouth had gone dry. His heartbeat could match the speed of whirling snowflakes. He reached his fingers out blindly, anticipating the rough scales, but fearing the sudden bite of teeth. When his fingertips touched the snout, he breathed out.

He looked up and met the dragon's eyes. They were no longer narrowed, but round and mild. Like Jack had proven his intentions. "When we get back to Berk… Would you maybe consider… Letting me fly on you?" Jack asked.

The Snow Wraith grumbled something that sounded agreeable. Jack stroked the side of its head. "Thank you. You know… I think you and I are going to be great friends."

"Come on you two, we should get back before dark!" Hiccup called out.

"Coming, Chief!" Jack said. He looked over his shoulder a few times to make sure the Snow Wraith was following him.

Hiccup patted him on the back. "I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks, Hic," he said.

"Now you just need to find a good name for him."

Jack's gaze glided over the Snow Wraith, it's fierce eyes and strong, white scales. "I think I have just the thing."

* * *

"Does it still have a few problems?" Hiccup said.

"Yeah, but your last repairs really made a huge difference," Mavis said and bent her artificial arm, "There's actually only one small problem left."

Jack wrapped his soft blanket tighter around himself, sinking back into his chair, into the bubble of warmth he had created, fed by the glowing fire pit and his friends' body heat. His and Hiccup's living room was a toasty, safe haven full of comforting familiarity.

"Okay then," Hiccup said. He took a sip of his mug of tea and glanced at Toothless, who was napping peacefully in one of the corners. "We'll deal with that later in the workshop. But it may have to be enchanted again afterwards then."

Mavis nodded. "No problem. My dad knows someone who can do that."

"So…" Jack said and rubbed his hands together, "Time for the weekly update! How's life? Anything new happen?"

Merida shifted on top of the mountain of pillows she had created. "Well, I got some big news, actually…"

"Really? What?" Rapunzel said. Pascal opened his eyes from his place on her shoulder to see what was happening.

"I've decided to get back into Quidditch. As a coach."

"Wauw, that's great!", "Wicked!", "I'm so happy for you.". They were all so busy congratulating and giving their support that their voices melted together.

"Thanks guys," Merida said, "It's been a while now, since… Well, since everything happened. But I just miss it. I miss it so much."

"We know, Mer," Jack said, "It's great that you're getting back into it."

"How are you going to do it?" Mavis said, "We all know you've wanted to be a professional Quidditch player for years, but… After the war and stuff, we haven't really talked about it."

"Yeah, I know you guys have sort of… tiptoed about the subject, so you wouldn't hurt my feelings," Merida said, "But there's no need to do that anymore."

"We're really happy for you, Curly," Flynn said, his arm around Rapunzel's shoulder.

"Yeah," Fishlegs agreed, "How are you going to do it? Apply for some local teams first?"

"Yeah, that's the plan," Merida said, "I mean, there's no way in Hell I'm going to get responsibility for one of the bigger teams right away, so I'm going to go small first and then see if I have what it takes to work my way up."

"Aw, it'll be wicked, when you become a famous coach!" Jack said, unable to stop a goofy grin from spreading on his face.

"Definitely!" Flynn agreed.

"Calm down, I haven't even landed a job yet," Merida said. Her words were hesitant but her smile was bright.

"Red, you're not known for humility and hesitation, so don't start now," Flynn said.

"Yeah, dream big," Jack said, eager to support Merida. He knew how hard it had been for her, not being able to play Quidditch anymore, because she had chronic pains that were worsened by straining herself.

"I guess, I just…" Merida said, making impatient motions with her hands, like she was looking for the right words.

"What?" Mavis said, "You can tell us."

"I've had a long break from Quidditch. What if I don't have any talent anymore?". Her voice was small and the way she bit her lip reminded Jack of the few times, he had seen her be vulnerable. He had the need to wrap her in blankets and give her all her favorite sweets, but he knew she wouldn't like being treated that way. Like she was fragile.

"You do," Hiccup said, "We've seen you completely engulfed in making strategies. We've seen you analyze the other teams' weaknesses. We've seen you in the library with tons of books on Quidditch history. The only thing you ever used the library for."

They all chuckled at that.

"Once you get into it again, it'll all come back," Hiccup said.

"And get us some free tickets the day your team plays the World Cup, Red," Flynn said.

Merida's eyes had a familiar spark in them. A spark that had been missing for too long. "I'll not only get you free tickets on that day," she said, "I'll get you some of the best tickets in the stadium,"

"That's the spirit," Fishlegs said, his hands clapping together.

"Finally, it'll pay off to be friends with you," Flynn said.

"Shut up, Rider," Merida said and threw a crumpled paper ball at Flynn. It hit him on the forehead and tumbled to the ground.

"So hostile," Flynn said and held his hands on his chest.

"When you get a place on a team, we'll come watch your games as often as possible," Jack said, "And we'll bring flags and face paint!"

"And banners!" Rapunzel said, her eyes going large with the excitement of creating art and supporting Merida all at once.

"Thanks, guys," Merida said, "I really appreciate it." She coughed. "But enough about me now…" She looked at Rapunzel and Flynn. "What about you two? Still haven't found the right house?"

"Not yet," Rapunzel said, the previous excitement on her face fading. She scratched her short, brown hair. "But we'll find it sooner or later."

"Yeah, there's no rush," Flynn said.

Jack nodded and took a sip of his drink, a refreshing pear juice that Rapunzel had brought.

"Of course not," Merida said, leaning back on Pillow Mountain, "I know I'm the last person to say this, but patience is a virtue."

Jack snorted and almost choked on his drink. He coughed. "Did… Did those words just come out of your mouth?"

"Oh, hardy har har, Snow Queen," Merida said, "I can be patient sometimes!"

"Oh, sure," Mavis said, her lips twitching with the threat of laughter, "We'd never think otherwise!"

"Like the time when-" Hiccup said.

"Let's not play that game," Merida said, "So Mav… What's up with you?"

"Actually, me and Jonathan decided yesterday, that we're going to take a trip around the world!" she said, throwing her hands into the air.

"Wow, that sounds great!" Jack said. He knew traveling around the world was one of Mavis' biggest dreams, and after everything she had been through, he was relived and happy that it was possible for her to do it.

"You're going to have so much fun!" Rapunzel said, her feet tapping on the floor.

"And see so many things," Fishlegs said, "So much culture!"

"Yeah," Mavis said, "My dad isn't too thrilled about the idea, but he's starting to realize that I'm not a kid anymore. I want to go out there and see the world."

"Good thing we bought you that camera in our 6th year then," Merida said.

"Yeah, that's definitely going with me. I'm going to take so many pictures, and then I'm going to show them all to you, when I get back."

"It's a plan," Flynn said, pointing at her with the spoon from his mug of tea.

"I want to do that some day too," Rapunzel said, "Go out and see new places. I've never been outside Britain."

"Well, why wait, Blondie?" Flynn said, "I know you've wanted that for a while. So… We'll put the house hunt on hold and travel wherever you want to go. Maybe not around the world right away… But just somewhere new, where you haven't been before."

"I've always wanted to go to France," she said, "And see all the art and culture."

"Then that's what we'll do," Flynn said, "There's always going to be time for settling down later. Do you think it would okay with your work?"

"Yeah, I think so, as long as I'm not gone for months. And besides, I'm an art teacher, so it would be great for me to get new inspiration. Oh Flynn, it's going to be so exciting!"

"Everyone's going places then," Merida said, popping a piece of gum into her mouth, "Buy a camera and take plenty of pictures, like Mavis."

"We're not having any adventures any time soon," Jack said and motioned to him and Hiccup. He pouted and pretended to be upset.

Merida shot him a deadpan look. "Snow Queen, you live on Berk, a place filled with dragons and Vikings, and you and your boyfriend constantly go exploring new islands to find new dragon species."

"Well… When you put it like that," Jack said. He had to admit that he got his fair share of excitement. Hiccup chuckled.

"We should all take a trip together too some day!" Rapunzel said and jumped in her seat.

"Sure!" Fishlegs said, "I'd love to see some more places… I've never been outside Britain and Scandinavia, but… It'd be great to see other places! Think of all the books I'm going to discover!"

"Oh boy…" Rapunzel said.

"It would be great to take a trip together," Hiccup said, "Not around the world though… I can't be away from Berk for that long," he finished and chuckled.

Jack puffed out his chest and put an arm around Hiccup. "My boyfriend. The Chief. The Captain. Numero Uno. The Boss. The Big Man."

Hiccup put his head on Jack's shoulder, and looked up at him in fake adoration. "My boyfriend. The Prankster. The Essence of Mischief. The Guardian of Fun. The Constant Pain in My Ass."

"Oh darling," Jack said and kissed Hiccup's forehead, "You say the sweetest things."

* * *

Long meetings with allies were suffocating for both him and Hiccup. But for very different reasons. He greedily sucked in fresh air, as soon as he left the Great Hall. He savored the way the wind weaved fingers through his hair, ghosting over his scalp. Baby Tooth sat on his shoulder, her claws digging into his skin. She was still only a baby Terrible Terror, so it wasn't enough to hurt yet.

"Frostbite, you coming?" he called out. The Snow Wraith interrupted its nap and followed him with sleepy movements.

His headache would disappear by itself soon. Being confined in a room for long periods of time, had always given him headaches and trouble focusing. It was like the air was syrup, clinging to his lungs. Sticky. Suffocating. He knew Hiccup had other reasons. Most of them had to do with being around people he didn't know well. They drained him. Hiccup had once told him that he felt trapped in those situations.

At the end of the stairs, Jack decided to look near the forest. Hiccup definitely wouldn't be inside right now. He needed room and air around him. "Let's go find him," he told the dragons.

He didn't find Hiccup in the forest, but sitting on one of the narrow beaches, looking over the water. Toothless rolled happily in the sand, his tongue sticking out of his mouth. Hiccup laughed, and Jack realized he would never find that sound anything but beautiful.

"There you are!" Jack said, slumping down next to him on the soft sand. Baby Tooth started playing with Toothless, jumping onto his back and crawling around on him.

"Yeah, here I am," Hiccup agreed, "I needed a break after that meeting."

Frostbite collapsed by the water's edge, enjoying the weak waves lap at his scales.

"I don't blame you, it was hard work."

Hiccup cracked his fingers. "Yeah, it was."

Jack stretched his arms out, his muscles sore from sitting down for too long. "And did you notice some of the disapproving looks we got from the older tribe leaders?"

Hiccup sighed. "Yeah… They're our allies, but it doesn't mean they'll approve of everything we do. It's going to take time."

"Yeah, I know. I guess I just wish these changes would come quicker."

"Yeah, me too. But we're making progress, and that's the most important part."

"True."

The silence between them was comfortable. Soft. They held hands and listened to the sound of splashing water and happy dragon warbles. For a long time, neither of them spoke. Jack suspected they both needed to clear their heads. Sometimes silence is more healing than words.

It was Hiccup, who eventually spoke again. "Redaxe's son won't come to any meetings in the future by the way."

Jack licked his cracked lips. "Oh, you noticed."

"Of course, I noticed. He didn't take his eyes off you. And he didn't even bother being subtle about it. He was looking at you the same way Toothless looks at an Icelandic cod."

"Yeah…" Jack said, grabbing a handful of sand and letting it escape through his fingers, "He kind of made some comments too."

"What?"

"In the break. When I went outside to get some air. He sort of… Made advances."

"He did what?" Hiccup's voice had become low and each word was spoken slowly.

Jack patted him on the back. "Easy now, Chief. I took care of it."

"How?"

"I might have… Dug my wand into his throat and told him, that if he ever did shit like that again, I'd turn him into a toad."

Hiccup nodded and the tension on his face dimmed. "I can't believe he'd do that. He's here on a diplomatic visit, and he chooses to hit on the chief's boyfriend? Idiot…"

Jack squeezed Hiccup's shoulder. "If it's any comfort, I doubt he'll ever do it again. He seemed ready to shit his trousers."

"Good," Hiccup said, "Otherwise, I'll raise your threat and turn him into a dung beetle."

"We'll do that together," Jack said, "But like I said, I think I scared him shitless."

Hiccup smiled and his annoyance seemed to be washed away. "Well… I'm told you already have a reputation in the entire archipelago as a very powerful wizard. So, I don't think anyone would want to mess with you."

Jack put his hands on his hips. "They better not. I have my powers and the chief of Berk on my side."

"You do," Hiccup said and leaned in to press his lips against his cheek. Jack wondered what Hiccup's secret was, how he was able to express such love and devotion through a brief graze of lips against skin.

"So, what's on the program now, Chief?" he said and leaned back on his palms. The sand was warm underneath his fingers.

"I really need to unwind, so… I was thinking about flying."

"Naturally."

"Want to keep me company?"

"Of course. If you think you can keep up," Jack said and winked.

Hiccup laughed and shook his head. "Did you seriously just say that to me?"

"I did indeed," Jack said, "Me and Frostbite can beat you any time."

"Yeah, in a denial contest, sure. You know there's no one faster than me and Toothless."

"Luck," he mumbled, though he knew that wasn't true.

Hiccup's smile was confident. "Skill."

Among the clouds, they were content to simply glide through the crisp, blue skies, the air currents playing with their hair and clothes. The chill of the wind was a veil wrapping around his skin. Jack had never imagined he would get used to the soft flaps of dragon wings, but it was a soothing and familiar melody. One that spoke of how far away he was from the ground and its problems. Hiccup let himself flop back on Toothless and his fingers reached into the clouds, running through the soft whiteness. When pink and gold weaved into the blue skies, Jack saw a familiar island below.

"Hey, let's go down there and watch the sunset!" he called out and pointed to the island. It was a place he and Hiccup had been many times, when they wanted a break from everyone.

"Sure!" Hiccup said and sat up, grabbing the steering rods.

Frostbite and Toothless landed softly on the moss. Baby Tooth crawled off and stuck her snout into the ground, sniffing for something. Jack grabbed Hiccup's hand and guided him to the edge of the cliffs. The moss was a cushy pillow under their sore muscles. They let their feet dangle freely over the edge. Jack rested his head against Hiccup's shoulder, his cheek squashed against the armor. The scents of leather, pine and salt water were home to him. Hiccup's body heat and steady breathing was home.

"What do you think is out there?" Jack said, his eyes roaming over red and gold seeping and blending across the skies in colorful ropes.

"Adventure, hopefully," Hiccup said.

Jack smiled and it felt as soft as the light, pink clouds dotting the sky. Such a Hiccup answer. "Adventure junkie. But you know I'm up for anything."

"Oh yes," Hiccup said. Jack could hear his amusement. "I remember last winter, when you challenged me to ride down the hills on our bare bums"

"Bare bum sledding! It's going to be a thing, Hic," Jack said and abandoned his resting place on Hiccup's shoulder. He nodded eagerly to underline his point.

"It really won't though," Hiccup said, struggling to suppress a smile.

"Of course, it will. I just have to angle my marketing… I'll make it a challenge of manliness, then all you Vikings are going to jump on board."

"That's ridicu- … Actually, that might work."

"It will work," Jack said with a nod, "I know what makes you Vikings tick by now."

Hiccup nudged his shoulder. "Oh, you've suddenly become a Viking expert then?"

"I prefer the title Viking Master, but sure."

Hiccup let out a laugh, short and sharp. "Always so humble, Snowflake. Just because you're helping me and Fishlegs document the Viking way of life for the archive, doesn't mean you don't still have a lot to learn."

"I know all I need to know," Jack said with a dismissive motion of his hand.

Hiccup shook his head. "Like what?"

"Like," Jack said and leaned in, so close their lips almost brushed, "How to make a Viking chief's heart beat faster."

"Gods, you're so cheesy," Hiccup said, but Jack noticed his irregular breathing. He smiled from the satisfaction it gave him to see Hiccup like that.

"I know. But you love it," he said and molded their lips together. It was a perfect balance of soft and warm, matching the fading sun and feathery clouds.

Jack sighed and licked his cracked lips. He rested his head on Hiccup's shoulder again. "I can't wait for all the adventures we're going to have, Hic."

"Me too."

"I wonder what we're going to see."

"Hopefully, a lot of new dragon species."

"Of course, you'd say that," Jack said and laughed.

"Of course," Hiccup agreed "And new islands. New animals. New plants. There are so many possibilities."

"New conflicts," Jack said, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"That too," Hiccup said, his words quiet, like they were squashed under a layer of worries.

"I hope we can avoid more war," Jack said and took Hiccup's hand. He weaved their fingers together and squeezed. He knew Hiccup did everything he could to maintain the peace between the tribes.

"We'll do everything we can to stay clear of that. There's no telling what's waiting for us out there. Hopefully, wonderful things. Exciting things," Hiccup said, sounding like the worry gave way to hope and anticipation. "There are so many things we're going to see and do together."

Jack was reminded of one of their first talks, underneath an ancient oak tree by the peaceful Hogwarts lake. He had barely known Hiccup then. What he had known, was that he was drawn towards him. That he wanted to be closer to him. That there were walls he had to break down, layers he needed to unwrap. What was hidden underneath had to be beautiful in its complexity. And it was. By the gods, it was. Hiccup. His vulnerability, the soft light of a fragile flame. His strength, the blinding flashes of dragon fire. His unique way of thinking, glowing embers in the dark, spreading warmth in the sharp bite of night.

The saying was clear in Jack's mind. The words that had been a constant in his life, since Hiccup walked in and stayed forever. "There's always more, isn't there?"

The corners of Hiccup's lips curled up, like they did every time Jack said the words back to him. "There's always more, Snowflake," he agreed, "But no matter what happens, we're in it together."

* * *

**Author's note:**

So... This is the end. "There's Always More" is finished. Done. It's been a wild ride. This lengthy beast of a story was my first ever attempt at fiction, and I've learned so much from it. I've also made some great friends along the way. Writing this has been a lot of hard work, time and energy. But I've loved it, and I hope you've loved it too. I'm really going to miss it, and I'm going to miss you wonderful readers too. I would love it if you guys could drop me some reviews as a parting gift :) This has been such a big part of my life for over two years. It's a strange feeling that it's over now.

If you want to read more of my writing, you can follow me on Tumblr, where I'm going to take requests for HiJack one-shots soon (Username: Aliceversuswonderland). I'm also working on a novel, if anyone is interested in that. Also, I'm going to come back once in a while and fix some stuff in the old chapters of this story, for example removing the epithets ("the blonde girl", "the dragon rider", and so on), because it makes the writing better.

Take care of yourselves, dear readers.


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